April Backyard 0206 A common occurrence in photography is capturing an image that was different than the one originally intended. The woods behind our Virginia town house provide habitat to a surprising range of wildlife including a Red Fox. Early in the morning I have spied him cruising along the edge of thApril Backyard 0177 e woods and yesterday he passed twice within 20 feet of our backdoor. Alas, I was too slow to grab the camera and get the shot. This morning I positioned myself on the deck camera in one hand, coffee in the other. But between the dog walkers and the lawn service I think the fox was too wary to show up. I truly admire wildlife photographers because the element of patience plays so much into their wonderful images. As I sat for an hour and a half I did manage to capture deer and the following birds: Pine Grosbeak, Tufted Titmouse, White Throated Sparrow, Mourning Dove, American Robin, and a Cardinal. The last bird I caught is a favorite of mine - the Common Flicker. The Flicker is a woodpecker and mostly a ground feeder but nests in trees and once you learn their call you will immediately be able to recognize it. The birds are also somewhat shy and difficult to approach close enough to photograph even with a telephoto lens. Just as I was deciding to end my time on the deck, a flicker landed about 40 feet from the deck. I managed to get several shots of the bird on the ground before he took note of me. I was able to get off one shot as he hastily retreated revealing the wonderful yellow in the under wings. I did not get the fox pictured I intended but I did get one that made the morning a pleasant one. Nikon D300 with Tamron 70-300mm @ 270mm, f5.6, 1/1000 sec, ISO 800.