Lessons Learned

1. There's nothing like the immediate aftermath of a thunderstorm to produce a strong diffuse light.
2. The undertail coverts are, in sober truth of fact, white. (Or at least mighty pale.)
3. 300/F5.6 isn't fast enough or (in the particular instance) sharp enough.
   
4. 100/F2.8 is, apparently, fast enough some of the time.
5. There are actually two pairs of goldfinches coming to my feeder; I wonder how I am going to tell them apart.
6. Pentax FA* 300mm f/2.8 ED IF is about 3.2 kCAD used. This is going to be a long term project.
7. No one started using diffraction grating objective lenses so they can make a 400/f2 one can lift (and pay for without resort to nefarious deeds...) for sound business reasons; it has nothing to do with hating me personally or people trying to photograph small chirpling birds in general.