John Wiley
By John Wiley
Sometimes during a flight, I’ve wondered: what was it that caught our attention and moved us to take a quick snap of something? Looking at it hours later on the ground, sometimes the motivation for that impulse is instantly clear to us.
This time it was clear soon after the first snap of the harbor, when we zoomed in and saw the clear notch cut through white foam by the line of sailboats. The fishing boat stood out because none of the other inbound fishing boats had such a large following of gulls. Did the crew feed them? Could they smell a hold full of fresh fish from a good catch? Is it often the unusual that captures our attention?
I love birds, as you might imagine. Watching them has been a lifelong pleasure. Especially the most aerodynamic and skillful, which of course includes gulls. Since “Jurassic Park” sometimes they also transform into winged dinosaurs, and more so since recent discoveries that many (most?) dinos had feathers. We used to like going to an empty part of East Beach and tossing tidbits to the ones adroit enough to catch morsels in flight (until one made room for the snack by dropping a load, and now we watch from a safe distance as others do that). I still dream of humanity someday gaining a fraction of their ease and efficiency of flight.
Your kind notes of enjoyment and appreciation are sweetly encouraging, Flicka. Thanks for helping to keep Edhat fun and friendly for everyone. Just as there’s a place for cynics and trolls, I celebrate that some of us value acknowledging what we like. 🙂
I like the creativity of the gulls that landed on the boat’s starboard top boom stay line (is that the correct term?). They’re conserving energy while keeping a close eye out for any potential food. Or could they just be hitching a ride back to the harbor and chatting about the day’s catch? 😀