I take some basic camera gear with me just about everywhere I go.  I learned a long time ago that if you want to capture those great moments you sometimes stumble upon, you have to be prepared.  I’ve gotten some of my best images when I least expected to.  That habit paid off for me this past weekend.

 Saturday, my husband I made a spur of the moment trip to Aurora, KY to get a cheeseburger at Belew’s Dairy Bar.  And maybe some ice cream.  On our way back we drove through Land Between the Lakes and when I spotted a sign that said the Nature Station was having a hummingbird festival I made him pull over.  He started groaning because he knew he was about to wander around while I took a couple of thousand pictures of birds, but like the good husband he is, he pulled into the Nature Station anyway.

He ended up having a good time, except for the interlude that involved a big black snake slithering into the crowd where he and others were watching bird banding.  The Underwood’s don’t do snakes.  Please don’t leave comments telling me snakes are nothing to worry about, that they’re great rodent eaters…yadda, yadda, yadda.  I’ve tried to overcome my fear of them and nothing has worked so far.  I’m embracing my fear and rolling with it.  Someone picked up the snake and released it a few feet away.  Right into the weeds next to the photography blind where I was patiently waiting my turn.  I moved on and so did my husband. 

The birds were just fascinating.  Dozens of them zipped and swooped around us.  It was a nature photographer’s dream, and the presentation on various birds was very entertaining.  There is nothing cuter than a little screech owl.  If you’re a hummingbird fan, I highly recommend a visit to the festival next year, especially if you like to take nature pictures.