Steady as the Westerly Wind Blows

                                                                      Song Sparrow

                                                        Male Ruby-crowned Kinglet

                                                             Male American Kestrel

                                                                     Field Sparrow

                                                                    Ruddy Duck


0738-1104 hrs./31-40 degrees F(22 degrees windchill)/sunny/15 mph wind gusts

Who would have ever known that today would have been a fabulous birding day if I had not gone?
I thought about going back with those early wind chills, nipping through my gloves.  Now mind
you, I already have frostbite in my hands and feet, so it was sheer strength that kept me going.  I
knew that today was going to be special, just like a couple of years ago when I knew that our
Bald Eagle would give me the perfect full frame photo.  Always trust your gut instinct.

Obviously, I did just that, and I was reward with several shots of the American Kestrel, which I
have been trying to get for several months now.  Photographing birds on manmade objects are
against mob principals, which is why I decided to wait, and after today, I'm happy that I did.

Rewards tend to come at the most trying of times, including the four-inch Ruby-crowned Kinglet, who is constantly on the move and rarely sows that red crown.  Need I say more?

I STILL need to photograph the Golden-crowned Kinglet, who is generally forty feet up in a tree.