Winter Finches, Pine Nuts and Poor Photos

So it was nice to see so many WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS this afternoon in Baltimore. My photo skills however seem to have vanished like this flock of birds did after feeding for only a few minutes on the Easter Hemlock Trees.
I will spend February attempting to improving things like: setting a proper exposure, focusing on my focusing skills, studying up on shutter speed, and oh yes... limiting my intake of coffee before photography session.And so, with just a bit of embarrassment, I show you these photos of this winter's WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL invasion.Soon after my arrival to 'the spot', fellow birder Bryce joined me in searching for these hungry winter finches. I chose to walk towards the sunnier side of the trees and Bryce stood nearest where the birds have been most-frequently spotted. As I got to the 'warmer' section, a large flock (21 by my count) chittered in flight overhead and landed back in the trees, quite close to where Bryce was searching. They briefly popped some cones, posed for some photos and then hit the road, or the skies to be more exact.Thus far, this has been a fantastic winter for the birds.

Best,

Dan