I went looking for a falcated duck but found a bigger treasure in a lesson learned from an arctic tern.
People Over Ducks
I pulled off the road and joined the line of cars huddled around the edge of a marshy area. According to my intel, someone had seen the rare falcated duck in this area just hours ago. I glanced nervously at my watch, hoping the duck would float by close enough for me to snap some wonderful photos before I had to head home.
All summer long I had wanted to see this rare bird. But time after time, something else called for my attention. My grandson wanted to visit the park—and who can resist a two-year old? A coffee date with my daughter took precedence over birding.
I struggled to balance my self-care routine (birding plays a huge role in my routine) with being present in the moment with my family during summer vacation. People over ducks, I kept reminding myself.
But on this day, I slipped away for a few hours and took off for Potter’s Marsh south of Anchorage, AK.
As I drove, I thought about all I had wanted to accomplish during summer, but hadn’t. The days marched inexorably towards July, and a new school year loomed. Frustrations I hadn’t worked through from the previous year made it seem like more than I could handle. Visions of early retirement danced in my head.
I took a deep breath and stuffed my worries deep as I gathered my birding supplies and stepped out into the unseasonable heat. For a few hours, I would focus on birding and forget everything else.
A Surprising Find
When I got out of my car, I homed in on a group of people with cameras and binoculars standing right at the edge of the marsh.
“Looking for the falcated duck?” I said, as I walked up to the group.
One photographer shrugged her shoulders. Another shook his head and said, “No, but try over that way,” as he pointed further south.
“Thanks,” I said as I hurried down the road, wondering why they stood there looking so intently at something other than the falcated duck. After all, everyone came to see the duck, didn’t they?
After 45 minutes of scanning the marsh with my binoculars, I saw a birder down the road frantically waving his arms. A group of 15 duck-seekers headed towards him at a controlled trot. Someone had found the bird.
After taking decent, but distant photos, I headed back to my car, elated that I’d seen my target bird. I discovered the same group of photographers standing in the same spot. Curious, I walked over. “What do you see?” I asked.
“A baby arctic tern,” a photographer replied.
Sure enough, right there, practically in the parking lot, an arctic tern chick blended in with a rock. I joined the crowd around the marsh’s edge and started snapping away. The tern chick waddled on impossibly short legs over the bumpy surface of a large boulder.
I snapped photo after photo and finally paused to look at them. Suddenly, the baby tern squawked insistently. One of his parents swooped down and shoved a tiny fish in his mouth before I could get my camera back into position.
A Father’s Call
I had other places I wanted to go, but the gawky arctic tern chick mesmerized me. It calmly
Hundreds of arctic terns and gulls wheeled overhead, calling to their chicks below in the marsh. Vehicles entered and exited the parking area, some pulling to within six feet of the chick.
The cacophony of noise threatened to overwhelm me, and I wondered if the tern chick heard anything at all. And then I noticed a curious thing. Within seconds of the baby breaking out in insistent squawks with his mouth wide open, a parent always appeared with food.
Somehow, despite the chaos, the chick could hear its father’s call from hundreds of feet overhead. It would tip its head back and spread its beak as wide as it could, leaving the perfect target for an incoming food delivery. Sometimes, the delivery seemed more than the chick could handle.
Once, the parent flew off after delivering a giant dragonfly, confident in its offspring’s ability to figure out the problem. After ten minutes, the chick had conquered the insect.
Between feedings, the chick quietly wandered around the rock, preening and stretching its undersized wings. It seemed impossible that those tiny wings would carry it on a 12,000 mile journey in just over a month.
More Than I Bargained For
Two hours later, I had hundreds of photos. As I settled back into my car to head home, a sense of peace filled me. I want to be like the arctic tern chick, so attuned to my Father’s call amidst a chaotic world that I spread my mouth wide and answer, “Here I am! Send me!”
Even if the sending involves tasks that seem overwhelming or more than I can handle. I know my Father will equip me and sustain me.
Somehow, the list of birds I wanted to see seemed tiny in comparison to the relationships I invested in over the summer. And as often happens, I went out looking for a rare bird and found confirmation of my Father’s love instead.
Join the #TellHisStory community as we welcome Anita Ojeda as our featured writer. Learn how she went looking for a rare bird and found confirmation of the Father's love instead. #linkup Click To TweetI left my introduction for Anita Ojeda till the end because I couldn’t see interrupting the flow of her beautiful words and photos at the beginning. I had the pleasure of meeting Anita several summers ago at a Five Minute Friday retreat. I felt like a kid in a candy store when I met Anita because I had been reading her words for several years already and I always left her online home inspired. Please welcome Anita and share your sweet encouragement in the comments.
Anita Ojeda juggles writing with teaching high school English and history. When she’s not lurking in odd places looking for rare birds, you can find her camping with her kids, adventuring with her husband or mountain biking with her students.
Click HERE to go to her website.
Perfect timing for this post! Appreciating the time and effort you put into your website and in-depth information you offer. Worth sharing! Please do continue sharing updates! Thanks a lot!
Love the story and the photos are superb. Such a great analogy to our spiritual lives. We often find those lessons if we are in a seeking position. Oh, that we might always be in that seeking mindset! Thank you so much for sharing this inspiring post. God bless.
Back again for a second read and a chance to exclaim over the way “people over ducks” is singing its way through my thoughts this week. That applies to so many other idols, and you captures SO many beautiful images with your camera AND with your words, Anita.
Thanks, as always, Mary, for this gathering around truth and beautiful thoughts.
You aren’t the only one repeating “people over ducks” throughout her day! 🙂 Anita has such a beautiful way of not only storytelling but capturing the right photos to go along with her words.
