Yay Spring!!!
Spring is officially here! Although the appearance of snow drops and crocuses, chirping and singing of the robins and other birds, and melting snow and warmer temperatures have hinted at spring for nearly two weeks now, the calendar start of spring is today, and that makes me so happy!!! Spring is my FAVORITE season. I love the days getting longer, the singing birds, blooming flowers, budding trees, mildly warm (but not too hot or humid) temperatures, and all of the baby animals being born.
To make this day even better, it’s my official last day at the frame shop. I’m really not a retail person, and I can’t bear the thought of being stuck inside, doing work I don’t find particularly engaging, rewarding, challenging, or meaningful when its so beautiful out. Well, I really don’t ever like doing things that seem pointless, but when the air smells as good as it does in spring and the warm sun just sends happiness right into your veins, being inside all day is even worse than usual.
Spring is a great time to explore and photograph. Subjects are nearly infinite during the season, with birds migrating, flowers blooming, and rivers flowing. I got a head start on the photo season yesterday, when I met up with fellow photographer Ed Kaar to photograph Ring-necked Ducks. They are one of my favorite species, and I didn’t have any shots of them, so I was quite excited to get an email from Ed earlier this week saying that a flock of them were within photographing distance at a park just a half hour from my house. We met at sunrise and, hidden behind blinds, photographed the birds all morning.
I managed to get a couple nice shots of the ducks, plus a few shots of some other waterfowl species common to the area. It’s been at least a couple of months since I last picked up my telephoto lens, and it was nice to get out and do some bird photography. I’m hoping to go back to this pond and try for some more shots of the ducks before they continue their migration north to their breeding ponds.
Female Ring-necked Duck
Male Ring-necked Duck
Canada Goose Takeoff
on March 24, 2010 at 4:22 pm
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Very nice! I can’t wait for the ice on my local pond to melt enough for the water birds to congregate.