Lovely!

Mike

As usual, thanks for taking me back to my youth in the City.

Mike

Great visitor! From eBird: "Flocks often come to feeders for sunflower seeds. Found in forested regions especially at higher elevations. Populations declining dramatically." Looking at a couple of sources, they are not rare in Western Montana. Your initial guess of goldfinch wasn't a bad one - they are in the finch family but about twice the size of goldfinches. You may have had females around but not recognized them as the same bird - they are a dull gray. The key to the ID is the bill - a "gross beak" - a trait they share with other grosbeaks.
Mike

Wonderful story and images! Thanks!

Very nice! I've seen a couple in Summer in the Sierra Nevada, but I've never gotten a photo worth keeping. Good job!

Agree with creeper and Ruby-crowned kinglet.

Mike

I used the original version of the 80-400 on a 7100 and was pleased with both at the time. A burglary gave me the "opportunity" to get the second version of the 80-400, and I used it for years for wildlife on a 7100 and was happy with it. In the last year I started craving more reach, and rented the 200-500 to use on my 7200. I liked the images but not the bulk. Subsequently tried and bought the 500 - 5.6. It has been a real upgrade; my non-photographer friends to whom I send images have noticed an upgrade in clarity. I miss the zoom capability at times, but for what it was purchased - the wildlife - it's great.

And with all my equipment, I feel it's usually my inability to maximize its potential, not the equipment's fault.

I've been using one on a D7200 for a few months now, replacing an 80-400 that I had used for years. I've been extremely happy with it. I hand-hold it mostly. A photo from yesterday's excursion:

(Download)

Two world fairs have been held in San Francisco. In 1915 one was held in what is now the Marina district to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal and the recovery of SF from the 1906 earthquake. The Palace of Fine Arts building remains from that fair. In 1939 the second was held to celebrate the completion of two bridges, the Golden Gate and the Bay Bridge. It was held on Treasure Island, filled land off Yerba Buena island in the middle of the Bay Bridge.
My mother, born in San Francisco in 1910, always said she never wanted another world fair in San Francisco, since world fairs in SF were always followed by World Wars.

Mike

Fantastic - I'm jealous!

When I'm out roaming, local Audubon groups often are an excellent resource to investigate.

Mike

As usual, a lovely set. It makes me want to get in the car and hit the road.

Mike

Tremendous!

Really nice. The reflections are great - off feathers, off droplets on the belly, the eye.

Mike

Beautiful! Time to move to AZ.

Mike