"Edit your life frequently and ruthlessly. It's your masterpiece after all."
― Nathan W. Morris
Here's a scene I've probably witnessed hundreds of times over the past 30 years of birding — the rising sun's light filtering through the trees on an October morning at the prairie parcel of Pheasant Branch. I spent an embarrassing amount of time debating whether to sleep in or get out into the field. Finally, after much internal fussing, I threw on some clothes and headed out the door.
Here's is my traditional sparrow spot. By now, there should have been hundreds here, but the unusually warm weather and persistent south winds may be keeping them farther north for now. However, a cold front just arrived today. We'll see how things change this coming weekend.
In the warm light, my first digiscoping subject was this adorable Sedge Wren.
And then a White-throated Sparrow ...
A different one ...
A dapper Lincoln's Sparrow ...
The ubiquitous House Wren ...
Doh! I was given the tail!
I really don't have much to say ...
But it was a great morning to get out and do some nature photography. Sometimes I just want to share the photos and leave it at that — no narration, no commentary, just the images as they are. The pictures should be enough to tell the story, or at least to capture what drew me out there in the first place. But here I am, contradicting that impulse by putting it into words anyway. Maybe it's habit, or maybe the urge to explain never fully goes away.
I'm tired.
All images © 2025 Mike McDowell