Great light brightens the birds

My last two outings to Mercer Meadows brought lighting challenges and opportunities. Each morning started with heavy fog, with the sun ultimately breaking through and burning off the gray stuff.

Sometimes, the fog makes for interesting, moody shots. I went to the Reed-Bryan Farm side of the park today. The fog was heavy, and through it I saw many sparrows flying ahead of me as I walked down the path from the parking lot. Toward the bottom of the hill, I spotted a Savannah sparrow to my right, perched on a small tree.

I typically crop close to a bird to bring out its features, but I left this frame full for two reasons: one, I love the goldenrod behind the bird, and two, check out the wisps of spider string just above the bird and wrapped on the thorny branches at bottom right.

So much for fog and shadow. What always raises my hopes in the field is warm morning sunlight gushing through the clouds.

On Saturday, I started at the Pole Farm and walked to the northeast corner of the park, what I’ve been calling the “hot corner.” I’ve since learned from other birders that they call it the “chat corner” because yellow-breasted chats can be found there in season.

The sun was out, but the lower parts of the trees where I spotted a couple of Eastern towhees were in shadow. I took a few photos but the shots were mediocre. There wasn’t enough light on the birds’ dark heads.

Walking to the same corner today, I found several towhees. The trees they were in were beautifully lit by the sun. The photo topping this post is one of several shots I got. Here’s another:

The sun did come out fully on Saturday, too. I took advantage of it when I spotted a a red-bellied woodpecker near the towhees. Higher up in the trees, the woodpecker was in bright light. perched upside down for a bit, then flying overhead.

Given my druthers, I’d shoot in sunlight most of the time. But overcast and foggy days bring opportunities of a different sort, and it’s fun to meet the challenge. 🦅