Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Today's photos:
This morning it was drizzling with some scattered heavier showers. The precipitation let up early in the afternoon and the temperature headed into the low 70s. It occurred to me it would be a perfect afternoon to walk the Water Loop Trail at Hardberger Park. I definitely was not disappointed.
While we still need a lot more rain to come out of the extreme drought, the vegetation is lush from the rain we have had the past few months. Nothing is more beautiful than seeing water flowing in what have been powder dry stream beds. The photos tell the rest of the story.
Yesterday I was about halfway between the Mission Rd Trailhead and the greenway trail bridge over the San Antonio River when I saw a large bird flying downstream along the river channel toward me. Even though it was still a good distance away, I realized fairly quickly it was one of the osprey that has apparently decided to winter over along the river. It flew just a little past me, circled around, flew back upstream and disappeared out of sight.
Several minutes later, the osprey reappeared flying back downstream toward me. From the feather markings, I am fairly certain it is the same one that had flown over earlier. This time, as it came closer, it slowed down a little and watched me intently as it passed. It then resumed its original speed and flew on out of sight downstream.
One thing to keep in mind while viewing these photos is that it was foggy and drizzling. As long as I was photographing things below camera level, it wasn't a problem keeping the front of the lens dry. As soon as I raised the camera to take these photos, the front of the lens was quickly covered with tiny water droplets. I learned a long time ago that, even if I thought there was going to be a technical problem I couldn't quickly fix before taking a photo and the subject was compelling, to take the photo anyway and hope for the best. I admit I am as astounded this series came out this sharp, as I am by my interaction, once again, with this magnificent bird:
Monday, December 12, 2011
Today's photos:
Once again there was a misty drizzle today. The river appeared bleak as I began today's walk. The first thing that caught my eye was a duck. For a while, I thought ducks were the only birds out along the river on this wet day. Then a cormorant flew along the river channel. The other thing that impressed me was that, while the hard freeze last week had killed the cold sensitive plants, there are still many that survived and are even sending out new growth.