Mmm … self-care and birding … what an awesome combo. Love this!
Sounds like a great combination, doesn’t it? Happy Sunday and happy week!
More than you bargained for. Won’t He do it. laurensparks.net
Yes and Amen, friend! God is in charge!
I forgot to mention how much your awesome photos refreshed my heart, too! Thank you!
Anita does an amazing job of photographing nature! 🙂
Oh, wow! Your reflections bring tears of longing to my heart, Anita. God teaches so many great spiritual lessons through His creatures, doesn’t He? This brought to my remembrance a verse in Psalm 81 – “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.” I long, too, to be attuned to our Father’s call and to follow in His way, however overwhelming it may seem. Thank you so much for inspiring me today. Thank you, too, Mary. Love and blessings to you both!
Thank you for being here, Trudy. BLessings on your week!
I would so love to be more like that bird as well. My noisy life crowds out His voice far too often. Thanks for such a beautiful lesson. And your photos are amazing!
Good to see you here, Candace! I want to be like that bird too.
🙂 Thank you, Candace! Certain times of the year are especially noisy, aren’t they? (holidays, the start of the school year, etc.).
Wonderful story and photographs Anita! I love how when we pay attention, God can teach us in every situation, even bird watching. I live in about the only area you can see the Yellow Billed Magpie- a beautiful bird (although not very nice). If you are every in the area, I know where you can see some, look me up. Many Thanks 8)
God is so good at teaching us in ways we least expect. How fun to have a rare bird in your area, Debra Jean.
Oh! I’ll do that! Magpies are fascinating–my dad has watched them mourn a deceased flockmate!
Good afternoon, Anita and Mary, I loved this post. I am not an official anything when it comes to His creation, but I can relate to Anita’s description of being mesmerized by the baby bird. I laughed when I read you realized you had 100’s of pictures. When my husband and I hike, there are times God catches my eye, and I follow whatever it is. If he notices I stopped, Jason waits until I return with many photos of heavens gift. Have a blessed rest of our given day, ladies. In Christ, Julie
Sounds like all three of us share a love for capturing God’s beauty as we walk. Thank you for being here, Julie!
It sounds like you have a very understanding husband! I try to compromise and not get tooo far behind when we hike ;)–or not take my big camera.
Beautiful photography, Anita, and a great lesson learned, too. May I be attuned to my Father’s call and answer. Blessings to you! xo
God has the best ways to teach us new things. May we keep discovering those lessons.
Thank you, Gayl! I’d rather be in-tune with my Father than in-sync with the world!
Isn’t God so good to send us His gifts while we are on the way to our own plans? Thank you for sharing this precious story. The birds so often bring me beautiful lessons as well. Now I will remember this sweet young Arctic Tern (especially since my adult son & family just moved to Alaska this past spring!) May I keep my eyes fixed on the sky watching for my own Father’s care. Blessings to you both this week!
Beautiful comment, Bettie! Praying we all see the beauty and details that God leaves just for us.
:). So cool that they moved to Alaska! It’s a beautiful place full of wonders and lessons. Whereabouts did they settle? I hope you get to visit soon!
Anita, I think I’ve found myself a new slogan: “People over ducks.” 🙂 Seriously, this entire thing was beautiful–the pictures, the introduction to Arctic Terns, the biblical analogy. Mary, thanks for sharing the words of yet another wonderful blogger.
I think that Anita just coined a new saying, “People over ducks.” Thank you for being here.
I wonder what the Duck Dynasty folks would have to say about my slogan ;). Thank you for your kind words!
I always love reading Anita’s words! The photos of the arctic tern chick are stunning, and I love the lesson God used them to teach you too!
I do too. Anita has a beautiful way of drawing you into her stories!
Aww, thank you, Lesley! I always learn so much when I observe Creation!
So many truths here! Thank you, Mary and Anita. Many blessings!
You’re welcome, Boma! Good to see you here today!
Thank you!
This is just beautiful in both words and photos. May I be attentive and not miss a single surprise the Lord has in store for today! Thank you, both Anita and Mary!
I am joining you in asking God to not miss a thing that He places in my path.
Thank you, Joanne :).
Anita, this is such a beautiful post. Your photos are absolutely stunning. And there are so many takeaways in your words. I love how our Father shows us His love in ways He knows we’ll understand. I find great comfort in knowing our Father equips us for the things He calls us to.
It’s so nice to see you here this week!
Reading your comment and having Anita as the featured writer brings back so many good memories of the FMF retreat where we were together.
Thank you, Jeanne! I’ll be in Colorado (Rocky Mt. National Park) in two weeks with a bunch of teenagers :). I’m looking forward to learning more lessons!
What a special occurrence, beautifully told. So many spiritual truths here. Thanks for sharing. Anita, and for hosting Anita’s story here, Mary.
I love sharing the words of friends and other writers.
Thank you, Barbara!
Oh, how often am I too busy with my own agenda that I miss the amazing thing God puts right in front of me?
Thank you for reminding me to be more open to God’s plan than my own!
Such a great story of trusting God to lead us in the way we should go!
I’m preaching to myself, too! Especially during this busy start-of-the-school-year time of year!
Anita,
Love your photography…just awe inspiring! But isn’t that like God? We are looking for one thing and have our sights set upon it, and then God does what only He can do, surprise us with something even more unimaginable. Thank you for the reminder to be open to His everyday miracles.
Blessings,
Bev xx
Anita never fails to produce the most beautiful photos. Thanks for being here!
For sure! The older I get, the more willing I am to just wander, open to what God wants to teach me.
Great post Anita! Thank you Mary!
Bless you both,
Jennifer
Love having you hear! 🙂
It’s good to connect with you here, too, Jennifer!