Today’s post is for the birds. Sort of.

I love immature birds. Of course the new born ones are cute but those that have just gone out on their own are the most fun to photograph.

I watched this immature Black-crowned Night Heron for about five minutes before I began to shoot. It had been motionless, something a parent no doubt taught it, while it looked for fish below the metal bars of a bridge. I no longer remember if it ever caught one but if it did, I clearly did not catch the action.

By the time I would leave a scene like this, I always felt as though I had made a new friend.

The female Pheasant below was taking a pleasant walk in a snow covered parking lot when I captured her (image) from my car. I loved the way she would pick one foot up high and sort of shake it, before she put it down and switched to the other foot.

Capturing movement is a major part of wildlife photography.

Such is the case at this Great-blue Heron nesting shot.

Honey I’m home! I caught this male Eastern Bluebird as he got home. He managed to peak his head out of the shadows and into the light only once that I remember.

Stay alert, and once is enough.

Also, know your birds or have a good field guide handy. I am ashamed to reveal, that I an not sure of the species of this shorebird type critter. On the tip of my tongue but not quite there.

In any case, there’s nothing like a nice pose. While I obviously (photographically) cut the tail of this bird off, visually speaking, the composition I settled on gives it plenty of space in the direction it is looking.

Here we have the reverse direction of the photo above. This Common Snipe is however busy talking to someone.

Yet another standing bird, a Greater Roadrunner. I do remember making this shot and how pleased I was with the way it posed.

A new bird in the files is always nice.

I could work with birds like this Egret all day every day. Great bird, nice reflection.

I generally looked for even balance with shots like this. The reflection and the actual bird deserve equal billing if you will. Clean, debris free water is the diamond on the ring, and even better is the light of sunrise or sunset. More often as not, patience is the road to victory.

Nine birds and a mammal.

This young Eastern Cottontail Rabbit was sniffing around fairly close to my car when I grabbed a few shots. One thing about side shots with critters that have their eyes on the sides of their heads, you always get an eye in the picture with a traditional profile pic. That always helps to bring them to life.

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One of the things anybody needs to understand if they are going to write a blog, and write one that is in addition to being say a photography blog, that is also designed for your personal opinions on current events including religion, is that many readers will not like you. Eventually even the ones who do like you will at times become angry. There is always a possibility that more readers will dislike you than like you.

Even when I had my website, I had an anything goes page and my writings eventually began to include my opinions on many subjects. I rarely made new friends from that page.

Everybody wants to be liked but if you are an honest opinion giver, you will become disliked by some if not many. In fact, while my goal is not to be disliked, I often feel the best about the opinion posts where I have laid it all out there if you will, and possibly have angered some.

Nobody ever has to agree with me, although you would be better prepared to deal with “the world”, if you did.

The last sentence was made to be humorous.

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Mathew 11:28
Come unto Me, all you who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Above Jesus is speaking and revealing Himself as the man/God, and the giver of Salvation.

Churches who teach that Jesus is only a heavenly man, do an injustice. It is true that the person who died on the cross was indeed a man, it is also true that He is God. The Trinity, the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost, are all the same God. The one and only God.

Being a God believing Christian is about one thing above others. You think I will say Salvation. No!

It is about worshipping God. It is first and foremost about God, not us.

It is not about worshiping a church or preacher/teacher.

Funny things happen when we use what we learn from good churches or good teachers. We learn to worship the one and only triune God. Ultimately true joy and love will occur.

Worship is not just about Sunday’s in church. It is or should be an every day occurrence.

By my standards I am a poor Christian. Yet I spend some time every day in soulful worship with God and only God!

I fail often, yet I pray often and concentrate sometimes successfully and occasionally unsuccessfully in honoring God. I do my best to keep my thoughts and my words and my actions in keeping with what God asks and deserves.

God does not ask much from us for an eternity in Heaven. There is of course an alternative. I dearly try to honor Him in thoughts, deeds and words. When I fail and I often do, I ask for forgiveness and thank Him for His Godly presence and wisdom.

I feel better just writing the above words.

Part of our deal to experience life, is death. We are all appointed to die once. Heaven or hell, it’s our choice.

Some of us live to be 115 years old. Others die at 2 months. There’s rhyme and reason to that, but why is beyond us and not our call.

Sometimes non-believers live to be old, and true believers die young. Again, it’s not our call and I am grateful for that. I have not the wisdom to make it.

Thankfully I know Who does.

I am becoming an old man. I have been given more life that I ever deserved. I have lived to become older than many people who have died young, but seemed to have earned a longer life. Thankfully it is God’s call, and He will be correct if I die tomorrow, or I live to be 100. Either way.

I do not count life or death by numbers. I am overjoyed to take note that God is always right!!

May God Bless,
Wayne