I’m currently reading ‘The Bird Way’ by Jennifer Ackerman, & deeply appreciate your photos & descriptions of some of the bird’s you’ve captured/seen. I’ve also had some special encounters with several bird species in my life! Winged-messengers. It was neat to see photos of the one’s I’ve been reading about that are not indigenous to my area.
Also, coyotes are indeed magical & an incredible part of the natural world. A couple of years ago my Queensland Heeler & a young female coyote formed an unlikely friendship on our early morning beach walks. She even sought us out one morning when we didn’t make it down to the beach, but we were walking by a local farm that runs parallel to the beach cliffs. I did a deep dive on learning as much as I could about coyotes during that time, & it warms my heart to see them revered. I’ll need to post about our coyote chronicles sometime!
I also appreciated the deeper dive into considering/challenging perspective during difficult times…it was a gentle reminder to keep broadening our vantage point & remembering that everything (including us) is always changing…ever ebbing & flowing. Thank you for a timely read!
Thank you! Coyotes are magical animals. If you ever feel in need of a rabbit hole and don’t already know about Eastern vs Western coyotes it is a rich area of inquiry! I would love to read your full coyote story sometime.
Everything is always changing and everything is connected. Sometimes it isn’t immediately apparent how but it often reveals itself in time. We have no choice but to welcome change.
I do not know about Eastern vs. Western coyotes! And I love a good rabbit hole. Any resources you can recommend to get me started?
And yes, I think acceptance is at the root of everything changing. When we accept, there tends to be less resistance, more expansion (openness) is possible. Sometimes easier said than done, & definitely a practice indeed. Hindsight is often 20/20 & blessed are we who have the awareness & ability to recognize this, even if it too is a process amidst the ups & downs.
I wrote something about eastern coyotes a few months ago! Paul Rezendes does a great job explaining the differences in a book of his.
Acceptance is key but also might be the most difficult part. Hindsight being 20/20 can feel good, but is another component of a difficulty it isn’t able to change! So birds and coyotes allow us to recenter.
Wonderful! I will check those out :) I only did a dive on Western Coyotes, as I live in Santa Cruz County, CA.
Thank you for the reminder, that 20/20 can feel good, but sometimes is less helpful…That reminds me of the idea that we should always be looking for the silver lining in challenging or painful situations…when sometimes, we simply need permission to sit with our grief, & the space to work on acceptance, whatever that looks like for us as individuals. All too often I’ve witnessed in Western culture/society, a constant rush to heal & get through grief. When really, we need to slow down, pause, breathe, & be with the heavier feelings, while moving through them at our pace. What we resist, persists, can often ring true.
And yes, I agree! Birds, coyotes, animals, can embody a healing energy. I feel like they are a great reminder of what it means to be fully alive & present. One of my favorite quotes by Lao Tzu: “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”
A stunning collection of images and descriptions James. So many species to appreciate. I have never seen a Cinnamon Teal before - that is one striking bird. I like your point as well on the encounter with the Coyote: "We’re visitors in the home of wildlife" This is such an important point and something I try to keep in mind on my hikes as well. I figure it's a privilege I'm afforded to be in Nature. Thanks for sharing some amazing photos and descriptions and information.
Thank you Neil! Cinnamon Teal is maybe the most special duck I’ve seen—combination of beauty and uncommonness (at least for me). I’m glad the point about us being visitors in Nature resonated. I often imagine the animal and I are both humans and the tables are turned. How would I like it if I was in the animal’s shoes? Of course that’s anthropomorphizing but it reinforces the sense that it’s a privilege to be able to get out in Nature when I have that thought.
There is so much to lean into here with this expansive, wonderful post, James, a Field Guide in and of itself, of birds and ferns and change. The American Coots photo is priceless.
Thank you, Heidi. Waterfowl are probably my favorite to photograph, but that probably becomes a definitely when it gets that time of year to see young.
I’d never really taken the time to look at a baby coot until this year. I’ll guiltily admit I normally don’t give coots the time of day. But the babies? That yellow! And they are fine leaving the nest pretty much right after hatching! Worthy of admiration and respect.
Wow what a spectacular collection, especially loved the owl, coyote and prothonotary warbler! And loved that you talked about the feelings intertwined with your experiences of nature. Although we publicise our birding or wildlife watching/ photography etc, it is such a personal experience so its an honour to get insight into whats going on behind the camera not just what we see
Thank you Amaranta, and I’m glad you enjoyed my experience of nature. That’s admittedly what I find so interesting when I read about others watching birds etc. Birds are gorgeous and interesting—that’s a given in my mind. But what does that rouse in the minds of others?
I'm glad I read this on my computer so I could look more carefully at all the photographs you included. What a bounty! The osprey carrying the fish, and the Barred owl were a couple favorites...though that could easily be said about all of them. Stunning. They were all beautiful accompaniment for the journey of your writing. This was a treat through and through.
