A Tear in the Fabric of the Space-Time Continuum

Whaa?

You're standing down at the edge of the river.  There is not a thing going on; no bird in sight.  Just empty sky all around.  What do you do?  Well, I'll tell you what you don't do.  You don't get distracted or let your mind wander, because as soon as you do, it is guaranteed something will occur for which you are not prepared.  It happens to the best of us.

So, you scan the sky for a "tear in the fabric."  What exactly is that?  That is how I think of the first sighting of a bird in the distance.  (Hey, you have to find some way of amusing yourself while you stand there, bored out of your skull, waiting for something to happen.)  It initially appears as only a small dot, an infinitismally small anomaly in a sky otherwise devoid of anything.  The dot continues to grow in size and you wait for the moment when you can identify the species by it's profile or it's flight pattern or color or some other characteristic.

Why is this important?  Well, after studying the dot in the sky for a few moments, you may realize that you do not recognize it at all.  And that in itself may peak your interest all the more.  That is what happened to me one morning in June of 2009.  I saw a flock of birds in the distance that drew my attention because their wings looked like little lights blinking on and off each time they flapped.  Although they were at the extreme distance for my telephoto, I took a photo anyway, knowing that I could zoom in digitally on my computer later to try and identify them.  Granted, it was not a "keeper," but I was more interested in a documentation of what I was seeing.

It turned out to be a species of ducks indigenous to northern Mexico and the extreme southwest area of Texas and Arizona.  And, out of 5.7 million people in the state of Maryland, it turned out I was the first one to spot them (for which I received a certificate).  The moral being - keep looking for the tear in the fabric of the space-time continuum.  That, and don't get distracted by the need to take a potty break.

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks