Friday, February 15, 2008

My friend the egret


Bird brain
Palm Beach, Florida, December 2007 [Click to enlarge head]


He stood on a post and patiently waited while I captured him from every angle imaginable. I guess zoo animals are used to having lots of loud and obnoxious humans close by, but I still found it neat that he was so calm for so long.

I was always taught that patience is a virtue. I guess some birds got the same lesson.

Your turn: Why patience matters. Please discuss.

14 comments:

kenju said...

I think somewhere in the Bible, God commands us (or suggests to us) to be patient. Patience IS a virtue, and so many of us nowadays have no idea how to be patient. All good things come to those who wait (in patience and with faith).
Michele sent me this time.

Lara said...

ugh, i had this great comment about why patience is important and blah, blah, blah, but then the page took, like, forever to load and i had other things to do so i just couldn't wait anymore. maybe later, if i have time.

:-P

Lifelong Learner said...

Don't you just love Egrits? We used to have a family of giant egrits that lived at a retention pond across from our house in Florida. They sounded what I imagined prehistoric to be when they were flying in. I have pictures of our kiddos feeding them bread. The babies were so fun to watch, all fluffy and awkward! :)

Great picture. It brought back memories.

craziequeen said...

hehehe - I found the full version of that saying......

"Patience is a virtue
Breed it if you can,
It's seldom found in woman
and never found in man"

[rotflmao]

cq

Jill said...

What a Beauty! His eyes are gorgeous. Great photo, Carmi.

Anonymous said...

I am not the best person to answer this. I have patience only while I am in school or with kids. Otherwise, I think I lack it.
Especially with myself.

I set myself standards and when I do not meet those, I get impatient!

I think Michele has lots of it.

*grin*

Chad Oneil Myers said...

Nice composition on this image of mr. egret. I like all the curves in the image that are created by his body and the negative space combined.

As soon as I saw the image, I recognized this bird as one of the species that inhabit Florida where I live.

Beverly said...

i was thinking of the rest of that quote as well that craziequeen added.

I adore all of our water birds in Florida. I love to watch them patiently waiting for their food.

troy said...

Patience is a virtue. Although if you practice patience you may end up last in the lunch line or standing in the grocery store line...or have I gotten patience mixed up with Meekness.

OldLady Of The Hills said...

BEAUTIFUL picture, Carmi...Hr really looks does so serene....How wonderful that he stayed so still for you! I think Egrets are such very BEAUTIFUL Birds.....!I've never seen one this close up before, and it is a REAL treat!

Michele sent me this afternoon!

Shephard said...

Carmi... i love that photo! Patience paid off. I think though... if I'm not mistaken... that it's an Ibis. We saw them in zoos in Florida all the time, and the Scarlet Ibis is one of my favorite birds. :) I thought you might have discovered an exotic breed of Egret, lol, but I couldn't find one Egret online with a bent beak. So, I think it's likely an Ibis. You should google the Scarlet ones. They're stunning!

Michele sent me to admire your photo. No egrets.
(get it? lol)

~S :)

Anonymous said...

Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Michele sent me to consider patience & all of it's permutations.

Beverly said...

I see that shephard caught the fact that that is an ibis and not an egret. When I looked at the picture, I thought to myself, the egrets have straight beaks.

Whatever he is, I love him.

Joan said...

There's a very old framed cross-stitch that sat on a shelf in my mother's kitchen for as long as I can remember:
"Lord, grant me patience ... NOW!!!"
I always thought it was funny. I've long had trouble with patience, but I have found it pairs nicely with another old adage: "Good things come to those who wait." And the more I exercise patience, the calmer I become. A good thing all around.