Finch

I was struck by the quality of the light on the little bird.

We had a little bit of brightening recently, and I dragged out my bird photography lens, the 300mm Sony f/2.8.

In the summer, I am taking pictures with the sun high in the sky and everything is bright and well lit, expect the shadows, which are dark and contrasty.

But in winter, this far north, the sun is very low, and there are frequent clouds—even on sunny days, big portions of the sky might be covered in clouds. The light is indirect, it lacks contrast, and the different between light and shadow is minor, like a secret in a simple poem.

And then this little finch puts on a look, glancing over its shoulder at…something; birds, especially the little seed-eaters, are always nervously checking.

I clicked. OK; I clicked many times—this was my favorite, a moment, the thing photography is perfect for.

The branches are the pear tree; with any luck it will yield some Barlett pears next fall, and we and the birds can share.