Scissor-tailed flycatcher and a breathtaking moment

A scissor-tailed flycatcher photographed at Lake Woodlands, Texas.

Emotions are tied to memories.  I have understood that academically for a long time, but it was when I witnessed a scissor-tailed flycatcher in flight that it was affirmed.  

I rented a kayak while visiting Lake Woodlands in Texas.  It wasn't much; basically a sit-on-top bit of plastic that I could paddle.  However, it allowed me to explore a sheltered coastline without disturbing wildlife along its shores.  And so, camera equipment stowed in water-tight bags, I leisurely was on my way.

It was memorable in that I encountered numerous bird species, some that I had never before encountered.  A variety of herons, egrets, and ducks, not to mention Egyptian geese.  But the one that really caught my attention was my first-ever scissor-tailed flycatcher.

It was sitting on a pole with rampant construction machines busily terraforming the land behind it.  The long bifurcated tail told me what it was in an instant; I had seen pictures and knew them to be in the area.  It had no interest in my presence and the mayhem behind it seemed not to bother it at all.  My great challenge was to keep my ungainly watercraft pointed in the right direction.  With no rudder, anchor, or free hand to paddle, I was at the mercy of momentum, wave, and wind.  I could line up on the bird for a brief moment before being twisted away from getting a good photo.  Thank goodness for vibration mitigation!

It was when my camera was down and I was paddling back into position that I saw it, the thing that would be forever cemented in my mind.  It must have spotted a flying morsel because it suddenly dashed into the air and suddenly froze.  At that exact moment the two tails separated into a perfect "V" shape and a picture formed in my mind.  I remember making a gasp - it was singularly spectacular.  

I wished that my camera would have been ready and that I could have captured that moment forever on digital media, but I needn't be worried.  My mind took the photo for me, forever etched into my grey matter,  a picture that would never be erased.  A second that lasts forever.  And all because of a mental image colliding with a strong emotion.  Amazing.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com

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