March 07th, 2025

I know, I know, I'm a slacker.  I haven't posted all week 'til now.  It's been kind of a crazybusy week so I apologize.  Not too busy to miss hiking day though so here we go with this week's Photo Safari Report.  Hope you are wearing a cozy sweater.  Don't let the sunshine fool you, it was dang cold outside for this hike. I am calling this one the Blustery Day Hike since it was not just chilly but very very windy too.  Enough so that it was slim pickin's as far as wildlife photos. 

​The light however was exquisite.    The above photo is totally unedited. I did nothing to it artificially. I didn't crop it,or brighten it or use any of the (small amount) of editing tools available to me to make a photograph better.  This one was perfect, just as it was.

We saw very few birds , or rather very little variety of birds.  There were a lot of one particular sort tho, all hunkering down against the wind trying to stay warm, poor things, while still fishing for their breakfasts.  These are all herons, different ones, not multiple photos of the same one, I promise:

Herons were not the only birds we saw, just the most plentiful.  There were a few others.  Ready?  Here we go:

We kept remarking that we weren't seeing any ground critters, no mousies, no lizards or squirrels and not even a rabbit!  But my guess is that the bunnies and the rest were all toas ty warm in their little burrows, wearing their fuzzy slippers and warm robes, watching cartoons and eating poptarts by the fire.  Smarter than us for sure!

Moving on to what we did see.  Number one with a bullet was, way  too many of these guys.  But then, it's their "house" so I shouldn't be surprised.  They were also trying to get warm, laying on the banks in the sun, despite the chilly temps and snappy wind gusts.  Let me tell ya, that wind had teeth!

Honestly the biggest star of the show on this hike was the quality of the light.  There is something very special about the early morning light on a cold day.  Everybody talks about the "golden hour"  in the late afternoon/early evening and no question, it's gorgeous!  But give me this early chilly light every time. Part of it is the richness of colour whether it's on the on the water, in the air  or on the greenery The light sifting down through the canopy of trees creating shadow and highlighting everything else is perfection. Here's a few other examples, it's all just scenery shots soo please indulge me:

Enough of me waxing poetic. Maybe it's time now for a few randos:

I guess that's it.  We have come to the end of another adventure, another Photo Safari Report.  Thanks for coming along on the Blustery Day Hike.  Hope you bundled up and stayed warm!

Have a terrific weekend ya'll and we'll meet here again one day next week!  Got lots more to tell you!
Hugs all 'round.