Education can be a lot of fun! Once I began serious photography I saw a lot of things I'd never noticed before. After I got my Canon 100-400mm f/4.5 lens I began to learn a good bit about birds. I have some long-time friends who are serious gardeners and birders. They offered to take me along to the Wildlife Refuge to photograph birds on their spring migration from Mexico. I was ready to go! I've never been a bird watcher and found out quickly that it's not very exciting. OK, it's exciting for people who know their birds and are patient enough to stand around for hours in hopes of seeing some rare species or even seasonal visitors. Patience isn't my strong suit. With my usual flowers and such I can easily spend an hour shooting one bloom from every angle and with changing light. Standing around and waiting isn't my idea of a good time. But I did wait. And I was rewarded.
The Painted Bunting was the big reward on my first trip. Those colorful birds are rather camera shy. It took an hour before they got somewhat used to me. They definitely did not tolerate my tripod so I had to hand hold my camera while I waited and shot for over 2 hours. I was able to crouch on the ground and sneak a few shots while they fed on the seeds of some ground cover.
The Scarlet and Summer Tanagers weren't quite so shy. They stayed up higher in the trees and were a little easier to spot. The Summer Tanagers were more numerous and therefore were easier to photograph. As they fly by I think I could mistake them for a common red bird or cardinal. I'm learning though.
Five days later I made a second trip to the Refuge. Most of the Painted Buntings were gone but I saw a bird that I'd not seen the first trip. It was a Hooded Warbler. That is a very small bird and rather camera shy. After an hour of looking and not getting much worth keeping I was almost ready to pack it in and head home. But we stayed and again, I was rewarded. The little yellow warbler decided I wasn't quite so dangerous and got pretty close at one point. Thankfully my lens was on the correct setting and I was able to focus and get some good shots before he flew off.
I hope you enjoy seeing some birds that might not be familiar to you. If I've learned anything in this business, it is that you need good equipment but you also need patience and a whole lot of luck.
