Unexpected Symmetry

I don't get to photograph as often as I'd like nowadays, so a simple trip to the nearby river to do so was a welcome change. Apart from shooting even more macro images—I realize my blog feed is littered with them—I came across a slew of mallards. 

Whereas the males' striking color is always gorgeous, these birds are common enough for us to if not ignore them, then take them for granted. But I'm so glad I captured a few images of their seamless gliding across the murky water, albeit with striking sun reflections matching the mallards' emerald heads, since they reveal unexpected symmetry. 

The Birds

Once upon a time in the pre-digital age, I preferred black and white...until I learned to work with color. With some exceptions, colors, both muted and vivid, are usually what I love. Yet working on a decorating project involving my imagery of birds, black and white provided the kind of standardization that it needed. Here are some of them:

Angry Robin

The age-old question of how many angels can dance on the head of a pin has just been rephrased as follows: "How many robins can dance on the head of an angel"? 

Just one. 

And he's mighty angry!

Dinosaurs Walk the Earth (Part II)

Of all the birds I've photographed, it is the ones that I consider the most unattractive—turkeys and grouse—that resemble their ancestors, the dinosaurs, the most. There is something about those large, reptilian-like eyes and those short, scale-like feathers. In fact, some of the most recent television animations depict dinosaurs with feathers, which brings the mental image even closer!

Red-Tailed Hawk

What is a truly exciting evening? One when this stunner of a red-tailed hawk lands on at tree outside your balcony and stays there long enough for you to grab your camera, change lenses, and even capture a few decent shots!

If you've been following this blog, you'd know that I'm a big fan of large predatory birds, particularly corvids. Perhaps, it's their regal appearance; perhaps—the fact that they're easier to photograph. Once you find them, that is. So, adding a few diverse specimens to my collection is a welcome change!