EVERGREENS BRING COLOR TO A DRAB WINTER

 

Their unchanging greenery keeps me sane during the winter months when the leaves are gone and the landscape is nearly monochromatic.  I love the variety of types and how their needles attach differently to the branches.  Add a little snow and you’ve got a nearly perfect picture. 

LIGHT ON THE LAND

 

Those words belong to a book and photographic collection by Art Wolfe, my favorite photographer.  In his works, Wolfe displays his skill using light, shadow, and tone in over 100 color photographs.  I thought of Wolfe when I was out shooting Saturday afternoon in the first sunshine we’d had in weeks.  The interplay of light and shadow on the landscape was remarkable that day. 

EAGLES THROUGH THE GLOOM

 

I’m missing the white, wintry scenes that typically occupy my winter photography.  Instead, these gray,  gloomy days are getting to my psyche.  What about yours?

 

 Still, I head again to the countryside, searching for some signs of life. My luck turns as I spot this Bald Eagle perched on a skinny branch.

 

 It focuses its keen eyesight on the field below, hoping for its next meal.  Perhaps, a rabbit or another bird.

 

 It turns back and gives me a quick glance before swooping off too fast for me to catch in the low light.

 

 A light rain has begun to fall and I move on to the Roadkill Cafe where I’ve seen eagles previously.   I  immediately spot three perched near each other in a stand of trees.  Two are adults with beautiful white heads and tails and are mostly likely the two I saw early January.

 

 The third is a brown mottled juvenile, more difficult to photograph in the deepening gloom and rain.

 

 The juvenile swoops off the tree towards the ground and I get a shot of its enormous wings.

 

 On the ground another story is unfolding with three different eagles feasting on roadkill the road commission has dumped there.  Despite the gloom, seven eagles is a lot to see in one day.

 

UNCOMMON BEAUTY

 

We see a lot of seagulls in our beachy area.  Some folks don't like their harsh squawking, especially sunbathers who shun their incessant begging.  I find seagulls striking, however, especially during this quiet season when unique subjects are at a premium.  Time spent at the marina watching these birds made for a peaceful afternoon.