3/13/2020 - 3/15/2020
It was a good weekend. I got some shooting in, and I met both of my targets for the weekend.
The weekend actually started on Friday morning. I had gotten a little ahead on hours, and I did a little shooting from the backyard in the morning before working through the afternoon. Spring is bursting upon us, and I wanted to get a few early Spring shots. The day after commenting about how I was surprised the honeysuckle was not leafing out, the honeysuckle started to leaf out. The maple buds are close to popping, and I thought they would be a perfect accent for some photos.
I would say that the birds were nothing out of the ordinary, but that's not quite true. I had a Brown-headed Cowbird stop by briefly, and a Yellow-rumped Warbler flashed through, too. And then there was this stunner, a partially leucistic, female House Finch. She is amazing to see in person. First time I have seen her.
Friday night, I got a little antsy and headed out way before I should have. I was going to look for American Woodcock at Beckecnholdt Park in Greenfield. The day was chilly, and the wind was a bit strong. My beautiful assistant does not care for birding, and she cares even less for the cold. So, my over-eagerness had us out in the cold and the wind an hour before sunset. The birds, of course, do not come out until sunset. After a bit of instruction, my flash assistant and I were able to capture one decent shot. I need a lot more practice with flash photography, but I was happy to get the shot I got.
Saturday.... The forecast was for a mix of rain and snow. I honestly did not believe it would snow. The weather made a liar of me. I kept an eye on the radar and did not head to Eagle Creek Park until I was sure the rain was done. A lot of the heavy flakes had fallen by this time, and I arrived later than I should. I spent a while shooting, but I just was not happy with a lot of my shots. Sometimes, things work out this way.
My favorite pic from the day could have used a slightly better posed subject, but I was happy with the overall feel of this shot.
My goal for Sunday morning was to find some Pine Warblers. Well, I found one. But he was cooperative, and I cannot complain about that. I headed to Tower Ridge Rd. in Monroe Co. There are several spots there that are good for Pine Warbler. It is actually a bit early for them, yet. They are some here, though.
Thanks for reading,
Mike
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