Merlin in These Parts

We speak of the falcon, not the magician. Yes. While waddling hither and yon this morning Crumby stopped long enough to sex the scissortails on a phone line. All of a sudden a merlin burst upon the scene, scattering the scissortails and setting all the resident trash birds to squawking. Mercy! You don’t espy a merlin every day in these parts, Crumby reflected.

I know. I should take its picture.

But then Crumby thought, What if everyone assumed I was taking pictures of the little children at the nearby school. Would the police believe that I was taking pictures of a merlin. No. Certainly those police would assume I was fixing to take pictures of the little children. So I better just stay at the CB and take pictures of grasshoppers.

What faunal elements can an average amateur naturalist take pictures of? Easy money, everything from insects to whales. The most popular animals probably combine the attributes, organisms covered by a field guide and organisms identifiable to species. Birds are obviously a good choice given these attributes. Plus, many birds don’t sit inert out in the open all day. Those nervous birds of the weeds, thickets and woods can be a challenge.

Butterflies too are popular. Lizards are less popular than butterflies. What about grasshoppers? Considering the faunal elements that may be easily photographed, grasshoppers may be among the least popular with average amateur naturalist photographers. Here’s why.

He’s not my boyfriend, he’s my cousin.