My online journal sharing interests in photography, nature, coffee life, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, spirituality and asking deep questions.
Sitting on my porch yesterday afternoon with a friend when this Great BLue Heron landed in a cottonwood tree in front of us. I grabbed my camera and got off 6 images before they were gone. I have three images of them perched, which is the way we usually see them, but this action shot of them taking off was the one I decided to post. Shot with the Fujifilm X-T3 and the XF 16-80mm lens, at 80 mm at 1/1500 f6.4, ISO 160. I love the back lit feathers on their wings.
I have friends vacationing in Hawaii with kids and grandkids. I’m a bit envious of them sitting on the beach working on a tan. All the photos they’ve sent include big smiles. Yet, this morning while visiting the Top Minnow Natural Area, I was reminded by the red-winged blackbirds and the meadowlarks of just how beautiful it is right here. They were reminding through their joyful songs to be grateful for where I’m at and what I have. These two Canada Goose told me the same thing. I’m learning to listen to the wisdom of nature more often.
Drove out east near Prospect Ponds then over to the Arapaho Bend Natural Area. Cloud cover over most of the sky as we have a front moving into the area bringing more rain and snow. It’s always nice when a couple of Canada Geese photobomb my image. Adds a little punch, spice to it for me. Have a wonderful weekend!
Found these two Canada Goose sleeping-in late on the pond. A half dozen more are off to my right curled in the same position. Four days ago the pond was all open water. Two nights below freezing changed that. Fog is unusual for us along the foothills. We will find more of it as we move east onto the plains, especially along rivers and open water. So, the fog was a treat for me this morning. It is also cold, in the high teens, frost covers everything and only expecting to be in the mid 30’s today and a bit of sunshine.
I need you to realize this goose is standing on about 16 inches of snow. I watched them sink into the snow up to their chest on each step they took as they walked across the yard. Some of those branches in the background are broken. There will be lots of tree cleanup over the next few weeks. And, yes this is my second post for the day. I’m breaking the rules.
My parking lot is a mess as they have not had a snowplow go through yet. So, I also watched people with low clearance cars work hard to clean off their cars then backup a couple feet and get high-centered, wheels off the ground. I shook my head and asked the question, “Why don’t they just go back inside and make popcorn, like I do?”
Good morning. Had a short night of sleep with lots of commentary going on in my head. It also could have been from the sugar coated cookie (well more than one) I ate couple of hours before bed. Made a chai latte this morning then headed to Pineridge NA to watch the sunrise. Had this rather chatty magpie join me to watch the sunrise. They were quite comfortable with me even when I stepped closer and moved to the side more so I could put the sunrise behind them. They posed for about a half dozen photos, jabbering almost the whole time. Wondering if I was moving too slow for them. 😁
Drove home realizing this may be the last bit of sunshine over the next 2-3 days. Weather app said we could see 15-25 inches, or more, of snow from this approaching storm beginning later today and into Saturday. When I hear things like that, I feel the need to put on a crockpot of Mild Yellow Curry Chicken and will have some tikka masala rice with it later this afternoon. Have a wonderful day!
While driving along Weld County Road 13 this evening I encountered hundreds of Canada Geese in this massive cut corn field. As I crested this small hill many of them took to the air. I stopped and got off four shots before it was all over. I missed the best part. When you enlarge the image you can see hundreds more of the geese still on the ground. There are also three goose blinds made of bales of hay. So, I figure the farmer is making a few dollars from the hunters. It was also quite noisy when they lifted off.
Today was a lovely day, blue skies and sunshine. The wind began to blow this afternoon and you can see the clouds building up over the mountains. Always a good indication that something is in the air; snow tomorrow night. Have a great weekend!