Do animals have a personality? A lot of people will say no, they don’t. But, I’ve been around animals my whole life, and I can tell you, without any doubt in my mind, that, yes, they do have personalities. Just a quick look at this picture, and you can see this seagull most definitely has an attitude. If I didn’t know better, I would think he had just finished watching the scene in “Taxi Driver” where Robert DeNiro keeps asking his reflection in the mirror “You talkin’ to me?” You can’t have any more attitude than that.
I took this shot a couple of years ago on our first trip to St. George Island, Florida. My wife and I were walking around downtown Apalachicola one day shortly after lunch time. The bright sunshine made the conditions perfect for walking but horrible for photography. Although I had brought my camera with me, I decided to leave it in the car as we walked around taking in the sights, sounds, and, yes, smells of the old fishing town.
We soon found our way onto Water Street, which runs along what is essentially the Apalachicola River and is the home of many of the area’s oystermen and shrimpers. As we walked along, my attention was drawn to a small island of land in the middle of the river that contrasted rather nicely with the sky behind it, and I decided I wanted to photograph it. I rushed back to get my gear and returned to the location where the land and sky had first caught my attention.
Standing on a wooden deck, I began photographing the small island. It was several minutes before I noticed the pilings that supported the deck I was standing on. More specifically, what really fascinated me was how there was a single bird sitting on each and every piling. It was only a matter of seconds before I was completely intrigued by the birds, and the island was quickly forgotten.
I quickly switched to my 400mm lens and began shooting. It was funny really. The birds would stand there and curiously watch me as I changed my lens or adjusted my settings. But as soon as I turned the lens toward them, they would turn away from me. It seemed like most of the birds had no interest in showing off their “good side.” Or, maybe they were just camera shy. I guess I’ll never know.
However, there was one bird that had a little bit of an attitude. As I began taking pictures, this one bird slowly turned his head to look at me with an expression that told me exactly what he was thinking: “Hey you! What you lookin’ at?” Then, just as slowly as he turned to face me, he turned away. He had made his point, and I quickly gathered up me equipment and left them to quietly enjoy their sunny perches.
I didn’t realize exactly what I had captured until I got back to our beach house later that afternoon and started reviewing my day’s photographs. When I got to this one, I let out a laugh. For anybody who thinks animals don’t have a personality, here’s proof that they do have personalities; they do have attitudes. And, sometimes, they don’t mind letting you know it, either.