July continues to heat up and the tropical storm train is beginning to form in the Atlantic region, so far so good though. The Editor and I are currently in the great state of Maine on a Puffin adventure again. I am hoping to achieve one of my bird bucket list shots of a Puffin coming in on a landing with a mouth full of fish for the youngsters. A very famous photographer recently said he shot about a zillion attempts before he got his first one with no wings or feet "clipped" in the photo. Ya’ll pray for me now. I won’t have a zillion chances.

Back on the Broward I did capture a "crowning achievement". While trying to sneak up on an illusive Anhinga for a shot, I saw a Black-crowned Night Heron coming in low and slow. I swung the camera around, locked on, and pushed the doohickey. At 14 frames per second, the landing sequence captured in the photos below was a notable achievement for this amateur bird photographer. Most of the shots were in focus and with no "clipped" wings or feet. The Black-crowned Night Herons red eyes really lit up in the morning light. It then hopped down off the piling and peered into the mud. Quickly it poked its beak into the muck and pulled out what I call a mud eel and gobbled it down. George the Yellow-Crowned Night Heron was also in the mud looking for the same thing and captured a few. George shook them like a crab several times. In the photo however, It looked the hapless eel was twisting George’s head instead. In the end though it was Night Crowned Herons four, eels zero.

Moral to the story, life’s achievements are done by keeping a keen eye on where you are going in life, fly the straight and narrow path and do not be afraid to get down in the mud and go for it at times. A crown awaits us for our efforts. Blessings.

Reflections on Broward is now "Mountain Musings"

Crowning achievements...