Up this morning and out early with the promise that I’d be back in time to head south with Mandy to take her sister to see a performance.  Not my favorite thing, being limited on time like that, but the forecast was for an amazing morning, so I figured that limited time in the great outdoors was better than no time at all.  Especially since I still can’t get out in the almost non-existent time between the end of the day job and sunset.

Whatever dice the weatherman rolled, it wasn’t the one for here.  Instead of clear skys we had a thick overcast that was only starting to break as I left.  I walked the road along the edge of Fords Pond looking for birds in their usual spot.  Found a Cedar Waxwing in a tree, which surprised me, since I haven’t seen one since late autumn.  But he wasn’t in a good position and the shots were iffy.  Otherwise, nothing.

Nothing until I got back to the car, and discovered that instead of along the road, the birds were all hanging out in the small wooded area near the pond’s outlet.  There were the Cardinals, Nuthatches, and a slew of Chickadees, all twittering about.  I missed the Cardinals again (I’m hellbent on getting a shot of the two of them together on a snowy pine bough), but I got some decent shots of the little guys.

Not the hottest start to the day, but being part 1 of 3, I can’t complain too much.  At least I was out there and came back with something.

Canon 7D + Sigma 120-400mm OS + EX 580 w/ DIY flash extender