one of the first things i tell most photographers is to take the photograph,
THEN do whatever else needs to be done (like identification)... you may not
get much, but you can always do your IDing on the picture. but if you don't
get the pic AND you didn't get the ID, especially with a rarity in the area,
chicken little's friends can and will scoff and roll their eyes...

such was the case a year or two ago at juanita bay park... i'm minding my
own business late one afternoon when, out of the corner of my eye, a large
white bird flies overhead... it's only in view for maybe 5 seconds, and the
entire time my photo mind is frozen goo, and what little birding brainpower
i have is trying to figure out where i've seen this bird before...

just as bird brain said "what the heck is a white pelican doing here", photo
mind screamed "TAKE A PHOTO, STUPID!". it was too late. the bird had
already flown through the park, and was now hidden by the tall evergreens on
the west end flying southwest towards seattle...

immediately, i think of the bishop who decided a round of golf would be more
fun than a morning of services, then stroked in hole-in-one after
hole-in-one.: who is going to believe i saw an american white pelican at
JBP? oh, let me know off-list if you'd like me to tell you that joke
(grin)...

i ran to the end of the western boardwalk, keeping my eyes open to the west
(its last-known flight path) and north (hoping it might circle back)... 15
minutes later, i was ready for seppuku when someone else said "what is
that?", and pointed to something coming from juanita beach (north)...

this time, i took the photo and, poor as it was, it was enough to convince
others we'd had a brief encounter with at least one AWPE...

00 caren
http://www.parkgallery.org
near seward park
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