Eeek!

I was focused (literally) on the Downy Woodpecker when he suddenly flared his tiny crest and then this happened.  The cardinal isn't in focus, being on a different focal plane, but I like the bit of drama the image conveys.  A second later, the woodpecker was gone and the cardinal was being gorgeous - see Extra.

I spent a good amount of time in the hide today, getting testing the bird-eye focus system.  And can I just say - wow!  It really is amazing how quickly the focus grabs the eye, even when the bird is in shrubs and other busy settings.  In general, I like clean backgrounds for my birds, but sometimes you take what you can get which frequently involves lots of vegetation/branches which can wreak havoc with the AF system on most cameras.  I put the camera on a monopod today to save my hands which are still painful.  This may be the thing that finally forces me to get better using the monopod.  Silver linings.

I'm getting ready to take Jax out for a walk/snifari.  He won't be wanting to go out tomorrow as we are projected to get a bunch of snow.  

We watched the Super Bowl last night and for a game that started a little slow, it turned into one of the best bowl games I've ever seen.  I was rooting for KC, so was happy with the outcome although both teams played an excellent game and it could have easily gone either way.  I didn't personally like the half-time show although the dancing was good.  

I have dipped into some dark with ginger today.  

xo
Debbi