Brown-crested Flycatcher, Myiarchus tyrannulus:
Catalina State Park; Tucson, Arizona
I am always excited to travel to our western states and see new species of birds. On my last visit to Arizona I stopped at Catalina State Park on the outskirts of Tucson for a few day to photograph its birdlife. On this trip I hit it just right. Many birds were nesting and sing territorial songs. The Brown-crested Flycatcher was a surprise for me and I was excited to find it nesting in a Saguaro Cactus near the park entrance. When I found the nest the flycatchers were already feeding young bugs and lizards. Here, the flycatcher has returned to the nest with a winged insect.
The photograph was taken as the sun was touching the western horizon. Little light was produced, but the last glowing embers provided a magic quality to the light.
Nikon D7000, Nikkor 500mm f/4, 1/80 second @ f/6.3
