My message today is all about looking without seeing. All too often, we are taken by the splash and color of what is before us. The Black Duck is a very common, often drab looking bird when mixed among the Northern Pintails, Mallards and other colorful ducks. Yet, as this unretouched photo of the Black Duck illustrates, it is a very handsome bird.
This Mallard, a major crop of a much larger photo, is quite peculiar. Overall, this one little piece of the bigger picture is nondescript until I looked more closely at each duck in the shot. Look at the Mallard's tail feathers. Those are not the typical tail feathers of a Mallard. They are actually more like the tail feathers of a Herring Gull. Now, how did that happen?
It is one thing to go out and enjoy the birds; it is very special. The moment is filled with an array of sensory input but sometimes the sights, sounds and weather conditions can blur the eye's ability to "see "everything in its view. It is sometimes an awakening to come home and look at the shots. Once all of those blurry shots that get deleted, the images of the better pictures create a whole different learning experience. Beauty happens! Flukes of nature happen ....and I am reminded that I need to look more closely when I am in the moment. I might just miss something special.