nope - i'm not a robin...

...i'm a simple red bird

otherwise known as a house finch (i believe) - readily seen around these parts - in abundance actually... they were busy today - all day...

i heard singing outside my window - thought it must be - had to be - the sign - i've been waiting for it - others have seen it already - and until i do, i don't mark it spring yet - boo! my own annual sighting of a robin... yes, that's correct - it's something i grew up with - hearing my mother's words in my ear every spring - "when you see the 1st robin, that means spring has officially arrived"... i count my mother's words as gold - even though there's probably little to no validity to them as such... it's most likely a fable or fallacy - but you know how it goes when it comes to your mama - so many years have gone by now with me anticipating - living the ritual, it would be difficult to simply change it all out at this point... so when i arrived at the window - glanced out and my eyes settled on this little birdie - i was both disappointed and elated - disappointed i couldn't claim springtime yet - elated for the opportunity to play with my telephoto lens -

which is the reason this isn't the sharpest - clearest - most detailed photo ever taken... but i don't care - i had fun experimenting with settings - getting the feel of the lens in my hands again - i haven't used it in quite some time - it was a reminder the more i use it, the better i will get - i need to practice to hone my skill - in the meantime, it was a riot watching all the finches gathering the necessities for nests - hearing them sing to each other - doing flybys and such - an opportunity taken - leading to...

a

happy day.....