This bird has been a bit of a nemesis for me. I've heard them, seen them flash by me, and have even photographed them from a mile away in bad light. I just have not been able to capture a quality image of these birds until today.
As usual, I heard their unique songs—often a mix of imitations of other birds' calls—and was on the lookout for their bright yellow chest. It wasn't easy because several yellow birds were active today, including goldfinches, Yellow Warblers, and Common Yellowthroats. I was basically photographing anything yellow that moved.
It wasn't until I saw a very distinctive flash of yellow from a dark corner of the trail. Thankfully, the sun was hitting this chat perfectly. I saw it peek its head out and then dart back into cover, but not before I was able to capture this sequence of images. Finally, a few keeper images.
The funny part is that, as I was leaving the park with my windows down, I heard a chat call. I pulled over onto the grassy shoulder and looked up at a tree just off the road. There was another chat sitting in the wide open for over 20 minutes, just singing away! I couldn't believe it! Needless to say, I have many images of a Yellow-breasted Chat now.
Nemesis no more!