Just Another Day

Being sick isn't fun.  Having a perfect photography location literally twenty steps from your bed AND being sick is even less fun.  However, with a carefully planned system, one can always devise a way to accomplish one's goals.  Now, having a bathroom two steps from my side of the bed is a wonderful thing on days like today and yesterday.  It seems I caught was can only be described as "the double faucet flu" and so going to work wasn't an option.  Heck, for that matter, staying home wasn't much of one either.  However if you're going to have to visit the porcelain palace a lot, one would hope that it would be at home, where convenience and a modicum of privacy is available.

Initially I was content in staying in bed as much as possible, eating chicken soup, (thank you wonderful wife) and getting rid of this disease.  Then the birds started singing.  First it was the Carolina Wren at the crack of dawn, (I think the clock said 5:55am), singing loud and proud right off our patio.  This was followed by the female Northern Cardinal who amazingly enough has a virtual symphony of songs; everything from low chortles to melodic melodies with a canary type sound.
After that, I was awake.  I did everything I needed to do upon waking and laid there and listened to the sounds.  I heard not only the Northern Cardinals, (both), but also Blue Jays, Mourning Doves, a Gray Catbird or two, the Carolina Wren, (who overpowered most of the others), and an occasional unknown Warbler.

Now if you know me, you know that I can't stay in bed with this type of thing happening outside my window.  Its not even a logical thought.  So, I got up, got dressed and schlepped out to the patio to see what photo-ops awaited me?  As I lay there I thought, this isn't really a good idea.  You've had nothing to eat or drink and it seems that this headache and fever are getting worse.  Then the birds came.

They must have been watching me, because the minute I started to get up and go back to bed, they started to fly in.  Red Winged Blackbirds, Brown Thrashers, Northern Cardinals, Carolina Wrens, Mourning Doves, Blue Jay and even a Yellow Rumped Warbler or two were on the feeder almost immediately.  The light wasn't at it's best as it was just becoming light, but I tried to take a few pictures anyway.  Turns out they weren't very good as they were too dark.  I waited.

By 6:20am it was pretty well light out and the birds were still coming.  Not as many as before; I suspect that many were full from the gorging they had prior to sun-up, but there were still some.
I think I snapped about one hundred pictures, most were duplicates.  I was having fun and frankly I'd forgotten about the sick feelings I'd had, (for the moment).

At 6:45am Mother Nature called, (and you don't hang-up), so I quit for the day.  I got some good shots, but really not as many as were available.  I found a few lighting situations that I need to work on and get better at.  This will come in time.

Today, even though I didn't feel good, was a pretty good day out back.  I'll try again this weekend, when I feel better.