Just A Man With A Camera

We're back birding this week baby! Is this going to become a birding blog? No.

Probably not.

Definitly probably not. 

Maybe.

But like I've said before, getting out and taking pictures of birds is always good for my mental health. It can be difficult sometimes for me to get myself off the couch and get out there, but when I do it's always a good experience. My brain shuts off all the other problems and stresses in my life, and allows me to just focus on being outside and trying to take pictures. This week was just like that. I wasn't feeling great. I streak of nights with poor sleep, and had just gotten through a rough monday so it would have been easy to just sit on the couch and veg but I pushed myself to get off the couch and go for a walk.

Maybe it was just where my head was at but I didn't have high hopes for getting many shots I enjoyed, but I just needed an excuse to get out of the house. Boy could I not have been more incorrect. I started wandering though one of my go-to parks that has a creek running along it. There were a few of the usual birds that I see there regularly; malard ducks, finches, robins, and grackles. Sometimes it can be difficult to shoot because it tends to be a high traffic park so they fly away when people walk by, especially if there are dogs. 

There are often a few pelicans hanging out a bridge looking for something to eat so they provide some excellent subjects to photograph. That evening I lucked out and there was close to 20 of them! Easily the most I have ever seen in that spot. A large group was just sitting there, but there were also several that were hunting for fish to eat, and occasionally another flock would fly in. It was wone of those nights where the light and weather were perfect, the subject matter was being very co-operative, and other than the birds I had the area to myself to walk around and try and get the shots that I wanted. Considering this was an evening that was I didn't have high hopes for and was just a way to get myself of the couch, I came home happy with what I shot.  

As an added bonus, while walking back to my car I came across a little beaver that was swimming around in the creek, doing whatever it is that beavers do. There's not much to say other than this is a good lesson to get out and shoot because you never know what you might come across.  Not every park is going to be so full of interesting subjects, but you'll never know if you don't get out there.