Show Off

Photograph by Frances Gallogly

My husband Vin and I go to the Stick Marsh, a great wildlife area in Fellsmere, when it is open most Thursdays. He is an avid birder and I am an avid photographer. As we passed one of the bodies of water there where we sometimes see Purple Gallinules walking on the lily pads, Vin saw one and asked me if I wanted to photograph it. "Oh no, " I said, "I have hundreds of photos of those birds and they all look the same. You see them from the side walking on the lily pads and they have pretty blue feathers but all my shots look alike." However, we stayed and watched it for a little while longer and my camera with its long birding lens was resting on the car window. Suddenly, to our surprise, the bird turned its back on us and fully opened its wings and spread out its feathers. I had never seen one do this before and the colors it revealed were stunning. Then the bird turned its head, and looked at us over its shoulder. I was grateful my camera was nearby and I quickly snapped the photo. I felt like the bird had heard me say that all my photos looked the same and it wanted to show me how little I knew about Purple Gallinules and just how beautiful they really are. I was taught a lesson, and I call the photo "Show Off."

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