A first and a first

Each year camera manufacturers introduce new equipment. Since I am a professional and must keep up with technology I invested in one new body. Yesterday was a rainy day, so I stayed in and played with all the controls. (Digital cameras are like computers with lenses.) I did experiments and based on what I did and saw I was not happy. I started thinking about returning the new body. However, a fairer test is taking a new body birding. Today was a gorgeous day, good for experimenting.

The camera is a keeper. It behaved brilliantly, let me be in control, grabbed everything necessary, super color, excellent images even in very low light.

The highlight of the day was seeing my first bluebird ever. I couldn't get closer, but will post several images. Prior to today I had only seen bluebirds in bird books. New camera, new bird, total happiness. It doesn't get any better than this.

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Also in the grass

I knew what I was seeing, but not exactly. I thought this was a common yellow throat warbler, female, but my birding pal, Ardith, a real expert, corrected me. It's an immature male, black markings that will grow into the mask just beginning to appear. It never dawned on me to think about the new kids on the black. I know the immature robins, hawks and starlings, but have never before noticed immature warblers. This sweet bird was bug-hunting just as intensely as the kinglets.

Nothing ordinary

Hello, Sparrow. Can I take your picture?

No! I'm not in the mood.

I'll think about it........ hmmmmm, hmmmmmmm, maybe.

Okay. You can take my picture.

Ten seconds of delight.

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Total joy

Imagine walking along a path and coming upon a grassy area covered with kinglets, tiny kinglets so busy hunting bugs that they didn't have a single care about human observers. As it so happened I was the only human enthralled. People walked by without noticing the magic. Not one person asked what I was photographing. How could they be so brain dead?! I decided to aim for red-flasher images. It was a perfect opportunity, .... kinglets in grass, me above them. They were foraging in the grass on both sides of the path, a swarm of bug-eaters. The grass had been freshly cut which probably helped expose the bugs. The kinglets are so tiny that they can stand on a blade of grass. Sometimes they stumble over the grass blades. This experience will stay in my heart forever. Did I get enough pictures?? There's no such thing as too many kinglet pictures.

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In the grass on Tuesday

My last stop on the way out of the park was the Falconer Rock. All was quiet until I saw the grass twitching. Kinglet hunting bugs. Oh, JOY!!!! I do love kinglets especially when they have no concern about humans. Bugs, delicious insects, pick-pick-pick while I go click-click-click.

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In love with kinglets

There wasn't a lot of variety yesterday, but lots of tiny kinglets. I adore kinglets. They're so energetic, so personable. And a huge photo challenge, because they flit around. I spotted the ruby kinglet because it was flashing like a traffic light. Same kinglet buzzed me as if to say, "Catch me if you can (with camera)." The autumn colors reflecting in the water made the scene even more magical. There will be more kinglet pictures, because I met one bugging in the grass.

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