An Unexpected Surprise

Continuing on from yesterday’s post, I left Deer Lake full of hope and wonder at this beautiful world we live in. But true to my bird-watching self, there wasn’t quite enough bird shots in my camera so off I went to nearby Burnaby Lake park for my waterfowl fix.

Now Burnaby Lake is not somewhere I tend to go after about 10am or on a weekend ever as it’s nearly always overrun with tour groups, families and long lens enthusiasts that can be incredibly pushy and elitist, but I wanted my birds! So off I went!

That’s more like it! Wood Ducks! They are absolutely beautiful birds and so photogenic.

But….

Do you remember that automatic mute function I mentioned yesterday? While an often pleasant side-effect of being deaf, sometimes I really wish I could hear what the ducks are trying to tell me.

Which in this case was “WATCH OUT FOOL!”

Ok whoops.

And double whoops!

Fortunately I’m pretty good with wildlife and no photographers or animals were harmed in the taking of these shots. However, with the two most important parts of wildcat interaction being don’t ever run away except as a very last resort and try not to act startled when surprised by a cat, I remembered to remain calm, remain still and ended up quietly working my shutter like a madman until the pair took off. Quite a pleasant experience all together, but still, two wildcats watching me while I’m watching birds definitely got my heart started!

Moving far the heck away from the pretty kitties, I got back into my bird mania with a beautiful pair of birds I’ve never captured before!

Sandhill Cranes!

These two pulled up at the lake for a bite to eat and seemed totally unperturbed by anything.

But when one of them actually hopped right up on the dock for the chance of a better snack I did catch a rather incredulous look from a local resident.

He quickly called in a friend to help protect him from the funny dinosaur birds.

And then he called in reinforcements.

And therein lies the shot of a lifetime for me. While one long lens enthusiast sat beside me telling me I was at the wrong angle and needed to learn where my light source was, I employed my auto mute function and my knowledge of catch lights to shut him up in two shots.

And shut him up it did, though I do agree with him that lighting and angles are super important. But it also reminded me of an important life lesson I should try harder to remember on the bad days.

Sometimes, if you trust yourself, things turn out just fine.

Stay tuned tomorrow for an update on Icarus and Catherine, the Renfrew Eagle pair!