Tammie Rogers
Inspired by Dogs & Nature
Three Little Birds?
It was very close to sunset. I suspect it may have actually been several minutes after the sun dropped below the horizon. I was on my way back home when, about 200 feet directly ahead of me, I spotted three little birds on a branch of the recently toppled Ponderosa pine tree which lay just a few feet above the ground.
I knew the light was poor, but I figured I could brighten the images electronically to, at the very least, identify the species. One never knows when a yet-unidentified bird may cross my path. It has happened before at the most unexpected moments.
I aimed my lens towards the trio of little birds and snapped away, knowing I would have to wait until I got back in the house to determine what I had actually photographed.
Even the worst quality image offered a far better view of the subjects that I had seen in the waning light. I have old eyes, and one of them probably would not pass the DMV’s vision test. I suspect you will agree that it wasn’t odd for me to believe I had seen three little birds, in silhouette at that far distance.
I laughed when I realized two of them were pine cones. Because the tree was lying on its side due to the storm damage, the pine cones were in an uncharacteristic orientation, and very close to the ground. Nonetheless, I was happy to have captured the single Chipping Sparrow. It’s a species which has been fairly challenging for me to film, even though I see and hear them quite often.
Tammie Rogers 