What do we miss when we do not look?
I always wonder about this when I see the smallest of birds fly in front of me with only a few taking notice. How much does the average person miss because they are either too tired to notice or not interested enough? How sad... But this sadness is actually not founded, as people who do not care to miss, are actually not missing out on anything.
What do we miss when we do not look?
It all depends on our disposition, do we want to look?
For those that do not want to look will not miss out on anything.
But life is more colourful to those who want to look, to those poetic few who appreciate the colour of flowers and the vibrancy and liveliness of life itself.
Recently, I found myself transfixed, staring and running after the most beautiful southern double-collared sunbird (Cinnyris chalybeus) that acted like the little acrobat it always is! I even managed to get some "bird butt", a rare but cute and fluffy sight when you find it.
As usual, I disregarded everything around me, and I tried to capture this little friend in the frame, with the beautiful and colourful flowers framing it. But as usual, the small bird darted across a very big area, from flower to flower, like a bee or insect.
It hung upside down from small branches, getting to the best flowers possible. Only it can pull off these types of stunts! Would you hang upside down for the sweetest nectar and honey?
Fleeting moments of joy, fleeting moments of beauty, as they fly away just like the bird I tried to photograph. But it is not about just capturing it, collecting vast amounts of moments; instead, it is about appreciating the moment, about taking it in so that it changes you.
While sipping on some fine wine, like this little friend sipping on its fine nectar, we can contemplate life, we can write poetry about the innocent and small moments. We can philosophise and we can paint the most beautiful artwork. But the world will always be out there, beyond our grasp. We can merely try and appreciate the beauty, like the first sip of wine, like the first taste of well-prepared food, or the first sight of the most colourful bird trying to sip nectar from the flowers in front of its beak.
I hope that you enjoyed this little bird flying around, performing its acrobat tricks to find the best flower, and the flowers that frame it.
For now, happy birding, and stay well.
All of the musings and writings are my own, albeit inspired by the beauty of nature. The photographs are my own, taken with my Nikon D300 and Tamron 300mm zoom lens.