Thank you so much, Emma. I appreciate you calling the photos a "bounty." It's fantastic to have so many photos to remember birds by--though sometimes it feels like too many. Then I think about it. "Too many" bird photos? Impossible. Thank you for reading.
How I love your special sojourns with our many and diverse freedom flyers and winged wonders through your exquisite lens and generous photo exposition. thank you!
I'm always so happy to see another post in my inbox from you. I love when you do "big and greasy" writing personally, and I also loved how many bird reflections (especially the trees in the barred owls eye) were in the photos to accompany your writing. Have you found that you've got a favourite state to bird in?
I’ve birded most In Massachusetts and know spots there, so that has to be number one. Louisiana was incredible, birders I met there were so friendly. A night heron gave one reason to talk to me, then she brought me to a spot she always sees owls. There’s one spot in Maine I’ve really come to love, but just considering where I know best, Massachusetts.
Knowing a state well also makes it more exciting when you bird in others. A hummingbird might floor you but to the locals it’s a bird encountered each day.
Owen Wilson can be hit or miss, but I enjoyed his character in the movie. His passion for birds can feel relatable sometimes, then he'll do something foolish or mean and you realize you aren't supposed to want to relate to him. Jack Black was my favorite. I am glad you enjoyed the photos, and thank you for reading.
I love the photos, even of the ferns. But most of all, all the beautiful birds. There are so many to choose from, I have to read this once more and look at the photos again.
You also got a few photos of a coyote. How close were you? I ask because a couple of months ago, there was a coyote in a cemetery near my house. I was about 15 feet from him. He looked at me--beautiful--and as I was about to take his picture, he loped off in his coyote stride.
Thank you, Perry. This coyote was close but I definitely was glad to have my zoom lens. I’d guess around 50 feet? I was clearly not the first person the animal had seen, given its unbothered nature. deemed me not a problem, loped off.
I’m currently reading ‘The Bird Way’ by Jennifer Ackerman, & deeply appreciate your photos & descriptions of some of the bird’s you’ve captured/seen. I’ve also had some special encounters with several bird species in my life! Winged-messengers. It was neat to see photos of the one’s I’ve been reading about that are not indigenous to my area.
Also, coyotes are indeed magical & an incredible part of the natural world. A couple of years ago my Queensland Heeler & a young female coyote formed an unlikely friendship on our early morning beach walks. She even sought us out one morning when we didn’t make it down to the beach, but we were walking by a local farm that runs parallel to the beach cliffs. I did a deep dive on learning as much as I could about coyotes during that time, & it warms my heart to see them revered. I’ll need to post about our coyote chronicles sometime!
I also appreciated the deeper dive into considering/challenging perspective during difficult times…it was a gentle reminder to keep broadening our vantage point & remembering that everything (including us) is always changing…ever ebbing & flowing. Thank you for a timely read!
Thank you! Coyotes are magical animals. If you ever feel in need of a rabbit hole and don’t already know about Eastern vs Western coyotes it is a rich area of inquiry! I would love to read your full coyote story sometime.
Everything is always changing and everything is connected. Sometimes it isn’t immediately apparent how but it often reveals itself in time. We have no choice but to welcome change.
I do not know about Eastern vs. Western coyotes! And I love a good rabbit hole. Any resources you can recommend to get me started?
And yes, I think acceptance is at the root of everything changing. When we accept, there tends to be less resistance, more expansion (openness) is possible. Sometimes easier said than done, & definitely a practice indeed. Hindsight is often 20/20 & blessed are we who have the awareness & ability to recognize this, even if it too is a process amidst the ups & downs.
Grateful for these types of interactions!
I wrote something about eastern coyotes a few months ago! Paul Rezendes does a great job explaining the differences in a book of his.
Acceptance is key but also might be the most difficult part. Hindsight being 20/20 can feel good, but is another component of a difficulty it isn’t able to change! So birds and coyotes allow us to recenter.
Wonderful! I will check those out :) I only did a dive on Western Coyotes, as I live in Santa Cruz County, CA.
Thank you for the reminder, that 20/20 can feel good, but sometimes is less helpful…That reminds me of the idea that we should always be looking for the silver lining in challenging or painful situations…when sometimes, we simply need permission to sit with our grief, & the space to work on acceptance, whatever that looks like for us as individuals. All too often I’ve witnessed in Western culture/society, a constant rush to heal & get through grief. When really, we need to slow down, pause, breathe, & be with the heavier feelings, while moving through them at our pace. What we resist, persists, can often ring true.
