February 11, 2021

Birds

Birds, Wild life

Not a bird fan


It will be a blustery 65 and rain today. Knowing that a "Blustery" 65 is a heat wave to my friends in the north, I owed it to myself to get out and do something before the rain set in.


I headed to the bird sanctuary just a few miles north of my current address. I listened to the welcome lady enthusiastically tell me all about the good things this sanctuary offered and paid my $7.00 entrance fee using my 55 and over Sr. discount and went in.

The place was a mass of boardwalks that weaved in and out of the shoreline on the laguna's east side of South Padre Island. As I started out I was witness to several people with iPhones, binoculars and cameras of all kinds. As a photographer, I am always on the look out for my competition so I tune into those with long lenses and monopods. There were three. I started out walking and zeroed in on the pink birds that were well beyond range of my focal length. Damn it! I zoom in and manage to capture a few from a distance. Some kind of flat billed seabirds that looked cool but obviously did not understand my best pink sea bird, bird call. Sounding something like "hey, pink bird, come here."


They just turned their heads my way and kept eating. I gave up and walked on.

When I reached the end of the first boardwalk I eyed an interesting pinkish grey bird that looked a bit disheveled at times. As the wind blew, it reminded me of those high priced model shoots where there is a fan blowing. The bird shook its beautiful plumage like a mane full of glorious hair. Positioning my monopod and my longest lens armed to zoom in on my subject as if creating a high paid model shoot that was to be on the cover of Vogue Magazine I watched as this gal worked the camera. I named her Kim Kardashian.


I got bored and walked on.


Thinking I really had it all going on I spotted a white bird, furry, small and Phyllis Diller like. I watched her, focused in on her. and was ready to shoot when I heard a voice ask what lens I was shooing with. "Sigma, Tamron?" The "G1 or G2?" I looked up, evil eye and all, and said in my best "I don't know." I hate technical questions about photography. I am not a technical shooter. I have five lenses, I know what to do with them and how to used them. I'm ultimately looking for the best shot, in the best light with a creative eye and so artistic merit. I have an intuitive sense of my skill and how to make a shot. Phyllis Diller basically ignored me and walked on.


Finally I stumbled upon this grey heron with cold crazy eyes. He was zoomed in on my camera and froze. I waited for some time to have him move, jump, eat or something. He just stood there determined to out last my patience. In all honesty, he won. He just kept looking at me as I waited for him to do something. Not being much of a bird fan, I got bored and left. By this time, it had just begun raining. as I walked towards the center two people attempted to corral me into an alligator discussion. Not a bird fan and most certainly not an alligator fan I slipped out through the git shop.


Did I mention. that I am not a bird fan?