If It's Flappin', They're Snappin'!

The vast majority of folks onboard ship are "birders" -- people who are quite literally bird nuts. For them, the Aleutian Islands provide the only opportunity in the world to see a few species that are on their "life lists." As a result, much of the entire expedition's attention was paid to finding and seeing these birds.

For me -- practically the only non-birder on board -- it was amusing to see the birders in action while we cruised around in the zodiac boats. The amount of camera equipment they carried and the number of shots they took was truly astonishing. I mentioned this to one of the expedition leaders, and she smiled back at me saying, "If it's flappin', they're snappin!"

I happened to get this shot of her the next day, and gave her a copy just for fun:

(To my surprise -- and amusement -- this photo was used on the cover post-trip photo book that was provided by the expedition company. I wonder if the birders know it started as a joke on them!)