I Meet a Birder

It was a beautiful morning.  It was cold enough to keep the mosquitoes at bay and warm enough for a sweatshirt.  I arrived at the Fontenelle Forest wetlands early and had the place to myself for over an hour.  I hear more birds every week as the migration progresses. 

I had the privilege of photographing a couple of wood ducks along the trail.  Once they are disturbed, they are gone for the day.

A turkey vulture spotted me before I saw him.  I'm not sure why he moved to a nearby tree to watch me.  I was concerned that he knew something about my state of health and thought perhaps waiting would be worthwhile.  He was disappointed.

Teal take off as soon as they spot movement.  I was able to approach closer than normal.  After a few photos, they were off in a flash.  Then a voice behind me made a wisecrack about whether my lens was big enough or not.  A birder had appeared.  He was nice enough and we chatted for a couple of minutes about how much he enjoys watching birds.  Then he walked ahead of me seeing how many different kinds of birds he could frighten into flight. 

I packed up and went home.