Taking pictures of birds and other wildlife in my yard when I am sitting, watching, waiting is fun, and most of the time predictable. I usually know who is going to show up for lunch or a drink in the bird bath and around what time they will come. However, it is really exciting to be walking by a window or be outside sitting and to notice a flash or some movement out of the corner of my eye and see an incoming bird or animal.
In the case of these photos, I was walking by my living room window and I saw a flash of something land in a tree about 200 yards away. It was far enough that I could not tell what kind of bird it was so I grabbed my camera and focused in on the tree. While zooming in I was able to find the bird. It was a bird that I had never seen before, ever! I was so happy! I started taking photos as I watched in amazement as the bird pecked food from the sumac tree. I was not only thrilled to see a bird I have never seen but I was extremely happy with how the photos came out – not perfect but good – since I was standing taking them freehand. This is harder than it sounds because my camera and lens combo weigh a ton! It is really hard keeping the camera still and focusing was not easy. I was even able to get a few pics of the bird as it flew away, allowing me to see the wing feathers and underside colors as well.
It turns out that the flash was a Flicker! A Northern-yellow shafted – Flicker.
