From The Sol: sunset

Showing posts with label sunset. Show all posts

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Inspiration Avenue

If you can't tell by the name of my blog, I am a sun worshiper. Not the kind who goes out and soaks up rays until I am golden brown or red and peeling as it would be in my case, but a person who realizes that, without the sun, life, nature as we know it, wouldn't exist.

I live on a lake and my house faces East, so I am greeted every morning with a different version of Sunrise. It is not any wonder that I am so drawn to the sun and all of its beauty and warmth. I have so many pictures that the hard part of this exercise was picking the ones I wanted. I leaned toward the more dramatic with a few soft versions added in ... Hope you enjoy.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Wild Bird Wednesday

Wild Bird Wednesday # 38

Sandhill Cranes at Sunset

The Sandhill Cranes spend their days in the unplowed cornfields eating old corn that was left behind at harvest. They are spread all over the country side. You can't drive anywhere without seeing a group grazing in the fields.   At Sunset they all return to the Platte River Basin to roost. They gather on the sandbars in the river because the water on each side protects them from predation.

"There is a magical time that occurs each year in the heart of North        America, when the river and the seasons and the birds all come into a brief conjunction. When that happens, it is simply called sublime."

Paul A. Johnsgard
Crane Music: A Natural History of North American Cranes

We all met and boarded our bus around 5 PM. We traveled a short distance to the Fort Kearney State Recreational Area where a bridge has been built over the river for viewing the migratory flocks. Before the birds started arriving we had a wonderful catered reception in the woods ... Hors d'oeuvres and wine or a soft drink if you preferred. After we were well fed we headed for the Bridge (a 15 minute walk) and parked ourselves along the bridge to see what we could see ...

As you watch this slide show, understand that each slide is of a different flock in sequence ... they were coming from every direction. Their Crane music (bugling) filled the air and they just kept coming and coming. If you look closely you will see specks in the backgrounds of many of the pictures which are more flocks coming in the distance. My heart was in my throat the whole time. In my lifetime, I can't remember ever feeling so close to or in awe of Nature. I know ... you have to be there, but hopefully you will get some sense of the magnificence of this night on a bridge in Kearny, Nebraska.

BIRD CALLS and SONGS: Sandhill Crane

Linked to Wild Bird Wednesday