A Day at Beechwood

After a long absence, I took my camera out to the Audubon nature reserve at Beechwood yesterday morning. It was very cloudy when I arrived there and I wondered whether I had made the right decision to go. I headed toward the pond area, as I usually do, because that's where most of my photo opportunities seem to be located. I noticed an Indigo Bunting in a bush near the pond, but could not get a good photo of it. The difference between the sky and the dark bird was too great. At this early hour, I had the pond area for myself. I was grateful that I was able to listen to the birds and frogs without any human noises. At last, I walked around the pond and spotted a spicebush swallowtail landing on the grass. It sat still for quite a while, which is unusual for this busy butterfly, and I was able to shoot some great photos of it. When the sun came out, the tiger swallowtails were out in full force at the Joy-pye-weed and I captured them too. The crowning touch, though, occured when I was almost ready to leave. I made a last visit at the pond area when I saw two Cedar Waxwings land on a berry bush nearby. I had seen them earlier in a tall tree and hoped to get a better look at them. Cedar Waxwings had been on my wish list since last fall when I photographed many of them but couldn't get one decent shot. Now my wish has finally been fulfilled, although there is definitely room for improvement.
While I was disappointed that I didn't see any monarchs yesterday, I know they will return when the goldenrod blooms. I'll be back to capture them and any birds that pass through. All in all, it was a great day at Beechwood once again!