My field report continues.

Extremely challenging shooting conditions yesterday. It was grey and rainy all day, cold, and at a couple of points it snowed on us. When your whole world is diffuse grubby light there’s nothing to cause that vibrant contrast that makes birds stand out, and your autofocus will struggle incessantly. Add in a heaping helping of the classic phenomenon of every bird just being a black silhouette against a steel sky from where you’re standing, and half of the time you can’t even identify the little blighters until you’re processing your photos.

Here is a mountain chickadee, Poecile gambeli, doing what chickadees do best and also providing another clue to my location.

Which is, to wit, in this bonus photo:

Vrrrrrpth.