The birds, flying free, and on target

I was watching the birds last night and thinking about how free it would feel to fly about, drifting on the wind, and gliding through the branches to land precisely on target.  The birds coming to the feeders never seemed to miss, though I expect somewhere there is a nice blooper reel we’d love to be watching as birds learn this skill.

It made me want of a couple of things, first, I really want a 200-400mm f/4 lens.  My 120mm just doesn’t cut bird photography.  (I think you can see a cardinal in that shot.)  Of course, that is a big investment and it would be too heavy to carry up into the mountains, which is where I like to do much of my photography.  But…it would make a great trunk lens (one you carry in the back of the car, get out, use it, and put it back).

Second, I would love to fly as a bird.  Heights don’t bother me and even as a kid, I always dreamed of being able to take wing and see the world with a different perspective.  I know from climbing trees and being on a rooftops or with photography, getting down low to the ground, just the change from the normal standing height can have a big impact on the image and how we perceive it.  It’s something I like to do from time to time, wedge myself into a location most people don’t go, and just watch the world.

For now, I will have to content myself with giving flight to some of the characters in my books.  Stephenie’s enjoyment of it is one aspect of her character that is definitely straight from my own desires.