A Sunny Disposition Makes All The Difference

After my last outing, it was with a little trepidation that I answered the alarm at o'dark thirty.  After several dark and dreary days the promise of a sunny day was motivation to get going.  It was a race against the sun to see you would get to Great Meadows first.  There was a large moon in the sky, that was starting to set, I hoped to get a shot of it over the refuge, before the sun over powered it.

The US F&WS folks were already out taking a census of the refuge.  They confirmed my impressions that is seems like most of the spring migrants have passed through.

In the beautiful golden light of the morning, the Red-winged Blackbirds were busy calling.   They are always challenging to photograph, but as the morning progressed the wind picked up, the reeds were swaying.  The Red-winged Blackbirds were struggling to hold on, while I struggled to freeze them in the frame.

Alan Bragg, Francesca Belouin, and Frank Laak were taking advantage of the sunny day to fill in places where the path has caved in with dirt and gravel.  Muskrats and other animals burrow into the dike.  The spring thaw and flooding ends up caving in these areas.  I really appreciate their efforts.  Until today, I have had to have one eye on the path, while the other eye was searching for something to photograph, least I trip in one of these big hole and risk breaking a leg, or a lens.

Speaking of muskrats, they were also out in force.  Though there aren't many green stems poking up through the water, the muskrats were constantly diving and coming up with tender green shoots to eat. 

The trees and bushes are all breaking buds.  Soon this grey world will be covered in green.  The birds we can now see easily will soon be hid in the tree canopy.  I found it interesting to notice the differences in how each plant buds.

While below the surface the reeds are sprouting new growth, above the surface many of the cattails are holding out until the bitter end.  When you think about Great Meadows, cattail reeds are one thing that will quickly pop into your mind.  I've struggled to date to get good photos of them.  I like this one because the sunlight from the side combined with the dark background, makes it stand out.

Lessons Learned

Tuesday morning several of my photography buddies from camera club decided to join me for a "guided tour" of Great Meadows.  The day was gray and threatening rain, but thankfully Bill, Bob and Don's sunny disposition and sense of humor brightened the day.



The day didn't get off to a good start.  I managed to come to Great Meadows without any memory cards.  Thankfully, my companions, the consummate professionals not only had theirs, but had some spares they lent me.  Lesson 1: Always check your gear before leaving the house.

I thought that maybe I should try to mix up my routine; try shooting different subjects with a different lens.  The problem is that I was with a bunch of photographers that were enjoying shooting the things that I normally shoot. As a result, I passed up perfectly good images, looking for something different.  Lesson 2: Shoot what's there, not what you hope may be there.  Experimenting is good, but better done on your own.









The third lesson was watching three good photographers see things that I've walked by several times without seeing that photo.  They each had their own style and subjects that attracted them.  I also picked up a few tips that will help future compositions. Lesson 3: I need to challenge myself to look at the same thing with different perspectives.


So I guess the big thought that I am taking away from today is that this project will be my perception of the spirit of Great Meadows, other people will see the same things and may have different perspectives.

A Bonus Day

Our plans changed.  The morning was free.  The sun was shining.  Amy had the day off.  So we wandered over to Great Meadows with our cameras in hand, while the sun was still low on the horizon.

The Fish & Wildlife folks were just towing a boat down to the launch as we arrived.  We later saw them patrolling the river.  We couldn't catch up with them to find out what they were up to.





There were already a couple of photographers on the dike, with their long lenses and tripods.  I got quite a chuckle of their rolling lens cases.  I can't imagine it helps them get close to their subjects.



It's hard not to stop and take a few photos of Red-winged Blackbirds in the early sunlight.  I've had a mental image of what the perfect shot of one would look like.  This year, I keep getting closer, but am not there yet.





Further down the path we admired the Ring Necked Ducks.  Further up the path we encountered a swimming Wood Duck  in nice light.





The mammals were quite busy too.  Most of the muskrats were shy and reclusive today.  But this one did not seem phased by our appearance in the distance.  No sooner have the trees started to break bud than this Red Squirrel started to eat the tender buds.  They probably are a welcomed changed from the winter cache of nuts.







Continuing around the lower impoundment, I noticed a pair of swallows sitting on an old snag.  Last year, I photographed a pair feeding their young in this tree.  Hopefully, this pair will set up housekeeping here too.


Much of the green growth is below the surface of the water.  One pair of geese which werent sitting on a nest were busy munching away on their aquatic salad.