Photo Journal

Seagulls at Sunrise - a pictorial haiku

The best way to pay for a lovely moment is to enjoy it.

Richard Bach

Two lonely seagulls

landing at sunrise, stand, gazing-

and find - each other.

In the end there is no desire so deep as the simple desire for companionship.

Graham Greene

I saw one seagull standing alone first and took out my camera, liking the way the sun was illuminating his feathers. Then another one approached and began grooming itself. They both lifted their heads, turned in the same direction, and walked off together. It was an unexpectedly sweet moment, only caught because my camera was in continuous shooting mode. I use that a lot when I’m trying to capture animals, because unexpected things do happen, and I would hate to miss it just because I’m not fast enough to take the next few shots manually. Even if you aren’t taking a picture, it can be fun to watch individual animals for more than just a moment. Sometimes they do surprising things.

I have decided to continue blogging regularly - some may be a little shorter, but I really enjoy connecting with you this way, so I’m sticking with it. Thank you so much for being here. I will see you next week!

A Moment of Connection

This is what the things can teach us: to fall, patiently to trust our heaviness. Even a bird has to do that before he can fly.

Rainer Maria Rilke

A yellow breasted bird,

smaller than my hand,

sat outside my door,

unmoving, on the hot cement.

I sat with him -

close enough

to see his tiny brown eyes,

close enough

to see his chest rise

and fall.

How long we sat

I couldn’t say,

So long I began to worry

that he was hurt-

I got up to see -

and he flew away.

Sunday, February 12, 2023. Northern Parula sitting in the sun on our balcony.