~~Quail Sighting!~~

During a recent photo walk at the local Desert Botanical Gardens (www.dbg.org), I overheard a couple talking about a pretty bird they had never seen before.

Trying to be helpful, I told them that this is a Gambel's quail and that they are common in Arizona. Some people even eat them. 

They looked at each other, laughing, and said, "We are from New Jersey, and they only birds we see are pigeons!" Well, some people eat those, too!

This is "Chester," the quail that visited me twice a day, every day, for 5-6 years....
He had one leg, and he must have passed to quail heaven....

Getting Ready for an Adventure...IS an Adventure!

As I a get ready for my Nome, Alaska, Gold Expedition adventure, I realized that getting ready for an adventure IS an adventure in and of itself.

I had to buy a new wardrobe of camo cargo pants, tops and camo boots. 

I had to learn what a "water straw" is and how to use it.  And "Frog Togs" were never in my vocabulary prior to this.

Even the mental preparation is an adventure, as I will be doing things I've never done with people I've never met.  And the things I will be doing will not be easy things.  We will be hiking miles upon miles everyday in unknown Alaska tundra. I will be hauling camera equipment through this, using my monopod as a walking stick.


I will be eating outside, fighting bugs, and holstering bear spray.  For two weeks, I will be living in heightened state of constant awareness.



I am sure it will be absolutely exhausting...in a good way.

Observation

"Photography is an art of observation. It has little to do with the things you see, and everything to do with the way you see them."
                                                                       --Elliot Erwitt   www.ellioterwitt.com


Observation, the active acquisition of information, is perhaps the most important of all human activities. My father accidentally taught me this life lesson.  I had to be alert at all times around him...to detect moods...that would lead to actions. And those actions were often not in my favor.

Today, however, the great power of observation has become such a gift in my my photographic journey.

Photography has made me an even keener observer of people, nature and life. It has made me even more appreciative of the "little" things that often go unnoticed.  An example of that is the following:


I was walking Tater, my dog, a week or two ago and I noticed a hawk flying over with a stick in its mouth. I followed it and discovered that it was building a nest.  After watching the hawk for a while, I saw another hawk flying around.  It landed in a tree.  Then, both hawks were in the same tree.

Spring has sprung and now I am on "Hawk Watch." Every morning, very early, I go see what they are up to next.  In about a month I should have a nest full to watch, photograph and share!

If you were to look deep into the tree with the nest, you probably still would not see this couple's nest. Because of my keen observation of the very moment a bird flew over, we get to watch life unfold before us!