Golden Days

I wish you could experience the beauty of the river at sunrise.  The sun spills out over the water through gaps in the treeline and spotlights an area here and there. Since it is confined to one area and the surrounding space is in shadows, the effect is very much like watching a play where a spotlight is used to draw your attention to a character. The golden light emphasizes the areas of the marsh where the growth, once so green and vigorous, has already begun to decline. The frontal lighting is beautiful, but the high contrast lighting coming from the side can be even more dramatic.

The light in this image is coming in over Fishing Creek to the right.  The lighting isn't quite as dramatic as it is at other times, but you still get the idea.  One of the young osprey is in the water having just attempted to catch a fish. It wasn't successful, but success is often built on a foundation of failure.  I don't know what you call it, but one of the chick's parents is sitting on the metal swing arm on the other side of the dock and appears to be watching the babies efforts. I think the metal arm is used for transferring a heavy load from the dock to a boat. I am always enamored by this view and have taken many pictures of it.  I love the way the pine tree in the back leans out over the marsh. Even the tool shed doesn't look too out of place.

Here is the same view under more dramatic lighting. Notice the big pile of sticks under the light post from the osprey's unsuccessful attempt to build a nest there a couple of years ago.

This pine grows just to the right of the image area in the last two photos.  This is such a beautiful sight at sunrise with the sun striking the trunk.  It demonstrates how dramatic side lighting can be.  Early this spring, I thought the tree was dying.  A pine beetle infestation has been killing a lot of pines in the region, but it turned out to be a pine close by and not this one.  This is the only time I have seen two great blue heron sitting here. It just seems so strange to see heron perched in trees.