Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Brackenridge Park, from Mulberry Ave upstream
along the bank of the San Antonio River and back south
along the western half of the Wilderness Loop Trail
Today's photos:
The sky was completely overcast with fairly dense clouds, but the mood on my walk was definitely not "grey." Birds were very active. Trees are budding out. Flowers are blooming. Insects are appearing. Even though there wasn't any direct sunlight, the turtles were out on logs in the river.
The lighting was perfect. I almost always prefer doing nature photography with the diffuse light of a cloudy sky. I couldn't have asked for much more. (Well, a good soaking rain would be welcome now, but that is a topic for another day.)
It really was an amazing experience and these are only a few highlights from the multitude of photographs I took:
- The first photo is a female Northern Cardinal.
- The second, third and fourth photos are a male Northern Cardinal.
- The fifth and sixth photo are a male Mallard.
- The seventh photo is a point bar that has formed, as they typically do, on the inside of a curve in the River. The branch that had fallen on the gravel provided a perfect visual accent in the photograph to complement the vegetation beginning to grow at the downstream end of the bar.
- The eighth and ninth photos are Baby Blue Eyes. These flowers are blooming profusely along the Wilderness Loop Trail.
- The tenth photo is a Cedar Elm tree beginning to set its leaves. Compared to the other cedar elm in the park, this one tree was apparently ahead of schedule.
- The eleventh photo is a False Dayflower also known as Widows Tears. These flowers are also beginning to bloom in abundance.
- The twelfth photo is a Red-eared Slider turtle. This is one of the largest red-eared sliders I have seen.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
San Antonio River, Mission Reach, Confluence Park Trailhead
from the top of the Mitchell St bridge downstream
to the San Pedro Creek confluence
Today's photos:
I never know with any certainty what I will encounter when I go out on my walks. However, what I did know with a great deal of certainty when I headed to the River today was that I would encounter high, turbulent water.
Over the past two days, a tad more than 2.5 inches of rain fell in San Antonio. If I was surprised by anything in particular, it was the relatively lower flow of water in San Pedro Creek which conveys the water from the westside creeks as it merges with the San Antonio River.
The swift flow and turbulence didn't phase the cormorants at all. One even managed to catch a fish in the turbid water. These birds are powerful swimmers capable of negotiating the rough currents. Meanwhile, mallards found refuge in quieter side pools.
Once again, there are at least a couple more posts of photos from this walk for future publication.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Moments of Grace
These photos were taken on my walk along the San Antonio River on Friday, June 8.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Salado Creek Greenway, Lady Bird Johnson Park Trailhead, Morningstar Boardwalk
The following photos are a continuation of the series from yesterday's walk:
