It was Tuesday.
Another morning walk. 140 days, 140 consecutive days in a row.
My 5 mile loop to start each day. Same time. Same path.
I’m crawling out of bed a bit slower now, and wondering, “Maybe I take today off?” Days are getting shorter. Mornings darker. The sheen of watching daybreak, the first light illuminating the horizon, do I dare say, is becoming boring?
But we keep it going. If nothing else, it gives me something to boast about. Work that fragile ego.
And Tuesday morning was setting up to be a replay of so many other mornings. Few surprises. My Swan sleeping alone at the edge of the cove. My Spirit Bird, the cormorant, fishing solo. That’s a photo I took of her — her elegant curved neck, the matte black finish of her back, her gulping a breath before diving again.
I keep walking.
My camera goes back in the bag, and doesn’t leave the bag. Been here. Done that. Seen it before. Not worth the energy to pull it out of the sling.
I reach the Park and I approach the break wall. I’m looking out on Long Island Sound. It’s quiet this morning. Few walkers. Calm. No wind.
I re-grip my camera bag to hoist myself up on the break wall and at that moment a flock of ~20 Canada Geese lift off the water, and surge low over my head. Those in the back honking to encourage those up front to keep up their speed. It was one of those moments — the beat of 40 wings, the urgency of their calls. I’ll knew that I’d remember this. Write about this.
I keep walking.
I’m thinking about why that moment was a moment. I was startled…a break of the silence. An interruption of the thoughts banging around in my head. A piercing of the quiet, almost to say: Awaken Man. Look around you.
I keep walking.
I see another Cormorant feeding. 2 Spirit Birds in one Day. Now that’s Something. I take my camera out of my bag and snap a few shots.
I keep walking.
I notice another flock across the pond, but its not Geese. Smaller, darker, flying lower, wings flapping with greater urgency.
I stop to watch.
I swing my sling around to grab the zoom lens. Heart beating. Come on Dave. Come on.
It was another Moment.
They were too far out even with the zoom.
I turned to walk back to the Park to see if I could get a better shot.
Hand shake. No time for tripod. No time to adjust camera settings. Blurry! It will be blurry!
25? 50? More?
