You Don't Always Get What You Want

Feel blessed to be where you are? I sure do. I'm lucky enough to live in an area that's home to two of the rarest birds on the continent: the Bald Eagle and the Whooping Crane. Bald Eagles are pretty easy to find; I was surprised to learn that only Alaska has more than Florida. The cranes are somewhat tougher to locate. When I learned where to look for them, there was still an element of timing involved - there are areas where they are likely to be at certain times of the day, yet not every day. For weeks I showed up, anxious to photograph them to prove even to myself that I'd seen these awe-inspiring creatures. One day, skunked again, I headed back out to the highway, past a woman whose tripod set up next to her van showed she was real pleased with something she'd seen. She stopped me to ask about local accommodations, as she was on her way south for a business appointment the following day, but had not quite finished with the local birding spots. When we'd wrapped up our conversation, she tossed over her shoulder as she returned to her tripod, "these Whuppers are something, aren't they?" I almost swallowed my teeth. There, way in the back of the pasture next to her van were several whooping cranes, stalking comfortably around among the cattle. They were too far for me and my point-and-shoot, 18x zoom notwithstanding. All I wanted was to see them spread their wings so I could at least catch THOSE on film.* While we waited for we-knew-not-what, a silver tank truck roared past us on the dirt road; the cattle, noticeably interested in this, all turned to lumber in the same direction. The cranes began to stir and to stretch - maybe, photographically speaking, this would work out. By the time I realized the tank truck was headed into the pasture to water the cattle, there was a slow-motion stampede going on. Among the cows, the cranes were flapping like madmen, and while I did my best to catch one of them in full spread, the result was not what I'd been hoping for; the cattle completely obscured the birds. Well, not completely. I was disappointed and more than a little frustrated at my lack of success. When I got home where I could examine the photos on the monitor, the situation was even more frustrating than I'd thought. I had captured a Holy Cow. [Sing with me now: "You don't always get what you want...."]

As the song goes on to say "You get what you need:" a few days later on my way again to Merritt Island (did I mention how blessed I am to live where I do, with easy access to some wonderful birding spots?) I pulled over to shoot an unusual gathering of hundreds of gulls on the water hazard of a golf course. As I shot the fourth of the pictures needed to span the whole flock, unnoticed by me at the time a whooping crane flew through the frame. Finally I had what I'd wanted so badly - a picture from my own camera of one of the most elegant birds I'll ever see.


Keep an eye on the sky - but save one for the other drivers.

*Okay, so it wasn't film. It hasn't been film for years. You know what I mean.