I do not take good pictures. In front of the camera or behind it. However, once in a while I do get lucky. This was a very lucky shot. We were in our transitional home while we were moving from Wyoming to Colorado. I was a fledgling quilter at the time and was trying to “relax” some batting on the back porch. A few days later, I noticed a tree about 100 feet from our condo that had some “white stuff” in it. On my next walk I stopped by and noticed that it was a small piece of my batting in a new nest. No movements yet, so I just would bide my time and kept a close watch.
It wasn’t long that I did see the mother bird “frozen” on the nest. She didn’t move a muscle or blink an eye whenever I walked by. Such patience and control. But I really wondered if she knew what she was in for once those eggs hatched. Pretty soon I did see that 3 little ones had appeared. If I got too close they would open their mouths wide thinking mom was about to appear but as soon as they realized that I wasn’t the right Mom, they froze as well. It was such joy to watch this busy little mom bring bugs to her little brood. This was a full time, all day job.
One day I noticed these 3 little guys were really getting too big for the nest and soon they would be gone. I ran into the house and picked up Wayne’s “good” camera – the one with big zoom. I knew if I got too close they would hunker down, and the picture would be useless. Staying on the sidewalk and on tiptoe, I was able to zero in on the little home adorned with my bit of batting, and these 3 little guys popped up to take a look just as I snapped the picture.
Learning to be patient for the right moment. Being an indirect participant in a mother’s preparation for her own. Watching life unfold. Creating an awesome picture to symbolize my own babies. Priceless.
