Early mornings and low light

Dawn at the pond

I haven't had a lot of time to get out on bird watch in the last little while. Nevertheless, I have been visiting the pond near my work in the early morning for a few precious moments nearly every day.   Not only does doing so help me relax and prepare mentally for my work day, but I often see some unexpected visitors there. Especially during migration.

The trouble is, the daylight times are now shorter and I find myself  arriving  at the pond at, or before sunrise, and I haven't had a lot of practice with photography in low light conditions.  So I have also been taking the opportunity to do some experimenting.  As a result, many of my photos are not so grand. So please bear with me.

This week I had the unexpected pleasure of seeing a Wilson's warbler at the pond, all by itself.  I haven't seen this beautiful little warbler since last year, when I saw it for the first time.  So I was absolutely delighted

Wilson's Warbler

Wilson's

That same day I also watched some migrating Geese pass overhead just as the sun came up.  I always hate to see them go.  Although, I'm sure that they haven't all gone yet.

Migrating Canada Geese

The next day I was surprised by this single Juvenile spotted sandpiper.  It took quite a while to identify him.  This time I needed and had some help that I really appreciated.  Many thanks to the people who aided me with the ID.

Juvenile spotted sandpiper

Hunting for breakfast

Yesterday there was a Juvenile Eared Grebe on the pond, who was also all on his own.  The little Grebe was the only one to stick around for a while. I was really happy that he did, but try as I might, I couldn't get a decent photo of him either yesterday, or this morning.  Although I think there was some slight improvement in today's photos.

Juvenile Eared Grebe yesterday

Juvenile Eared Grebe today

I guess I need to practice and experiment with the camera settings some more.  Which is good, because it is always fun.   I sure hope the little grebe is still at the pond tomorrow.

Enjoy,
Susan