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| Great Blue Heron |
It is
interesting how we’re knit together. As
a little girl, I roamed the forest behind our home as if it were a sanctuary.
My heart burst with the beauty around me well before I knew quite where to place
my thanks. I’m a grandma now, with my
hair greying around my face, and I still feel my heart bursting with joy and
thankfulness as I prowl around the forest, marshes, and shores around my
home. Last week,
I picked my way down a steep embankment, sliding down through the mud
and brambles just to get a better look at some ducks. Later that night, I took my hair down, only to discover long lengths of
blackberry vines and tufts of lichen in my hair. One time, a couple of years
ago, I found a frog in my hair while I was taking a shower. I’m still me. Still
in constant awe of the magnificence around me, still that little girl who looks
at nature with reverence and privilege, but now I know where to place my
thanks.
For
Christmas, I got my wish of a new camera with a great zoom lens feature. It’s super
simple to use, which it needs to be for my remedial level of technical ability,
and I love it! I dug my husband’s old
tripod out of the back of the closet, and my next venture is to try some zoom
shots without the constant movement in my hands and arms.
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| Mallard |
My main
photography subjects of late have been water birds. I haven’t known the names
of many ducks, and that has been bothering me.
I love observing them, and particularly enjoy watching them fly with
their necks stretched out long, their eyes focused determinedly straight ahead,
and their wings flapping so hard it looks like a lot of work just to keep
airborne.
I live very
near Nisqually Wildlife Refuge, and it, along with other watery locations
nearby, have become my favorite haunts. For years, I’ve collected bird
identification books and field guides. Now, I’m finally trying to use them. I
even bought a vest that has lots of pockets so I can load them up with my
guides- and assorted supplies. Both binoculars and my camera hang around my
neck- and I wear subdued colors so as not to disturb and interrupt any
potential sighting. I am a woman on a mission.
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| Canadian Geese at Nisqually |
When I first
started going to the refuge, I felt a bit embarrassed by my little camera with
only one lens. So many photographers were toting enormous cameras that looked like bazookas on
their shoulders, and others carried their impressive cameras with so many dials
and buttons, along with garlands of lenses around their necks. Then one day, a
guide stopped me to ask what kind of camera I had. After I had searched the camera
and its lens for all the requested information, he replied wistfully, “Oh,
lucky you, I have long wanted one of those.” Two other people stopped me that
day about my camera, and now I walk comfortably knowing that, although simple,
my little Nikon camera can hold its head up as one that can get the job done.
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| On the top we have two male Ring-Necked Ducks chatting up a female one. The bottom pictures seem to be female Common Goldeneyes |
I'm featuring a few of my photos I've taken over the last three weeks in this blog. Some are a bit blurry because I can’t seem to
hold still. However, I can now identify: Ring-Necked ducks, American Widgeon,
Mallard, Bufflehead, Greater and Lesser Scaups, Common and Hooded Mergansers, as
wells as both Barrow’s, and Common Goldeneye ducks (while peeking at my guides
for reassurance). While photographing the Nisqually River, I spotted both Double-Crested; and Brandt’s Cormorants; and
the beautiful Great Blue Heron. Huge flocks of Canadian Geese winter here, so
those are also a common sight. As a novice, I would appreciate any help if I've mislabeled any of these birds in my pictures...but I think I've got them correct.
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| Double-Crested Cormorants |
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Mr. and Mrs. Hooded Merganser in the top picture, (he has his top down). Bottom left, is a Greater Scaup, and the bird on the right is an American Widgeon.
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Our creator,
the greatest ornithologist of all, says in Psalm 50:11, “I know every bird in
the mountains, and all the creatures in the
fields are mine…” What a privilege it is to learn more about the many creations
of our God. As I explore the attributes of the birds, I also explore what an
amazing God we serve. His attention to every detail of a bird’s body, shape,
coloration, and adaptation are astonishing to me. And yet, God made a covenant
with Noah and told him that he gave these birds and animals on earth to be in
our care; and to be food for us. He entrusted his gorgeous and perfect
creations to humans. How great is his love for us ; how much faith he has in
our stewardship. I pray we can all understand what a gift we have been given.
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| Mr. and Mrs. Barrow's Goldeneye |
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Mr. and Mrs. Bufflehead
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| Great Blue Heron |
