Marty’s photo of the day #4922: When Deb and I booked ten days sailing on the Katharina, the two main attractions were the possibilities of snorkeling with whale sharks and observing birds-of-paradise. We accomplished the whale shark snorkel early in the trip. The birds-of-paradise took more work. Twice, we went on sweltering rainforest hikes to photo blinds that birds-of-paradise were rumored to visit. Then we sat. . . . And sat.
Different people have different goals. While I would have loved to see and photograph a bird-of-paradise, sitting in a blind, having to be perfectly silent, gave me flashbacks of sitting in church listening to the most boring sermon ever. Was it possible for time to pass more slowly?
Deb felt like I did. While those with different goals went on two more outings and eventually found bird-of-paradise success, we passed. I’m more of a use-my-feet-to-stalk kind of photographer, anyway. It’s also why you’ll never see me carrying a big honkin’ lens that requires a tripod for every shot.
So I didn’t have a bird-of-paradise experience—and I’m okay with that. But later on, I did see and photograph this beautiful mimic honeyeater.
(Photographed last month in the Raja Ampat region of Indonesian New Guinea.)