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goslings!
goslings nibbling grass by the lake
This morning at Lower Lake Ranch I found the Canada goose still sitting on the nest I’ve been watching. Then, I wandered around looking for something else to photograph and found a family of geese with six goslings near the creek. The parents didn’t want me close to the kids but I managed to get a few images without troubling them too much as they moved between the creek and lake. There are three pairs of adult Canada geese staying at the ranch ponds this spring. I wonder how many goslings will be there tomorrow.
My field guide for N. American birds says they nest in Alaska and Canada. But then I checked the breeding map and saw an area along the southern and central Rockies in the U.S. marked as a breeding area for them as well. They must like it here as much as I do.
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- cute baby on the creek bank
Georgia Spring
- Georgia woods in spring
The fresh green of spring in the woods was a visual treat this week in Georgia. A slow shutter speed and a quick upward pull on the camera created the vertical streaks in this trail scene. I added some color and textures with my wacom pen and photoshop brushes.
window seat
bluebird and flicker
western bluebird
- flicker on dead aspen
I went looking for something to photograph with my telephoto lens this morning and found these birds. The photos above are crops of the images. I like the background trees in the full image of the flicker, below.
flicker, full image
Wet April Snow
barn storm
Captured while snow shoeing on Lower Lake Ranch at Elk Falls during the storm. As I worked my way up the creek the snow fell harder and the camera only left the bag to make quick image here and there.
picnic, anyone?
Back at home, my dog pauses at the top of the stairs as if unsure he needs a trip down.
To go or not?
mallards on ice
male mallard
This beautiful couple stood on an icy pond just before sunset yesterday evening.
female mallard
here comes the sun
Spring Snow at Lower Lake Ranch
spring snow
- An overnight snow fall last week made a perfect morning for a walk on the guest ranch in the valley below my house. Light snow was still falling as I began my walk.
I cross a new bridge recently constructed to replace a broken and abandoned one of long ago. Lots of restoration work has been done in the past year on the ranch.
bridge over elk creek
Weak sunlight begins to filter through the clouds as I photograph the barn with lions head soft in the cloudy background.
at the barn
Bright spring gold in the twigs along the creek.
spring color along the creek
Two geese on upper lake. One gets out of the water and poses on one foot for me.
Two more geese circle and call. The first pair loudly answer and hold their claim on the only open water.
two newcomers
The 2nd pair continue to circle and call,
circling pair
then land on the snow covered ice at the other end of the lake.
geese landing
The lead goose lands gracefully followed by a sliding partner.
still sliding
As the clouds lift and the sun rules the sky, I move up the creek to photograph lions head from a couple of other favorite locations.
Near crop rock:
ponderosas and lions head
And, from lion’s foot.
- lion’s foot
bright clouds at sunrise
In the sky last week: a bright wave above the treetops.
I loved the tiny, thin line of cloud stretched out beside lions head. Named it, “lions breath”.
I can’t get away from the moon.
I’ve got the moon in my head. I listened to an old song with a line about the moon and the line played over and again in my mind for a week. Cured the condition by listening to lots of other music, but am being careful with that song from now on. Won’t even type the title. 😉
still going for the moon
Why not go for the moon? This early morning moon set got me out of bed to photograph.
I’m still working my way through all the materials and files going back into my studio. Piles of homeless stuff litter the rooms waiting for a place in the studio, a donation trip, or the dumpster. Anyone need an oscillating fan that sounds like a jet engine?
I loved the early purple before sunrise (above) and the changing colors as the sun rose (below). I loved standing on the deck in the cold morning looking out and away from the chores waiting for me inside the house.
chickadee moon
mountain chickadee on feeder hook
mountain chickadee moon
As if to say, “shoot this!”, the chickadee presented its tail feathers.
Ok. I like shooting the moon.