With An Eagle Eye....

Cardinal in Sabino Canyon

 These pics were taken in the wild.  Not a zoo or refuge.  These are the beginnings of my journeys as an amateur birder. I went with a mission today.  Listen.  Observe. Locate. Absolute quiet is necessary.

So I followed my instructions and on my hike, I quietly walked listening for the Cardinal's sounds.  

And in the tree, I spotted both male and female.  Now one would think that these birds are easy to spot.  Quite the contrary.  It's not.  As I do this more, I become more in tune with my surroundings and I find balance from within.  And there is joy in this.

First I spotted the female(below) and then I turned around and found the male staring at me. We were both curious.   There was absolute perfection until a little kid popped out of nowhere and almost ran both Cardinals off!!  I put my finger to my mouth and the kid kept quiet until his mother screamed out his name.  Then they both flew away.  Personal rant.  I hate this view on men.  I know why we're seen as the enemy....especially strangers, but not all guys are bad people.  I educate...that's what I do, and the kid was greatful.  But I heard the mother say, "What were you doing over there with that man?"And he said, "We were looking at some Cardinals!" The world today is not a trusting one.  I can't say that I would be any different than that mother.  I'd have been protective of my own kid as well, but it still hurts me that men are seen in a darker light.  The same attitude applies in the education field...especially at the Elementary schools.  Why would a guy want to teach Elementary school?!  Well I don't thankfully(high school and college are my areas), but there are guys who make great role models for these younger kids because they love what they do.  I don't ask for the kids or dogs to follow me on my hikes...in fact, I wish they weren't there at all.  But that's not how life works.  Not all people are bad. Some actually try to do some good. End of rant:)

But most importantly, I succeeded in my objective.  Listen. Observe. Locate.(LOL:)  And I was really excited that on this photo shoot, I achieved my mission.  Find the Cardinals. But I would find so much more.  Tomorrow, I'll speak of the plant vs. bird tactic. While mostly all of my photos are taken in the wild, a few aren't.... like this Bald Eagle. I took this shot at the Bird Refuge in Green Bay. I hope to see a real one in the wild someday:)  But I can tell you, that my "Eagle Eye" is getting better:)  And what's a post without our National Symbol:) More tomorrow....