Camera, Action!

Because, famously, chance

favours the prepared, I agreed

with myself that this was as

good a day as any; breezy, mild,

sky cloud-bedecked with an

occasional glare of a disgruntled

sun, to take along my little digital 

eye.  Almost resigned to the

misfortune of missing that elusive

blue-eyed grass, I hoped for other

exciting flora or fauna to oblige.

But those great birds of the

woodland forest seem to delight

in foiling me.  I know this to be so,

as one haunts me with a taunting

"Hoo" do I think I am, and the 

other, flighting brilliantly beyond

my camera maniacally chortles

in high-pitched delight at his

clever feints and passages.

High above, fleetingly entering

my vision the Pileated settles

all too briefly on what's left of a

moribund, well-cratered poplar trunk

his red-crested head aglow, then

exits as I focus a split nano-second

too late.  As I worked in my garden

the Great Grey's call reverberated

from the woods giving me hope.

Today might be the day, who 

knows, that I might capture its

image to wonder at and treasure.

Even a peek below the leafage of

a ginger plant to espie and picture

its retiring little flower, would do.

Instead, camera at the ready,

there was Mr. Grey's tease, a

long plume of a brown-striped

feather, mocking my feeble intent.