Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Winter Retreat at Weber Reservoir




Egret, Night Heron and Sun Dogs all on an afternoon photo-adventure!


An interesting winter afternoon at Weber Reservoir finds the water level down from its all time summer high.  


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Even with the water level lower, there is still a tremendous amount rushing through the spillway. 


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The water that is fed in to Weber Reservoir comes from the Walker River which drains from the Sierra Nevada     and eventually terminates at Walker Lake. 


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As my eyes wander across the flooded drainage basin a patch of white catches my attention.  



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Moving in for a closer look and I realize this is a snowy-white egret.  



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Then a different bird came in to focus on the same tree with the egret.  Later, I came to identify this bird as a Black-crowned night heron.  This heron is stockier than the long-limbed Grey heron.  Most active at night or dusk, this bird spends its daylight time on limbs near the water’s edge.


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Two empty oriole nests hang overhead from the branches of a cottonwood tree.  By the warm days of summer, a mated pair will be busy raising their young in one of these nests.    


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I look along the mud eroded cliffs encompassing the lake.  On closer observation, I see the nesting holes that are home for birds.  I’m thinking that a return visit in spring might be interesting to see what birds are using these recesses. 


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The afternoon light begins to fade and I make my departure from this winter retreat.  Suddenly as I am turning on the highway the setting sun shines straight ahead. To my surprise I see that Sun Dogs have formed on either side.  I hurry to catch this rare weather phenomenon before it fades away.  



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As I look up in the sky overhead I also see a halo has also formed from the ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere.      


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Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level. 




What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

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Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.


 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 




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