Sanibel Island January 12, 2025

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Six Mile Cypress Slough January 10, 2025

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like any sentient being

Scanning my surroundings

With eyes designed to detect movement

They see me before I see them

Unless I remain motionless

Watching me as I approach

Not wanting to be objects of my attention

Aware of me and me aware of them

Assessing my threat level

I point my camera and shoot

Hoping to capture their image

Quickly taking my chance

To record a beautiful moment

Before they duck out of sight

Evidently feeling unsafe

Making decisions and acting on them

Like any sentient being

I may not have a gun

But I am of a predator species

And I am hunting just the same

So they take no chances with me

Smart thinking in the wild

Unlike domesticated animals

Looking at people as caretakers

Expecting food will be provided

We feed our backyard birds

Who recognize us and wait patiently

Perched in the adjacent trees

While we refill the seeds and suet

They are our pets as we call them

Though we are inside and they are out

Except for the bold chickadees who greet us

First to come to snatch a seed

 

Harns Marsh January 9, 2025

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