Sunday Evening Swainsons!

It is too bad that Tim was unable to get out for the run this evening, I think he would have enjoyed the opportunity to get some shots. I just nicely got out on the road and watched this Swainson swoop in and land on this post by the higway.  The road was clear so I stopped and fired off a couple of quick shots.

A little while later on I found this unit that I had to back up for to grab the shot. The weather was coming in pretty hard so the lighting was getting pretty bad!

I was pretty much the same route as Saturday morning as I wanted to check on my newly found Owl to see if it would be a repeat location. On the way I found this pair of Merlins in almost exactly the same place as Saturday morning.  Not a close shot, but I did manage to get both of them in:)

I confirmed the Owl, it was in exactly the same location, so that will require checking on from time to time. The rain hit pretty hard so I headed in the general direction of home, taking some other tracks and found another first for me and that was several Solitary Sandpipers.  I am expecting confirmation, but am pretty confident with that call.

The Swainsons were thick this evening, at one time I could have put three flying birds in the lens at one time. Several Redtail hawks were out tonight too, the only thing I missed that I would have like to have seen was a Kestrel.

So a pretty terrific day/weekend. I am very pleased with how the D80 is performing, but the lens will be going back, it is just too slow focussing. Birds in Flight (BIF) are brutal. (IMHO). I hope everyone had as success a weekend, and have a GREAT week!

Turbo