And yes, I agree! Birds, coyotes, animals, can embody a healing energy. I feel like they are a great reminder of what it means to be fully alive & present. One of my favorite quotes by Lao Tzu: “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”
A stunning collection of images and descriptions James. So many species to appreciate. I have never seen a Cinnamon Teal before - that is one striking bird. I like your point as well on the encounter with the Coyote: "We’re visitors in the home of wildlife" This is such an important point and something I try to keep in mind on my hikes as well. I figure it's a privilege I'm afforded to be in Nature. Thanks for sharing some amazing photos and descriptions and information.
Thank you Neil! Cinnamon Teal is maybe the most special duck I’ve seen—combination of beauty and uncommonness (at least for me). I’m glad the point about us being visitors in Nature resonated. I often imagine the animal and I are both humans and the tables are turned. How would I like it if I was in the animal’s shoes? Of course that’s anthropomorphizing but it reinforces the sense that it’s a privilege to be able to get out in Nature when I have that thought.
There is so much to lean into here with this expansive, wonderful post, James, a Field Guide in and of itself, of birds and ferns and change. The American Coots photo is priceless.
Thank you, Heidi. Waterfowl are probably my favorite to photograph, but that probably becomes a definitely when it gets that time of year to see young.
This is the first time I’ve seen baby coots and your photo really is captivating. We are visitors in the life of wildlife indeed!
I’d never really taken the time to look at a baby coot until this year. I’ll guiltily admit I normally don’t give coots the time of day. But the babies? That yellow! And they are fine leaving the nest pretty much right after hatching! Worthy of admiration and respect.
Their crowns are incredible!
Wow what a spectacular collection, especially loved the owl, coyote and prothonotary warbler! And loved that you talked about the feelings intertwined with your experiences of nature. Although we publicise our birding or wildlife watching/ photography etc, it is such a personal experience so its an honour to get insight into whats going on behind the camera not just what we see
Thank you Amaranta, and I’m glad you enjoyed my experience of nature. That’s admittedly what I find so interesting when I read about others watching birds etc. Birds are gorgeous and interesting—that’s a given in my mind. But what does that rouse in the minds of others?
I'm glad I read this on my computer so I could look more carefully at all the photographs you included. What a bounty! The osprey carrying the fish, and the Barred owl were a couple favorites...though that could easily be said about all of them. Stunning. They were all beautiful accompaniment for the journey of your writing. This was a treat through and through.
Thank you so much, Emma. I appreciate you calling the photos a "bounty." It's fantastic to have so many photos to remember birds by--though sometimes it feels like too many. Then I think about it. "Too many" bird photos? Impossible. Thank you for reading.
How I love your special sojourns with our many and diverse freedom flyers and winged wonders through your exquisite lens and generous photo exposition. thank you!
Thank you for reading and your kind words! If I’m so lucky as to see a bird I like to try to get an image to share with others.
I'm always so happy to see another post in my inbox from you. I love when you do "big and greasy" writing personally, and I also loved how many bird reflections (especially the trees in the barred owls eye) were in the photos to accompany your writing. Have you found that you've got a favourite state to bird in?
Thank you Sarah.
I’ve birded most In Massachusetts and know spots there, so that has to be number one. Louisiana was incredible, birders I met there were so friendly. A night heron gave one reason to talk to me, then she brought me to a spot she always sees owls. There’s one spot in Maine I’ve really come to love, but just considering where I know best, Massachusetts.
Knowing a state well also makes it more exciting when you bird in others. A hummingbird might floor you but to the locals it’s a bird encountered each day.
Beautiful essay and gorgeous photos! Thanks! Maybe someday you’ll publish a bird book. So few have really good photos.
Thank you, Mary. And maybe someday! Either way I'll keep taking pictures of them.
James your musings around birds, life and change are thought provoking. As always beautiful images.
Thank you so much, Shital.
Loved all the photos! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you John!
Such incredible photos. Thanks for sharing the funny film trailer too I love Jack Black. (Not so sure about Owen Wilson, Steve Martin metsamets. ).
That owl face close up still takes my breath away.
Owen Wilson can be hit or miss, but I enjoyed his character in the movie. His passion for birds can feel relatable sometimes, then he'll do something foolish or mean and you realize you aren't supposed to want to relate to him. Jack Black was my favorite. I am glad you enjoyed the photos, and thank you for reading.
I love the photos, even of the ferns. But most of all, all the beautiful birds. There are so many to choose from, I have to read this once more and look at the photos again.
You also got a few photos of a coyote. How close were you? I ask because a couple of months ago, there was a coyote in a cemetery near my house. I was about 15 feet from him. He looked at me--beautiful--and as I was about to take his picture, he loped off in his coyote stride.
Thank you, Perry. This coyote was close but I definitely was glad to have my zoom lens. I’d guess around 50 feet? I was clearly not the first person the animal had seen, given its unbothered nature. deemed me not a problem, loped off.