The new lens was, in semi-truth, a birthday present, albeit an early one that I essentially bought for myself. I don't like being maudlin, but after the year I've had, I feel I've earned it... I also feel: why wait? Besides, it had the most magical allure of all—the Sigma was on sale, and, as it turned out, the sale was even better than I'd thought, since, when I placed my order, I discovered that I was getting an extra $50 off. Naturally, I used that for other essentials, specifically, a lens case and a weather-protecting jacket. The 100-400mm proved its mettle in the field with birds, but I quickly learned that it was great with macro shots. I'm a big fan of Bee Flies, which are out in the chilly weather in search of solitary bee larvae to parasitize. The fuzzy, bumble-bee-like insects are also looking for nectar-rich flowers to fuel their journeys, and while this one was resting on spent leaves, I zoomed in and captured a nice shot of Bombylius major, as our common "humble fly" is known to science.