The Dark Side

No, this has nothing to do with Star Wars. Or that I am considering switching to Nikon (heaven forbid!). Allow me to begin the story in a more dramatic way:

It was a dark and gloomy morning. The gray clouds that covered the skies were a portent of something dreary. 

Suddenly a bird perched on a wire right next to us! A dark colored bird silhouetted against a dark background. A photographer's worst nightmare! The male Pied Bush Chat was the first of our dark-sided shots.

A few meters from the Bush Chat was a Spotted Dove desperately hoping for the sun to dry up its feathers.

Further down the road a Striated Grassbird did a ballet split as it turned to look at us as if saying "tough luck, guys!"

Perhaps it was the gloom of the day that doomed our photographic endeavors. Our favorite subjects in this place, the Scaly-breasted Munias, were here alright.  Lots of them, as usual. And yes, we only saw the dark sides of these tiny, active birds.

An hour and a half later, tiny raindrops appeared on our windshield. Our birding day was over.