Paying attention - not my strongest trait

I enjoy birding because it teaches me to be more aware of my surroundings — And how to use my words to point out something instead of flailing at it.

Birds dislike flailing. Apparently some humans dislike it, too, or so I have been told.

I was perusing through some old photos I took in Texas before I moved to California and found a surprise in what I thought was a group of gulls.

What I originally assumed to be a flock of gulls.  ©Teresa Shumaker. 

Two Caspian Terns hiding amongst the gulls. ©Teresa Shumaker. 

 Now that I see them I wonder how I could have possibly missed them to begin with. But, I believe that's the lesson. Sometimes we are only seeing what we expect, and not what is actually there.