The birds stand together like a wall of feathers; if I counted, there might be twenty of them. The wind is whipping furiously on the gulf coast today. They still stand strong however, staring. I look towards their sight line, but there doesn’t appear to be anything interesting to stare at.
They are dapper gentlemen… black slicked back toupees, gray vests over white dress shirts. Their beaks as orange as the blazing sun. As we slowly approach, they shuffle a little but stand tall, still staring. Just a few more steps and they’re OFF! They take flight like a sortee of helos, travel above our heads into the wind, and land behind us. They take up their position, identical to before, staring into the distance, like sentries on watch.
Hayden and I approach again; determined to get closer for the perfect photo. The camera, firmly gripped in one hand, is primed, ready to shoot. We move forward, step…by…step…by…step…
The spunky 12-year old just can’t contain herself.
A mischievous twinkle in her eye.
Smiling, I give her the one-finger wait signal.
Shutter speed adjusted…
Feet planted in the sand…
Body crouched low…
I wait.
She runs.
The birds fly.
I shoot.
She giggles.
They soar above, battling the wind with their frail, hollow bodies.
To land behind us.
The watch continues.
Their name: the royal tern.
Purpose: Find it, Live it 
Love this- from the narrative to the poem to the photo- vivid, descriptive and engaging. Great post!
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I love bird watching and so this slice spoke to me in so many ways. Your descriptions of the terns, your unspoken communication with your daughter that tells you’ve done this together before and the poetic ending all made this post fun and satisfying.
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I love the way you wrote this, narrative, poem, narrative. There was such a feeling of JOY and lightheartedness.
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The structure you used to write about this Moment is perfect. It drew me right in. The description of the dapper birds and the twinkle in your daighter’s eye. Great slice!
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This is lovely. The description of the birds lined up is great and the poem is perfect with the photo. Thanks for sharing.
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