MAGIC MORNING AT MOSSY CREEK

I have been terribly lax in keeping up with the posting on this blog.  I have never neglected it so much since I started it.  The problem, if it is a problem, is that I've been enjoying Face Book and posting a lot of photos there.  Its difficult to focus on both the blog and Face Book at the same time as the photos and dialog are practically the same.  I do, however, have an idea how to keep up with both. We'll see how it goes.  I want to thank all the readers of this blog for their dedication and patience with my meanderings between Face Book and blog entries.  Again, thank you.

I snapped a few pictures as I was driving through the old district of Jefferson City, the town too backward and dumb to succeed, and I came up with two really interesting shots of the wooden window/door above and the old train station shot below.  As usual around here, the historical buildings are being left to ruin and will be bulldozed down eventually to put in parking spaces I'd guess.

Mossy Creek was a breath of fresh air this morning and the mist rising off the water intermingling with the sulfur colored light that was just starting to penetrate the trees all the way to the ground promised much soft light, the kind of light I love.  And did it ever produce some fantastic light!.

The ground was accumulated a mix of white frosted grass, dark brown tree trunks, black fallen dead limbs and water with a heavy fog rising up through the warm rays of light toward the sky.  The scene was somber and  surreal.  To put it another say - this morning was one of the most beautiful mornings I've ever seen and I photographed it as best I could.

The bright browns, or bronze color, is the light striking the trees, grass and water only where the tree tops will allow it through.  You will notice in the shot above and below that the trees on the right side of the picture are tinted bronze as is the grass on the left side, across the creek.  The rest of the shot is cold and dark.

Below is a striking shot that depicts the soft light bathing the shoreline across the stream but has not reached the closest water and shoreline that remains cold and gray looking.  Same with the picture above.

Above and below shows the same warm, cold effects from the sun that is only partially getting through the canopy of leaves on the trees.  Thats not easy to catch in a camera.

These scenic shots on this page are my favorite scenic pictures of all time I believe.  They are technical enough to have been a challenge and I'm very pleased with the final result of the effort.

I had the camera backpack with me today and carried the 500 tele lens in the pack with the 70 -300 mm on the camera.  I used the 70-300 for all the scenic pictures and switched to the 150 -300 mm when the birds started showing up.  The bird species were limited to winter wren, robin, cardinal, white throat ed sparrow, swamp sparrow, ladder-back woodpecker and yellow rumped warbler.

Today was one of those days I couldn't do anything wrong.  The tiny birds fell to my camera one by one and the shots were very acceptable.

Below:  A winter wren just about made it around the tree but I got a piece of him - his tail end...:)

This cardinal gave me the impression that he was cold and all alone.  He just sat there in the cold breeze not moving.

These are beaver dens.  Mossy Creek seems to have its own beaver community.  Thats wonderful to see as the creek actually flows through the edge of town.  The human element lives a stones throw away.  Humans are normally a negative influence on wildlife when it lives close to progress.

A beautiful yellow rumped warbler is below. These guys are at Mossy Creek every time I visit there.  Lots of folks call them butter butts due to the bright yellow on their tails.

I'm again delighted with the shots of this bird.  The detail is pretty good and about the best I can do with the equipment I own.

He rose to the surface like a submarine, flat, horizontal to the surface and slow until he finally broke through the surface where he stopped and just held still.  Very neat!

What a super treat this morning.  He started upstream slowly, totally oblivious of me.

Its really wonderful to see that people are leaving this family of beavers alone.  They are a treasure here on the creek and are harming nothing at all.  What a privilege to have them so close where they can be enjoyed!

Just .look how beautiful and perfect he is.  Hes made for this environment.  If only we humans could learn to get along with him.   Just let him alone

I noticed a few mallards paddling about and went ahead and put them in the photo basket.  They are very, very colorful.

Below is an artsy shot.  Its not the greatest but the formation caught my eye.

I'll throw another shot up here that is in no way related to wildlife. I like old wood and buildings.  Please look in from time to time or follow me on Face Book.  I appreciate you.