The Purple Martin is not an uncommon bird, especially along the Mississippi River. However, I never have made a photo of this bird of the swallow family. I took our little dog Cooper out for a walk to Mud Lake Park at the Mississippi River last night. The campsites were all empty again after the rainy holiday weekend and we had the park and the wetlands all for ourselves. The martins were flying over the water of the marina and the adjacent parking lot but always returned to a big bird house that sits high on a post beside the boat landing. They feed on flying insects, mainly mosquitos yesterday, and catch their prey mid-air.
We still had an overcast and gray clouds are never a good background for any bird shot. I used the SB600 with flash extender again last night to fill in some light and make the colors pop a little more. Not perfect, but it beats the alternative, coming home without any shot... ;-)
