The current issue (May/June 2016) of Bird Watcher’s Digest has my photo above published with an article about a group of birders who sought out all 51 wood warbler species in a single year. I got this photo of the Townsend’s Warbler several years ago in Pacific Grove, California, while on the hunt for monarch butterflies. While the butterflies were scarce that day, I was thrilled to get wonderful views of this striking bird, with a color bonus of pink cherry blossoms.
Sometimes when I head out for something particular in mind and it doesn’t work out, I can be happily surprised by unexpected opportunities. This week’s photo is a prime example. Recently I traveled down the coast to try to get some photographs of wintering Monarch butterflies. The butterflies were there, but not very active. I have since realized that I was a little too late in the year to capture them clustering on eucalyptus trees. However, the tree in the above photograph had flowered and the blossoms seemed to glow in the soft light of the overcast afternoon. Just as I was starting to leave, a Townsend’s warbler perched itself on one of the most photogenic branches. I was ready to capture the fleeting moment, and came away from the trip with something entirely different than that which I set out to capture.
