From the time I was a child I loved to explore nature. It seems so strange to me now to think of my children roaming about through wooded areas unattended. I don’t know how different the times were, but we definitely lived in a time where we felt safer as a society. Mother’s felt comfortable letting their children be children. Sometimes I wonder how far I really travelled from home. Perhaps I wasn’t as far from home as it seemed as a child. I have a wonderful mother who seemed to instinctively know the balance between letting go and protecting.

These days, I like to walk around my yard and in the little wooded area behind it in search of photo opportunities. I am hoping that I will stumble upon a nest or see birds that visit in a different setting. Sometimes I get a real treat and see the unexpected.

Yesterday, as I walked around the perimeter of my yard peering into the shrubbery I tried to see if I could spot any nests, I saw a little bird flitting from tree to tree. I followed it into the wooded area trying to get a picture of it. My attention quickly turned to other birds that flew by. I was pretty excited as I was able to get pictures of both a female and a male downy woodpecker!

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I finally caught up to the bird I was originally following. I thought I was only taking a picture of the bird, but I actually taking a picture of a squirrel that was peeking out from below as well. A similar thing happened in the front yard. I spotted a frog near the drainage ditch. I tried to be stealthy and snap off some pictures before it darted away, but, what I didn’t see was another frog with it. I didn’t even realize that squirrel or other frog were there until I was reviewing my pictures on the computer. I wonder what other things I miss along life’s way. That being said, I know I am seeing a lot more than I did before I had a camera in my hand!

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I am happy to say, I finally did get a decent picture of the nuthatch that was in the picture with the squirrel. I was really happy that I followed it and was able to get a picture of it foraging for food. But, I was even happier about the unexpected opportunity of the woodpeckers and the lesson that in my rush, I am STILL missing so much beauty!

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