Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Just Another Day With Mother Nature



Communing with nature is always a lesson full of color and mystery.
She is very straight forward in her methods. I spent the extended morning in
the company of a friend in the wetland wilderness north of my home.

We were gifted with the cycle of life and death, and what beautifully
raw gifts they were. I was able to shoot my first Kingfisher.
He is a camera shy bird and doesn't tolerate people in his space.  Thank
you, Kingfisher, for the brief chance to see you in action.


Then we were able to see a Cormorant fishing for his mid-morning snack.
Much to the fish's dismay, he succeeded.

As if this weren't enough, the highlight of the day was the opportunity
allowed us by Mother Nature and this otter who was sleeping on the bank.
We were able to sit in the grass about 15 feet away from her and shoot.
She would occasionally raise a sleepy head and glance in our direction,
then after about 15 minutes she rolled playfully and then dove back
into the water and was gone.


Not to be outdone, the Sandhill Cranes began their mating rituals and flew in 
right in front of our vehicle and began their calling and prancing. The flashing of
the feathers and the calls back and forth were exhilarating. The colors on 
these large birds are incredibly beautiful during mating season.  The mixture 
of browns and grays is something only nature could pull off successfully.


Oh, lest I forget the absolute opposite of the spectrum, there was the
alligator and his duck.  He was a rather large gator also, I stayed in the car.
You never know when they might lose interest in the duck in their mouth and 
find larger prey more inviting.


All in all it was an exciting day in the Viera wetlands and I left as I always do, 
wanting more, much more.  The messages in the outdoor arena are the ones that
remain with me the longest and carry the strongest resonance for me.

I wish I could take you all for a visit.  It has become a sanctuary for my soul, 
a place where I know I can go and drink in the sacredness of life.  I leave filled
with wonder, joy and absolute gratitude that I am tolerated in such a 
holy place.

Peace, B

For a larger assortment of photos you will have to visit me on Facebook, if you are my friend.