Patience pays off

Sometimes patience pays off. I visited one of my favorite local spots (Whelan Lake) early this week because there had been multiple sightings of a bird I really wanted to photograph. This bird, a Blue Grosbeak, is not rare, but it is uncommon in the winter in So Cal. I have taken many shots over the years, but typically these have been marginal. On this day I spotted an area of grassland about 20′ square that had many seedheads filled with seeds. Since I arrived shortly after sunrise, I figured sometime soon birds would come to visit and get breakfast, so I set up the camera, tripod and camouflage tarp, and waited. Did not take long-about 15′ and many birds started to come. While these are not “5 star” shots, they are certainly better than any I had previously taken.