Red-eyed Vireo

Red-eyed Vireo in Columbia, MD on May 9, 2020. One of my favorite birds I've photographed in the neighborhood during the pandemic. Back in April and May, I spent time searching the forest line for migrating and nesting birds. As I've had ticks in the past, I stay in the grass (sprayed with DEET still) and hope that birds come in a visible area. I caught a quick glance of this vireo foraging above me and managed several shots. Not ideal to shoot vertically at birds so I waited for it to move somewhere more visible. I only got several shots when it did come on a good branch. Smaller birds like this tend to move fast at times and can be hard to keep up with a long telephoto. It flew off deeper into the woods and I lost it.

Since my favorite birds to photograph are herons and egrets, I did not spend much time photographing smaller birds. The activity near home this pandemic has sharpened my bird-finding skills and has made it easier to keep track of them while they move around. My hope is that fall migration soon will be just as exciting.

Lens - Tamron 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 @ 600mm on Nikon D500