The lighting was so beautiful last week when I spotted this White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) that I did not mind that there was a branch partially blocking my view of the bird. I especially love the way that the lighting highlights the bright yellow markings in the area between the eye and the bill known technically as the lores.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I agree lighting does matter and this is a beautiful picture
Oh my I love your I guess it’s your theme picture w/ the dragonfly.
Thanks. During the warmer months, dragonflies are my favorite subjects. The insect featured on my header is a Violet Dancer damselfly.
Lovely! And the accent area where the wing begins to form.
Thanks, Molly. One of the nicest things about good lighting is that it helps to reveal some of the wonderful details of the bird that are so often hidden by the shadows.
Nice shot.
Blue Rock Horses Frederick County, Virginia bluerockhorses.com
Stupendous!
Lovely shot, Mike.
This is a beautiful image, Mike. The lighting is perfect, as is the visual texture of the bird’s feathers.
That wee splash of yellow is so cute!
Their songs are among my favorites and are an essential part of our time at our cabin in Minnesota–it wouldn’t be the same without them!
Do you have them all year in Minnesota, Gary? I think we have the white-throated sparrows only in the fall and winter months.
I believe that we hear them throughout the summer, but for sure in the late spring and early fall.
Beautiful image, Mike!
Beautiful!
Right matters. Truth matters. And now, lighting matters too! I love the little details, like the curve of the upper beak and the feather texture that I can see when I enlarge the image. What a sweet little bird.