Sometimes I ponder the direction of the Saturday Night Posts, and worry that I start to sound like some out of context guru who can hand out unhelpful, if not misleading, platitudes.
It is like, at least to me, that I’m developing a creed of not believing in laughter. Yet we live in a world of constant change; seasons, food preferences, political landscapes, health and friends. And so many others for such a long list.
I used to write with a pencil, then a ballpoint, and a pen.(actually at school we used nibs and ink, but really those scratchings don’t qualify), now a lightweight untethered keyboard sits on my lap as my fingers fly over the keys. (mostly the backspace one for corrections, but hopefully I puck erer plikc or pick up most of them. 🙂
Part of those changes at a personal level is my own photography. Equipment, processes and styles rotate about, some lead down rabbitholes into a wonderland, sometime the rabbithole hits a large old rock or root and ends.
So I hope that it all doesn’t become to staid, and too predictable and too serious.
#kneetoo and I, had been walking in the Eynesbury forest and due to concerns of her aforementioned knee we had kept our perambulations to just a few short distances.
It was time to go home, and as we approached the park exit, we thought one quick look down a bush track might take us into Jacky Winter territory.
So, we went.
Just for a few minutes, mind.
At one of Jacky’s known haunts, we stopped and looked and listened, no familiar “Peter, peter peter” calls from the area. “Oh”, she says, “let’s go up to the next track bend.”
We went. Quiet as. Not content we moved further down the track to the next, and then the next and finally turned a corner about a kilometre from where we started.
Way up head she noted the flash of white feather on grey wing, and so we set off.
Jacky and Jacky were working on insects on the trackline. A simple process for them. Start on one main branch, fly out grab an insect and land on the a branch on the other side of the track. Makes for great photos of these beautiful little birds sitting tummy down as they usually do. Then they would reverse the process and flit to the first branch, and then back again.
I decided for the ‘inflight’ Jacky shot.
Missed the first few completely. Set up the focus to grab Jacky as it launched, and hopefully the focus would be in the right spot.
Try again. Great shot of the forest behind, but no bird. 🙂
Now it’s been said, practice makes perfect. Or as the ‘positive thinking’ gurus say, Perfect practice make perfect.
Jacky seemed content to let me try again, and eventually I managed a bird at the very edge of the frame.
I think Jacky saw my satisfaction while ‘chimping’ the result, and with a quick scolding ‘Peter’, for goodbye, the pair flew off into the forest.
#kneetoo and I made our way back to IamGrey and home.
An encounter with this most amiable little birds is never permanent, but an ephemeral moment.
As Deng Ming-Doa writes, ” As we laugh at the world, we should realise that understanding the changeable nature of life (and the universe) is the swiftest way to joy.”
Enjoy the richness of your next laughter.
Birds as Poetry —— Just because I WANDER - --doesn't mean I'm LOST 
Lovely to see the Jacky in flight, David. I have found them difficult!
I would never have thought your Saturday Evening Posts to be staid or predictable. Always informative and always with a great image to appreciate and enjoy on a Saturday evening or Sunday morning.
There is always something in the world to raise a smile and a laugh, which is just as well, or we might well end up crying.
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Hi David, sometimes I have to take a reality check on my own rambling 🙂
And also trying to make it a bit relevant without sounding more pretentious than helpful
Mostly fun to write, and that I think shows up in the good ones. Occasionally a struggle as a direct path from the image to the text is not always apparent even for me. And I don’t want to become a slave to the keyboard.
The ancients of the Tao had the amazing ability to see the incongruities around them, yet still not allow it to affect them. A habit I think that is quickly being lost in the ‘me’ generation.
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Your Saturday evening posts are great! Sometimes reflective, sometimes whimsical, occasionally a dash of philosophy, always amusing, and everything in bedded in your keen observations of nature! I thoroughly enjoy them. And your accompanying photography is inspirational! I especially love the stories your photos convey – The recent Kingfisher series was amazing! Which is all a prelude to my stupid question – but what is a Jacky?
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Hello Rowan, thank you, sincerely, for the kind comments. My skill set lies in being able to gather random bits of information and attach them, not to seriously to some of the bush work we are often privileged to enjoy.
Now Jacky. Sorry sometimes my sense of humour does border on the abstruse, and so it seems that if I am careless, a newer reader misses the direction or connection.
Someone once said the blog needs a page for ‘explanation of terms’ 🙂
Jacky WInter is a small robinesque bird that makes great use of Grey Box Forest. Microeca fascinans, is the taxo name.
They used to be called, “The Lesser Fascinating Bird” as it was thought that their flight action, reminiscent of fantails or wagtails was to ‘fascinate’ their prey for ease of feeding.
They have a habit of landing and tail twitching which displays their white edged tail feathers, and also of sitting tummy down on a branch.
They are very much a confiding little bird and will on occasions feed about our feet or sit on the same log. However I’ve noted that they also get short tempered with me being there and will approach, give me a scolding call, and then disappear into the forest.
Hope that clarifies and thanks for the question, I’ll publish another photo of one sitting tummy down soon.
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Lovely shot David, and so good that you both persevered till you received your prize. A lovely bird we only see out west over the ranges. The tail always gives it away.
We were only sharing with the younger family not long ago the rapid progression in technology from when we were little, they have no concept of it at all, going out without a mobile phone, depending on phone boxes being nearby and of course emulsion photography and its limitations. Now from a counselling perspective new emotional and psychological conditions have arisen where our young are subject to anxiety syndromes due to the over use of these modern devices and the unhealthy need to be constantly connected with social media and the negative news feeds. How much more beneficial to be walking in the bush and refreshing and de stressing oneself. Enjoy your weekend!
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Hello Ashley, thanks for your insights. I couldn’t agree more about the disconnectedness of a generation born to personal technologies.
Jon Young, he of “What the Robin Knows”, has been dealing with the kind of counselling for over 20 years. Everybody always tells of their ‘success’ stories and Jon is no different, but some of his work has given kids a greater appreciation of themselves and those around.
What is great is he now has young ones grown to adulthood who have become very active in the environmental areas and public service.
So it can be done.
Keep watching birds, we do
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