I think I probably have a post about this every year, but once those Red-winged Blackbirds show up in late February I know spring is finally on its way. There’s a quietness to winter, with fewer people outdoors and sounds muffled by the snowfall that lingers on the ground. And then, a bunch of yelling, screaming blackbirds show up and change all of that, kicking off the riot that is springtime. What else is there to say? Watching the seasons turn is one of life’s great pleasures.
We’re still at the very start of migrating birds coming back up here, but there were a few noticeable new visitors these past few weeks other than the blackbirds. Mostly I and some of the other birders were excited to see a Long-tailed Duck take up residence in Montrose Harbor for a few days. These guys are very cute - the male in all his glory looks like he’s wearing a dinner jacket, and the female (which is what I saw) is just a cute little diving duck with a really nice white and brown facial pattern. I actually got to see this bird a few times, but the best photos were unsurprisingly from the views I got right around sunset. I gotta remember - light makes interesting photographs. I did miss a few birds that some other folks saw, but that’s fine. I saw a couple reports of loons in the harbor but just couldn’t find any when I was able to go.
On the non-bird photography side of things, I’m still enjoying playing around a bit more, especially with the new camera. I’m particularly happy with this shot I got off right as a wave was breaking against the pier. What you’re seeing is the droplets of water from the spray lit up against the backdrop of the lake’s dark water below, creating this cool and colorful effect. Totally an accident, but really fun.
And this is a very different shot I took outside my apartment of the afternoon shadows from my building and the one next door, creating this cool corridor of light.
And lastly, I did feel like this was a bit too on the nose but the flag at the Montrose beach was torn in a particular way.
