South Llano River SP - 12/6/2014

© jmillerphoto.com - Inca Dove

My first three photo shoots after retiring were all made at South Llano River State Park (SLRSP) near Junction, Texas.

For those of you who have been reading this or my other blog for an extended period of time, you will know that I have nearly unending praise for SLRSP.  This is a great place to observe birds and make images.  Wonderful staff.  Outstanding volunteers.  Good blinds.  Great place to get back into the swing of things.

Some say that getting back into any of a number of activities is like getting onto a bicycle again after having not ridden one in a long time.  If that is the case, I sure skinned my knees and stubbed my toes a couple of times on this particular adventure.

My images.  Well, mediocre at best.  There was not a lot of light to play with as the promised light overcast was thicker than I would have liked.  It was also chillier than I had prepared for.  My fault, of course.  I failed to follow the 5 P's (Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance).

I shot in the Acorn Blind (AKA Blind #4 or the blind nearest Buck Lake) from 9:50AM to 12:30 PM.  The species that I was able to count/identify included:  Black-crested Titmouse, Northern Cardinal, Hermit Thrush, Chipping Sparrow, Inca Dove (pictured above), House Finch, Carolina Chickadee, and American Goldfinch.

My best images were of Northern Cardinals, Inca Doves, and Chipping Sparrows.  I have not yet "harvested" this trip for all of the keepers.  That tends to still be a problem for me.  I did turn a lady Cardinal into a Flickr image as well as a 1920x1080 wallpaper image for my own personal edification.

But again, best is pushing the limits of sanity.  First shooting in 4 months.  Cold morning.  Well heck, I think I would have been happy if I managed to get the lens cap off and not accidentally apply unneeded exposure compensation.  And I was happy.  It was sure good to get out and make images again.

About the Image:
My 3 most favorite images from this visit were all Northern Cardinals, but I think y'all have seen enough of those from me.  So I went instead with the Inca Dove (Columbina inca) perched on one of the perches.