A Sultry Summer Walk

In the spirit of healthy weight loss I walked over to the community center office to drop off some paperwork [We have a DANGEROUS tree!  Please let us cut it down, oh Keepers of the Columbia Covenants!!!], and then I walked from there to Jackson Pond, a neighborhood algae reservoir.  All this to say, it was rather late in the morning before I began looking for birds to photograph.  In late August.  90°/90% Maryland August.

FUGGEDABOUTIT.

It’s the sultry summer doldrums.  The birdies have courted, they’ve nested, they’ve raised their young.  They’re molting.  They’re resting.  They’re QUIET.  Wake me up in time for migration.

No birds here.

No birds here, either.
Although doesn’t it look like there SHOULD be?!?

OK, in truth, I did find a few, but none of them were particularly interested in strutting their stuff for me.  I took 40 photos.  NONE of which is blog-worthy.

And here is why.

Bird leaves while getting camera ready (2 photos).

 

Bad light (3 photos).

 

OK, but the photo doesn’t tell the story (3 photos).
The turtle was log-rolling…this story needs VIDEO!

 

Branches and leaves (10 photos).  Birds like to be in shrubs and trees.  Sometimes WAY in.  The juvenile robin was actually my best photo, except for that annoying branch that blazes across the foreground.

 

Poor Position (10).  Birds too high up, too far away, or turned around.

 

But the winning category is. . . . . drum roll, please. . . .

 

OUT OF FOCUS (12 photos).  Sometimes a little, sometimes a lot.  Holding that big lens steady can be a challenge.

 

So that was my walk around Jackson Pond.

Then on the way home, this:

Subject is in photo?  yep
Light?  good
Tells story?  yep
Branches?  yes, but they add to ambiance
Position?  charming
Focus?  perfect

Yay!!!
And yes, I do realize that this is a photo of a DEER, not a bird.
Hey, it’s nature.

 

 

This post is dedicated to all the birds that get away
to go about their birdy business.