Weekly Photo Challenge: VIVID

“It’s hard learning to live with vivid mental images of scenes I cared for and failed to photograph.”

Sam Abell

(11 photos)

VIVID BLUE

GREAT BLUE II

Well I guess this is my month for birds . I’m opening this week’s challenge response with two captures of a beautiful, vividly blue heron balancing on a slender branch as he prepares to launch into the unknown.  I shot these on a second trip to the rookery I posted about last week. As I mentioned in that post, I was happily entertained by the bird chicks as they ventured out of their protective nests for the first time, but I failed to capture any shots of their antics. I was determined to correct that with a second visit.

PRECARIOUS

“Somewhere, things must be beautiful and vivid.”

Lisa Ann Sandell

Lest you think my task might be easy, consider the challenges. First; find a bird who is old enough to climb, but too young to fly. Next; find a vantage point that allows a clear shot within the dense foliage that protects the birds’ nests. Finally; without disturbing its natural environment,  find a chick intent on venturing out and about. Exhibit A: the young chicks in my captures above and below. 😄

READY TO LAUNCH

“No man-made invention will ever be as clear, or as vivid, as the image captured in your mind of a loved one who’s gone.”

Larry Wilder

After observing the birds for a bit, I learned that before they seriously consider an adventure, they puff their little wings out and assume what I can only describe as a pre-dive position. Much like an olympian about to launch from the high-dive, they move into a tuck position like the one above, poised and ready – but often this results in a false alarm and no jump occurs.

ABOUT TO JUMP

“It is a gift to see life around you clearly and vividly, as something that is exciting in its own right.”

Bill Brandt

Speaking of vivid, how about the color of the waters over which the young birds were frolicking? The brilliant green was a lovely background for my shots, but I wouldn’t want to have to swim in it!

BEAK TO BEAK BROTHERS

“Vivid images are like a beautiful melody that speaks to you on an emotional level.”

Steve Bochco

SPREADING WINGS

 “A vivid imagination compels the whole body to obey it.”

Aristotle

Once I became acclimated to the movements of the chicks, I began to get a sense about which of them would be active, and when an adventure might begin. Then it became a waiting game – how much patience did I have and what might I have been missing at some other nest while waiting at this one! Sometimes there’s a reward like the shot above and much more often, not so much. The little chick below, for example, never got much farther than his nose/beak.

EAGER TO EXPLORE

“The impressions of one’s youth remain the most vivid in manhood.”

Gustav Stressmann

I found myself wondering what it must be like for a chick about to make its first dive. As the youngsters mature, their nests become increasingly smaller. What seemed a cozy, protective environment soon becomes crowded and restrictive, and although mom and dad have worked hard to deliver meals, the lure of the fish swimming below must become harder and harder to resist. What’s a baby bird to do???

DARING TO DIVE

“Vivid simplicity is the articulation, the nature of genius.”

Criss Jami

Happily, I was able to capture some of the bravery of the little chicks as they tested the limits of their newly-found abilities. None of the birds in my post were yet able to fly, but they were exploring their little patch of the rookery as far as their scrawny legs and oversized talons would allow. Clearly it would not be long before they’d be soaring overhead, seeing the world from an entirely new point of view.

ALMOST THERE

“Every child is born blessed with a vivid imagination. “

Walt Disney

For the moment though, the chicks are restricted to an area within which they can climb or hop. Because their claws and beaks are large and strong they travel quite effectively, hopping from branch to branch and tree to tree.  Interestingly, each set of siblings seems to have it’s own little home, within a small “neighborhood”. They could clearly travel farther but seem to choose to stay within established boundaries. How they know the extent of their reach, and why they stay within it, are questions for another day.

THE LONG HARD CLIMB

“Open your eyes to life: to see it in the vivid colors that God gave us.”

Nancy Reagan

Next week — ABB (Anything But Birds!!) Stay tuned 😄

To enjoy the vivid examples of  some other bloggers, click here.

 

 

 

Tags: weekly photo challenge

• June 7, 2015
• Birds, Egret, Heron, Photography
• 127 Comments