Looking Sharp

It makes me so happy when the Gray Catbirds arrive here in the spring, filled with all their silly noises and lots of attitude.  Most summers we end up with three to four pairs nesting around our property which leads to a lot of comical encounters.  At the moment, however, I think we may just have one.  Not a shot I'd usually post because of the angle, the perch, etc, but I want to record their arrival.

We're in the middle of huge migration movements right now and this morning when I went out and sat on the deck I heard 6 different warbler species as well as Baltimore Orioles.  The warblers were all up at the tops of the trees, as they usually are in the spring and I could never get a fix on the where the oriole songs were coming from, but probably somewhere at the edge of our woods.  I have oranges and suet out, so hoping the orioles will hang out in our garden a few days before they settle on breeding grounds and/or move north.  We also have a new group of Blue Jays who must have come in with this morning's migrants - a boisterous flock of at least 8.  All extremely skittish so I know they aren't the smaller group that's been around the last few months.  Blue jays move around quite a lot during the year, some actually migrating short distances and others just moving short distances based on food.  Honestly, I'd be happy if this group continued to head north as they are a bit much at the feeders.  

I had my 3-month follow up with the rheumatologist today and he is very happy with all my numbers from recent blood work.  And I am happy withe the reduction in pain in my hands.  So, it seems like the current dose of Methotrexate is finally working as hoped.  I will continue to be monitored every three months just to make sure there is no negative impact to my liver and kidney function.

This morning my rental lens arrived and I managed to get out with it for about an hour.  It's 400 f4.5 and although I haven't put it through its paces fully yet, I like it so far.  It's a little heavier than my beloved 300 f/4 PF, but still quite manageable.  And from the few shots I took today, I like the bokeh it produces, which is a key feature for me.  Anyway, I plan to enjoy using it for the next week until it's time to send it back.  Always fun trying out new gear.  

My cold is definitely headed out - just reduced to a runny nose and occasional cough today and honestly feel fine.  

Dark with ginger today.

xo
Debbi