12/7/2019 - 12/8/2019
It's really just a standard case of, "careful what you wish for". After a couple weeks of gloomy and dark weather, I was ready for some sunshine. I do not mind overcast skies, but when it is too dark to shoot, I am not happy.
Saturday rolled around, and the forecast was clear and sunny. My first preference was to head south to look for Short-eared Owl, but family obligations would not allow for that. Instead, I made one last run north to photograph Sandhill Cranes at Jasper-Pulaski FWA, near Medaryville, Indiana. Temps were only around 20 degrees when I arrived, and the sun was just peaking over the horizon. The biggest issue was that there were no birds out and moving. It took until about 9 AM for the birds to leave their roosts and hit the fields. By this time, the sun was warming things up and problems set in. You could see the heat rolling up out of the frost-covered fields. All my shots were coming out blurry. To top things off, the birds were sticking to the west end of the fields (entirely backlit) and were staying about a 1/4 to 1/2 mile out from the road. I spent a while searching the area, but I did not have a lot of luck. Regardless, it was nice to be out and see some sunshine.
Sunday morning, I woke up late but was only planning to head to a local park, anyway. Setting an alarm is half the battle. Turning it on is the second step. There was a bit of activity at the park; more than I've seen for a bit. I did not get a lot of cooperative subjects, though. Again, it was just nice to be out. And, honestly, it's hard to argue against a decent Field Sparrow shot.
Thanks for reading,
Mike
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