05/17/2026
A hyper-focused Prothonotary Warbler chases an evening meal, while I chase the last rays of evening light through the Carolinian Forest.
Around me, Wood Thrush and Grey Tree Frogs began their dusk chorus as the shadows grew longer with every press of my shutter. Only a few die-hard birders remained on the trail, their conversations muted and intentional, complimenting the woodland symphony around them. From their secret places from inside the bush, two Prothonotary’s flitted to and fro in the flooded woods, hardly stopping long enough for a decent photo opportunity.
Every other frame from this moment resulted in a blur, the forest growing darker by the second. Even with my ISO pushed high, hand-holding at 600mm in the fading light was challenging. But it was more about getting the shot - it was a much needed moment of calm after a chaotic afternoon, a time to be still and present. To lose myself, if only for a moment in the golden hour of the forest, accompanied by the seen, and unseen inhabitants -that too, love the forest at dusk.
