It’s never a good day for a lens to show up missing. But especially not today! For my brother’s birthday, we planned a “quick” trip to southern Texas—like about-as-far-south-as-you-can-go Texas!—for an epic birding excursion. Donald loves bird watching, Dad loves to drive, I love photography, and David loves epic adventures. So, we planned it all out and determined to leave no later than 5:00am this morning.
Donald got me up at 4:00am. Plenty of time to pack and get ready. Well, I decided to pack up my camera equipment last. And when I went to pull out the best lens I had for birding, a 70-200mm f/2.8L (with a 2x extender on a crop sensor camera, it’s as good as I can get for birding), it wasn’t in my camera bag! I don’t remember being that shocked in a LOOOONG time! This isn’t the kind of lens you just “lose.” There’s never a minute where I don’t know exactly where it is.
So, I got to thinking. “When did I have it last?”
“On Friday of the Photography Team. Almost a week ago. And I haven’t opened my bag since.”
I remember seeing it sitting on the Photography Team classroom table. I don’t remember packing it up though. I guess I just assumed it was in my camera bag because it wasn’t on the table any longer.
The worst option seemed to be the only option. Maybe somebody stole it? I could think of no other options! My lens had simply disappeared into thin air.
What is my reaction to such things? When I am dumped into hot water, am I so full of the fruit of the Spirit that I’m like a tea bag releasing aromatic blessing? Or do I suddenly forget to keep my show of spirituality until the situation gets all ironed out?
Thankfully, for this situation, the lens was in the van. In a rental camera bag. A student had evidently used it last minute on the last day, and just put it in with the rental camera when she returned the bag. And I just hadn’t looked in the bag.
But it was a big, giant test for me this morning. And I’m more grateful than I ever would have been for the pictures it has allowed me to take today. God’s gifts to us are so undeservingly abundant!
This is a Couches Kingbird, a species none of us had ever seen before. It was the first bird that actually got close enough for me to photograph when I was ready for it.
Donald said he had already seen this one, so I don’t remember the name for it. I don’t think I had ever seen one like it before though.
I think we could all recognize this one.
And what’s an excursion through Texas without taking a good picture of a longhorn!
Birds aren’t the only thing you can take pictures of with a good birding setup. If anyone knows what this little guy is, let me know!
Not sure exactly what kind of turtle is either. It was huge. I used both hands to pick it up to move it out of the road.
This was a new bird for everyone. A melanerpes aurifrons. Err, a Golden-Fronted Woodpecker. What incredible variety God has surrounded us with!
Looking forward to another full day tomorrow, heading back up north. Slowly. Beholding the fowls of the air, enjoying the blessing of having a 70-200mm f/2.8L lens.
So glad you captured one of the hawks James! You’re right, it is a specialty, and not only for its limited range but its bold plumage, which is so different from our northern species: Red-tailed, Red-shouldered, or Rough-legged. That dapper sparrow on the telephone line was a Lark Sparrow (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Lark_Sparrow/).
Thanks for identifying them for me Donald!