Palm Warbler, Little Maquoketa River Valley near Durango, Iowa --------
It paid back to take the camera and long lens with me while walking our dog down in the Little Maquoketa Valley this morning. First I saw a White-throated Sparrow perfectly placed on a horizontal branch (hence the new photo-button for my bird gallery in the side bar of this website). Shortly after I watched a Palm Warbler foraging in the trees between the abandoned Burton Furnace Road and the Little Maquoketa River near Durango, Iowa. First warbler of the season for me!
The bird in the photo is not tack sharp, just good for a post on the web. Printing this image on a larger scale would not be very pretty. I kinda struggled to handhold the relatively heavy combo of Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600 sports lens, and SB800 speed light. Using the tripod for small birds on the move is not always the best choice, so I left it up on the bluffs at home. Being fast is essential and the only way to solve this conflict is to practice more handholding. Will try tomorrow again…😉