“Rituals require skill if a thing is to be done well. Consider for a moment if you will the rituals of the Hooded Mergansers we are observing.”

Words that echo in my thoughts from an old friend I once enjoyed long walks with in the nearby woods. A friend that has passed on but the wisdom and guidance he left me is a never-ending source of inspiration.

It is a cloudy day and I am sitting at the edge of a small pond he and I once frequented, watching the arrival of the seasonal Hooded Mergansers. A light drizzling rain falls ahead of a much welcomed cold front pushing behind it.

The surrounding woods are dark and deep, possibly dangerous if I were to intrude.

It is quiet here. My mind attaches to the solitude and the silence.

But soon comes the sound of the male mergansers as they begin their courting ritual.

They pop out the chest and tip back the head until the crown feathers start to spread out like a fan. Their sound is low and coupled with several competing birds provides me, the onlooker, a beautiful side of nature to behold.

They show no signs of frustration, no worries, no complaints. No sign of disappointment from the defeated ones once the exercise is over and the female has chosen her mate.

My presence does not appear to be of any importance to them so I assume I am not a sign of any potential danger. They are focused on the ritual which requires skill and mastery if they are to be the chosen one.

I continue to sit in this peaceful place idealizing this part of nature in a much different way than I have over the last 50 years of my life.

I once chased birds from one end of the country to the other weighed down with camera gear in search of the perfect image. Always wanting and needing the right gear to get the right shot. I have been blessed with hundreds of shots that I treasure but as of today, I have put it all aside.

Now I no longer chase, I no longer photograph, I no longer search. My ritual is now much different with a new set of skill requirements.

I sit. I wait.

~DK