Pitter-Patter
A flamingo runs pitter-patter across the lagoon to take-off.
The cool, wispy air gently swirled alongside a rolling mist at the edge of the lagoon. The gulls clambered around on the muddy banks, searching for titbits. Their cries and squawks echoed occasionally across the waters, setting a scene busy with sea life. Earlier, a small flock of flamingos had landed, choosing one of the shallow water pools as their preferred area to feed on algae and shrimp - a favourite meal. However, it was not long before the breaking waters of high tide started, leaving the embankments deeper to search with each run. Eventually, the time came, and the flamingoes, almost in perfect line, prepared for flight and headed to another choice location. One by one, and in turns, they began to wade, gradually breaking into a run with their wings outstretched, flapping their outstretched feathery limbs to create lift. As each one picked up speed, they created the illusion of walking on water; their steps, like the pitter-patter of small feet taking giant strides, continued until they gained enough momentum to rise upward and away into flight.
The power of flight has always fascinated me. Being up there and seeing so much more than the narrow views we, as humans, mostly perceive on the ground draws me at times to nature's fliers - birds. My photography “renaissance” was actually triggered in recent years by flight and capturing what few see below in terms of the world around us. It's an aspect of photography I thoroughly enjoy, especially when occasions arise to photograph from above. But capturing life forms, particularly nature, from this perspective also gives me enormous pleasure to watch and perhaps capture. In a sense, observing the flamingo as it loped along, flapping its wings and leaving its steps marked behind, was such a moment. It allowed me time to forget all the noise and challenges of life that seem to subsume us on a daily basis. For me, being in the moment brings some sense of balance to one's life and perhaps even a little bit of a sense of self. That morning, taking this shot was such a moment for me.
Feathered Friends Collection
Welcome to our feathered friends, with their flights of fancy, twitchers' delight, and the lightest touch.
Ever-present in our lives, birds fill the skies, settle in tree branches, and thrive on the ground. Their movements fill us with delight and awe; their silence is broken by delightful songs or anxious craws. This collection celebrates these moments in time with our feathered friends.
