A Shot in the Dark...

All you have to do is point and shoot...

Hooray! We have the BirdMobile all set and ready for for the warbler invasion! When we were finished working Saturday we stopped by to visit our friends at the Black Swamp Bird Observatory(another plug!). They have a nice nature trail that surrounds their building. And this is the time of year that the male American Woodcocks start their amazing mating display.

When the skies darkened me and the Doodles went out with Judy to see if we could spy any "Timberdoodles" in the fields. It didn't take long to the that distinct 'beent!' sound. We stood still and watched. As our eyes became adjusted we saw them rocket from left to right low over the field. Then we spotted them spiraling up into the night sky with their wings making a twittering sound. Then down they dived, back into the fields and trails in front of us.

The photo above was pure luck. I heard him calling in the field, but as it was so dark, I couldn't see anything. I had the ISO set as high as possible (6400) and turned on the flash. I pointed the camera to where I imagined the bird. What luck, he was right in the middle!

What a cool way to spend our first evening back at "home!"

By the way...a flash doesn't help when he's flying this high...
And yes, that really is a Timberdoodle flying up there!

Life wouldn't be complete without a butt in the dark!