Copyright ©2016 Deborah M. Zajac. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
I went birding on both Saturday and Sunday this past week-end hoping to find two birds I’d never seen or photographed before. I got lucky with really good looks on the first bird on my list: The Gray Flycatcher. A “lifer” for me!
There were other birders there looking for the same bird which made the experience more fun and exciting. It also helped to have several pairs of eyes, and ears on the lookout.
It’s migrating south, and this one is further west than it’s regular migration route.
He was pretty far away from me, and in the shadows of the trees so I boosted my ISO to keep up my shutter speed to prevent blurring, and these images are cropped.
Sunday I went back to look for the second bird on my list, but I was not successful. I’ll have another go this week-end if I hear it’s still in the area.
Nikon D700| Nikkor 200-500mm| Lexar Professional Digital Film| Tripod|
Note to self- take the bug spray! I got eaten alive by mosquitoes!
More to come…
Circadianreflections Blog 
What I liked about your Gray Flycatcher was the way the feathers are curved by the beak, like a cheeky smile. 🙂 Great capture!
Thank you so much Robin! I’m glad you liked it too!
Oh, yay! Congrats on spotting one of the lifers you were looking for. And you got great photos :-). Hope you find the other one this weekend. I’m curious to know what it is… I saw a lifer today too. A Ruddy Duck!
I didn’t find the Painted Bunting, but I’m so happy that you saw a Ruddy Duck and can check that one off your “life” list! Did it have a blue bill? Up there in Spring I imagine it did. I saw them in late winter with partial blue bills, and only once in Oregon a few years ago with complete Blue bills. There’s a Refuge I go to every year that has Ruddy Ducks. I love that they are predictable and homebodies. They go to the same pond year after year! 🙂 You’ll see them next year where you saw them I’d wager.
I briefly scanned your Owlet post, and am headed back to it to read it slowly. I am so thrilled that you saw owlets! I’ve only seen them in the wild twice! I didn’t get as many great as images as you did, nor did I write about them as well as you did. 🙂
Oo, I didn’t know Ruddy Ducks had different coloured bills in the winter. I haven’t read anything about them yet. Interesting to read of your experiences with them.
Very cool that you’ve seen owlets in the wild too. I did a quick search on your blog and found a Long-eared Owl post. For some reason, the image isn’t available though. I saw another owl nest in another somewhat-busy-with-humans place. The owlets were still in the nest and I got to see one of them do funny head and neck rotations from side to side :-D. Thanks for your kind words about my owl photos and story.
So cute! Great shots!
Thank you so much Antonia!
he really blends into the photo!!
Nice catch of the Flycatcher. Is it named for really catching flies? Must be a fast flier to do so.
Thanks so much Gordon! This one forages for insects in the low branches of trees and shrubs. I don’t think it catches it them on the wing like swallows do.
He’s so sweet! Congrats on seeing a new one – and getting great photos to boot!
Thank you so much Laura!
Gorgeous little guy! (And yes! Get that bugspray – remember zika!) 🙂
Thank you so much Linda! I know! I thought of that.
Great capture, Deborah! Sorry about the mosquitoes. It’s sounds like a great adventure trying to find these guys. I’m glad you had this success. Good luck this weekend.
Thank you Dan! It was exciting. I’m going to scratching these bug bites for another week! I didn’t expect the mosquitoes to be so fierce this early.
Beautiful photos! I have not heard of this bird before, Deborah. How big is it? 🙂
Thank you so much Jill! It’s about the same length as a House Finch 6 inches. Not very big when you your longest lens is 500mm. 🙂
Wow these are so amazing and beautiful! So lovely to see them in their natural environment!
Thank you so much Lynn!
Love this
Great captures, and congrats on adding a lifer, Deborah! 🙂