bird 8

black-capped chickadee
poecile atricapillus

this is not the bird i set out to blip today.

a pair of cardinals arrived in our yard this morning. the light was beautiful. the snow was fresh. they were posing. i should be elated. i was. yet i worried about whether i should blip mr. or mrs. or break my rules and blip both. i had the majestic quintessential christmas bird, mr. cardinal, high on a branch under perfect light and snow conditions. no pressure there. and sweet mrs. cardinal, a subtle beauty herself, not far away. maybe i should zoom out and capture them both? i got all three of the above shots. they were mediocre to very bad. a lesson in humility.

i've been trying to get a decent photo of our most frequent visitor, the chickadee, for weeks. they are friendly, cheerful, constant, brave. i love these little guys. yet they are fast and flitty and i am slow with my focus. i have a collection full of images of bare branches and black-capped blurs. i wasn't trying for a chickadee shot today. i took this shot while i was waiting for the cardinal family to settle on the top of the lilacs.

today is a lesson in gratitude. in pursuing a flashy visitor i came very close to missing what's wonderful around me. i am grateful for you mr. chickadee. for your sweet song. for your silly antics. for your cheerful companionship. for your patience. happy thanksgiving.