Mr. Spooner

 

You say…, I am perfect in beauty.

Ezekiel 27:3

As I was growing up, my mother would always say, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”  My immediate thoughts were, “I certainly hope not!”  It was a difficult idea for me to wrap my teenage head around, for in my mind, there was a set of beauty standards that all of us were judged by and were, most of the time, found wanting.  It was so difficult for me to find beauty in anything that did not meet the values prescribed by society.

Yesterday, I sat for about a half hour in a small bird sanctuary where I met this fellow.

 Photo Copyright: singeronthesand 2011

I must confess that the idea of beauty did not immediately enter my head when I first made his acquaintance.  Orange is not my idea of the perfect eye color, particularly when set in a rather grayish face.  His long, scrawny neck was covered in white feathers, and his bill?  Oh my.  It was far too long for his little head and looked as though someone had stepped on it.  If the picture above was all we had to work with, I would guess that most of us would not label this young fella a beauty.  That might change, however, when the eye traveled a little further downward.

 Photo Copyright: singeronthesand 2011

I’ll admit to being startled to see that my orange-eyed friend’s body was covered with the softest, most delicate shade of baby pink feathers I have ever seen.  This Roseate Spoonbill was having a wonderful time bathing and preening in the pool of a waterfall.  He was entirely unaware of my critical evaluation – spending his time ensuring that he looked and felt his best.  When he took to flight after finishing his toilette, he was a wonder to behold.

Internet photo; Copyright:  Don Chamberlain

When this young man has grown to adulthood, I wager that most onlookers will not give a second glance to his scrawny neck and glowing orange eyes.  Instead, they will be awestruck by his gorgeous display of pink, rose, and scarlet feathers, especially when he takes to the skies.  And somewhere in the crowd, I’ll bet someone exclaims, “Isn’t that beautiful!”