The Birds

Columbia Bottom Conservation Area

After wandering around CBCA last weekend, I was headed towards the exist, doing the counterclockwise loop...   As I turned onto this particular gravel stretch, I saw a car stopped in the road, maybe 300-400 yards away.  Naturally, I also stopped, to try and figure out what they would be looking at.  [pardon my grammar there]   There was a rather large flock of black birds (presumably starlings) in the filed to their left (my right), which was lifting and settling.  

After 30 seconds or so, the other car continued on its way (and past me).  I thought I could "sneak up" (in my car), and maybe catch them in murmation.  Had I been really thinking, I'd've pulled to the side, and walked the distance.  That would've given me the best flexibility in terms of camera angles and all.  Yeah, but...  thinking?   Instead I rolled all the windows down, and crunched s-l-o-w-l-y down the gravel road.  

Naturally, the birds spooked before I could get alongside, and decided to make a dash for the trees across the road.  I stopped the car, grabbed my camera off the passenger seat and managed 2 photos before they were mostly passed.  Two shots through the windshield, with a rather excessive "dutch tilt" and whatever settings were on the camera from my previous shot (I was in manual mode).

Fortunately, the light hadn't changed much, so the exposure was close.  And I'm not one of those (misguided) purists who shun post processing (I agree with Ansel Adams), so I was able to clean it up.   I decided to go with a panorama presentation, but ity's a "free" crop, not any standard aspect ratio.

Overall, I don't hate this  one, and it does capture a fun moment.  I wich I had thought to prop my pnone in the windshield, and shot video while rolling up...