Don't Look A Gift Bird In The Bill/Beak
I wish that I could tell you that I'm filled with joy and excitement every time I'm out bird-watching but that would be a lie. The truth is that there are days when I feel uninspired by what I'm seeing and wonder why I wasted my time bird-watching when I should be doing something else more important. I know from experience though that this is a temporary condition that is brought on by my current state of mind. Nature is always spectacular but we are not always receptive to the beauty it offers.
Looking back, I can remember the exactly where I was and what I was thinking when I took these photos. On the morning I took the photo of these Wood Ducks I was on my way to another promising birding location.Two male Wood Ducks were out in full display posing for me but I just had to get to that next spot. When I reached the desired location birds were nowhere to be found, other than a Song Sparrow or two.
I came across this Red-tailed Hawk on another day when birding was overall slow. Red-tailed Hawks are so common that I didn't take time to appreciate this awesome bird of prey perched out in the open on a tree stump just a few feet away from me.
Ho-hum-nice to see a Hermit Thrush as I was driving to the next birding spot. Little did I know that it would be the best bird of the morning.
I was at a forest swamp the morning I saw a pair of Sharp-shinned Hawks.
They were chasing these bluebirds as they were being chased by Blue Jays. At the time, I was disappointed that I had driven so far out in the forest but only saw 10 bird species. Looking back at the photos I realize what a privilege it was to witness nature in action.
It was a slow day at Hammonasset the day I took this photo. There was nothing new or out of the ordinary, I thought but when it's the middle of winter with a foot of snow on the ground I'll be dreaming of a warm summer day when I can see 10 Great Egrets gathered together in a marsh.
It's easy to miss what's right in front of us if we're too busy looking ahead.
6 comments:
Larry, you are so right! I have had to stop myself many a time to see the birds before me, rather than rushing off to the next location! Great serious of photos and honest writing, which I always appreciate!
I appreciate your honesty about birding. I think that happens to most of us with anything we are doing. We forget to look around us at the beauty right before our eyes. Love the photo of the red tailed hawk.
How can you say it's a slow birding day when you see those sort of birds up close! I'd be thrilled!
Thanks for the comments. As I looked back at the bird photos I had the same thought as Furry Gnome. Even though the days as a whole were slow, these were all nice sightings on their own which I didn't appreciate enough at the time.
Larry, one of these days, perhaps we will run into each other, although I don't kayak in or near the ocean. Your pix show what so often others miss!!...:)JP
I love birds...gators...and critters of all kinds. Did get to see a few gators on the St Johns River last week. www.alwayslingerawhile.blogspot.com
Post a Comment