The Birds are Back!

Spring is starting to show its face here in Wisconsin - some days, it’s a frustratingly cold 20 degrees and the next is in the 50’s or 60’s.

Much like bears, I hibernate in the winter. I really dislike the cold - in fact, I kind of am always cold in all seasons but Summer.

Two Swans a Flying | Fujifilm X-S20 | 840mm | f8

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve seen a plethora of birds return to the yard, along with starting their breeding plumage. At home, I’ve seen…

  • Gold Finch (turning yellow again)

  • Tree Sparrows

  • Robins

  • Hairy, Downy, Pileated & Red Bellied Woodpeckers

  • Grackles, Starlings & Red-winged Black Birds

Additionally, just down the road at the local preserve, I’ve seen a wide variety of birds, including…

  • Wood Ducks

  • Common and Hooded Mergansers

  • Redheads

  • Belted Kingfishers

  • Northern Harrier Hawk

  • And more…

This time of year is exciting for two reasons…

  1. The birds are coming back, which will get me outside

  2. Warmer weather, finally!!

First Date | Fujifilm X-S20 | 1050mm | f8

The family and I are headed to Yellowstone in June and the Badlands in August. Paired with doubling-down on my photography, I’ve added a new tool to my photography bucket.

I am excited to share that I was able to purchase the Fujifilm XF 500mm f5.6 lens! This is the premier Fujifilm film wildlife lens - I’ve always dreamed of having one of the legendary white (or silver) lens attached to my camera and it’s finally a reality.

You can expect most of my year to be spent behind this lens - I am pairing it with the XF 1.4 TC when needed as well, though I don’t think I will need it too often.

Thanks for reading, be sure to be on the lookout for new birds in your neighborhood too! Until next time…

-Nathan

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