A Bird is A Bird

The Holiday Season always goes away and leaves me in sort of a funk. Nothing to do with the celebrations really just the slide from go, go, go and much social interaction to slow. slow, slow and the interaction and outings. I think this and the lack of sunshine outsides brings on a sort of ennui.

I have tried to keep myself occupied by going out to the Wildlife Refuge and Park to take pictures.  I am stuck on birds right now.  I love to watch them fly, land, and hear them squawk.  It is peaceful to me watching their graceful flight with strong wings.  Even the littlest seed forager can entertain me for hours.

The news of all the birds falling from the sky has me shaking my head. While we may never know why they are falling I gotta wonder.

Now more have fallen.  Some say hey it is just Blackbirds – you know plain old Blackbirds. Well dang, to me a bird is a bird is a bird.

A few years ago the photogroup I belonged too went up to Willows to photograph Snowgeese. It was rather funny that at the Snowgeese festival photowalk there were NO Snowgeese around – too funny really. I remember we were trying to get some shots of hawks. I watched as many of the photographers deleted their shots the second they reviewed them and realize they had gotten a pic of a common vulture type bird of some sorts.  Many of the groups members were irritated that there were no Snowgeese and went on complaining.   My friend Galen and I were driving home in the pouring down rain and fighting strong winds. It was a miserable trip back to Sac. But, on the way home we spotted a large group of white birds in a field off the freeway. We decided to exit the freeway and managed to find the field. We were rewarded with a field full of – you guessed it – Snowgeese!

(2008:01:27 14:45:10)

After the trip I started wondering why a great shot of a vulture with his wings spread totally in focus was considered a garbage shot. I also realized that if you look you may find something interesting along the way if you look. I bird in flight is a beautiful thing period. I shot of a less seen bird is special. Catching an white egret in flight with perfect exposure and great detail for me would be awesome!  But I sure am not deleting a great shot just because it a lowly vulture or seagull. What if no one photographed, painted, etc. Blackbirds and they all fell dead from the sky?

Monday at the refuge another photographer made the comment to me that he was going home because all that was “out here is a bunch of ducks”.   I just kind of shook my head and decided for whatever reason not to tell him that all the geese came in between 4 and 4:45 right before the last light.  It might also have had something to do with the fact that he had really nice long fast lens and I was jealous thinking about what great detailed shots I could get with it.  Well I did get a few ok shots but mine are way better than the ones he did not get because – well he was a bird snob LOL.

Another gal started a conversation with me near the end of the short trail.  Her husband had gotten her a nice camera for Christmas. It was fun watching her enjoy getting a shot of any bird in flight. She had never had a long lens before so she was so excited.  Heck I got excited for her. I shared a few tips that my friend Karoli had shared with me about shooting birds.  And yes, I told her about the flight patterns and where to hang at what times to catch the birds coming in. She was not a bird snob.

I did not go out yesterday . But the sunshine I got Monday  seems to have helped my funk. Now if birds would just stop falling from the sky dead!  Creepy and sad.