Such a lovely girl...

A couple of days ago I saw something flitting in the shrubs in our yard - something I was unable to identify but suspected hoped might be an Eastern Towhee.  Today, as I was sitting in the office, I glanced out the window and there was a gorgeous male not 10 feet from me!  He flew, and so did I - in my case, out onto the deck with the 300mm prime lens!

While the male didn't show himself again, this female came out several times for photo ops.  I have never seen a towhee in our yard and rarely see them out on the trails, although I hear their distinctive "drink your tea" song every spring.  So, it's been really fun to have several of them hanging around the yard today, eating bugs and berries.  

This shot was taken with my brand new (used, but new to me) 1.4 Teleconverter.  It extends the reach of my 300mm to 420 and only reduces by one f-stop to f/5.6.  Making it still a good lens on overcast days like today.  By the way, I am absolutely loving this lens!  The detail and crispness it delivers is unbelievable - and even with the TC, it's very light.  

Alternative view of the Towhee in Extras and three other shots on Flickr, starting HERE with my second choice for a blip today - a meowing catbird.

Hard to believe I was in FL a year ago, blipping Igor the brown anole from my patio... You just never know what life has in store for you so it pays to be adaptable and flexible.  

Ciao!

Debbi