Lazy Day in Late September

Today was Sunday and the weather was just beautiful for hiking through the park. I decided to bring my collapsible stool with me today and possibly just sit in the woods to see what I could see. I did just that on the southwest corner of the park –off the wood chip trail just north of the duck pond. Here I spotted a Magnolia Warbler in fall plumage! This is a beautiful Warbler any time of the year because of it's bright yellow breast with black spotting. I followed this bird everywhere, picking up my stool time and time again and setting it down closer. But as soon as I would sit down the bird would move again and so I finally just slung it over my shoulder and followed the bird on foot. It took my all the way to the opposite end of the park, all the while trying and failing at a nice, sharp photo. This was my best one and I joke that at least the butt was in focus. Besides the one Warbler, I also spotted Great Egret, White-throated Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Least Flycatcher, Black-capped Chickadee, Northern Cardinal, American Robin, Red-eyed Vireo, Red-bellied Woodpecker, and Gray Catbird. The last of which I managed a post-able photo of. I like the blue sky as the background and the fact that you can see a hint of the birds "rusty" colored rump patch. Near the end of my walk I scared up a couple of Wood Ducks near the railroad tie overlook at the lake. But there was one bird left that I managed not to scare away and I hid behind the cattails long enough for it to get comfortable again. As the duck closed his eyes I pushed my lens through the cattails to create my own view and snapped a few images. This was my favorite.