La Vita è bella with Wood Ducks

On New Year's, I finally got the Wood Duck shot I have been wanting for years. I don't know why it took me so long. It is not for lack of trying but things never worked out perfectly for me. I guess they never really do, life is not perfect which makes it all the more beautiful. Some days we need to look a little harder to see the beauty. Confucius said "Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it." Well, almost everyone can see the beauty in a male Wood Duck.

On New Year's Day, on a very foggy morning, the sun broke through the clouds and this drake swam right by me and the world was perfect for a second. He was as Maya Angelou puts it "The Rainbow in My Cloud."

This was the first bird I photographed in the New Year. Its stunning beauty has always affected me. It's one of the most brilliant waterfowl in North America in my opinion. Perfect moments like this, are so few and far between. Burnaby Lake usually is a busy place teaming with noisy people but this day I was one of only two people there. It was nice to find solitude in such a busy city.

It sure made me appreciate how special life is. With all the nature that surrounds us, despite all the uphill tasks, we are all so lucky to be here in 2018. I hope you look for beauty on even the darkest days and in the darkest places, because it is always there.

 "Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing." - Camille Pissarro

Life is beautiful with Wood Ducks in it - Photo: Melissa Hafting

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