Cormorant

I took 497 pictures today at WOW, the Wings Over Water birding festival. So far, I've deleted about 150 of them. Why, out of all those left, this one is my favorite I couldn't say. I think it has something to do with the bird's close proximity to the water, the colors and the motion. Who knows -- I'm not even interested in being analytical. The picture just hits me on an emotional level and I love it.

Mary Jo and I had a wonderful day. We met some of the most talented, generous people who spent time with us helping us learn various bird species, giving us tips on photographing birds in flight, telling us all the best places to find the different birds. We saw Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagles, Loons, Pacific Black Brant ducks, Long-Tailed ducks, Common Goldleneye ducks. Double-Crested Cormorants, Western Grebe, Surf Scoters, and several species of Gulls. I'm sure I've missed a few, but as far as being able to ID these beautiful creatures, I have a long way to go. We spent the entire day moving up and down the coast from one spot to another. Along the way we were greeted by people doing the same thing we were, and every one of them had some helpful information about where to go next and what to see. It was a wonderful, positive experience, and I think I may just have found something to do on weekends to offset those long work weeks. We were told that "birding" is addictive and they may be correct because next Sunday we're going to join the group on a field trip to seek out Snowy Owls. After that, who knows--maybe, just maybe, I'll find that colorful bird I'm looking for!