Doves

Today, it got up to 60, or slightly above and the doves were having a hey-day! 

It was fun to watch them, flying around, not a care in the world. 

 Spring, are you here to stay or only teasing? 

Around the Corner, Literally

 

Winter is not my season, for sure. It does a number on my health, and this winter has been no exception. But even when it's cold like this morning was, I like to try to bundle up and get outside for a few minutes to catch that glorious sunrise. 

This one is just about as far south in the eastern sky as it will get.

It has rounded the corner and is working its way back north - a sure sign that spring is on its way. 

The winter solstice has passed. Now I can watch as the sunrise inches closer and closer to the spring equinox. Today we got a little taste of that, as the temperature rose from in the 20's to in the 60's!

Lake Thompson Sunset

Lake Thompson never disappoints.

The setting sun looked very pretty going down over the frozen lake.

 It got into the 40's and 50's the last few days, so there was just a bit of melting going on at the surface, which added to the glimmer. I wish I had stayed until the sun went all the way down, but it was still a bit chilly for me, as that sun was going down. 

A Lovely Shot of a Beautiful Spot

I haven't been getting out a lot lately. I deal with health issues that are worse in the winter and it's been hard to get out. But I had an early morning appointment today and it gave me a chance to see this lovely spot just about an hour and a half after the sun came up. There were still some pastel colors in the background. I was thrilled to be able to get some nice pictures of the light snow and hoarfrost that decorated the landscape.

When I got around to uploading my pictures a few days later, I had my regular dilemma:

To edit or not to edit. 

Photographers differ on this. Some feel that a photographer has sullied their photo if they do anything to it. Just take it as it comes from the camera. What skill it takes to get all the right settings on the camera and have them come out just right! 

But nowadays there are computer programs that can correct a lot of errors in lighting, clarity, and so forth. Is it wrong to take advantage of such conveniences or is that taking too much artistic license?  Truthfully, I really enjoy playing around with my photos to get a better pic. Does that make it "fake art?" I suppose there is a point where that becomes the case, but that's for each photographer/artist to decide.

I don't think so. For one thing, with today's cameras, many photographers are able to shoot in a RAW format. The camera takes in all the info, but the picture that results does not necessarily reflect all that the camera captures. The resolution of the JPG is usually around 5-7 megabytes, whereas the resolution of the RAW format photo may be 30-40 megabytes! By working with the photo in a photo editing program, changes can be made to bring out more of the hidden qualities the camera captured. 

Usually, when I work with my photos, my goal is to work with the photo as much as I need to in order to get it to look like what I saw. For example, the picture above is the lower res JPG pic, and I used only my PC's rather primitive editing features to lighten or darken and to add or subtract a little clarity and color. The picture below has been edited from the high-resolution RAW photo, which can lighten and clarify to a much higher degree, while offering other tools to get more of what the camera really captured. 

So, which photo actually looks closer to what I saw? I'd have to say that what I saw lies somewhere between the two. I might play around with it a little more to try to get it to look just what I saw. But either way, it was a lovely shot of a beautiful spot. 

 

Is This Branch Taken?

Birds of a feather do like to flock together, but sometimes different kinds of birds team up as well. 

This mourning dove and house sparrow share a branch together on a cold, cold morning. 

 

Spectacular Sunrise

This beautiful sunrise was enough to motivate me to bundle up in my long coat, my hunter's cap, scarf, gloves, and warmest boots. I walked along the length of the harvested cornfield as far as I could. 

The colors in the pictures here do not come close to what I really saw, but still, it looks pretty amazing. 

 By the time I got up past the Little Clinic on the Prairie, the colors were changing dramatically. While the east side had been red and deep blue, the west side was pastel pink and blue. 

But by the time I passed the clinic, the western sky was all a bright orange. 

It was a pretty backdrop for the bare trees. 

A nice way to start the day. 

Just Some Dirty Snow

  

Despite the cold, I have been trying to get out for a morning walk whenever I can. I miss my walks along the beach in southern Texas, and the wonderful things I was able to see each morning. But I am also finding delight in the simple things around me, here in South Dakota. 

I was quite taken this morning by how picturesque dirty snow can be!

 The patterns and the simple earth tones are quite pretty. 
Simple pleasures.

Squirrels at Play

 I have not been feeling well at all, so I appreciate the emotional lift I get from watching the squirrels and birds. 

They are always here to greet me . . .

They bring a smile to my face . . . 

And motivate me to do my morning stretches!

Slip-Sliding Away

"Frozen suet? Again?!?"

This little downy woodpecker doesn't know what to make of it.

But she knows one thing . . .

She doesn't want to share!!!

 

A Bird Smorgasbord

What will it be today?

 A little millet, some cracked corn, a few sunflower seeds? 

Feeding the Squirrels

Some people don't like to feed the squirrels because they think they will scare the birds away. I like feeding squirrels. Unlike some birds, they seem to know that they are being fed by someone. I love it when the squirrels come right up to my sliding glass door and look inside, as if to say, "Why the bare sidewalk? Where are the black sunflower seeds?" They're so cute. 

 

A Visit from a Red-Breasted Nuthatch

I saw my first red-breasted nuthatch today!

Oh! Hello, there!

Good morning to you!

Munching on ice chips on a cold, cold day . . .


I hope I see you again!

Another Goose Gathering

 

Coming back from Watertown, we saw yet more geese gathering on this small lake or large pond, I'm not sure which. We wished we could get closer, but driving across the field didn't seem like a good idea. What a pretty sight, though. 

Geese Migration in Progress

 While heading to Watertown for some Goodwill shopping with my daughter, Audrey, we just had to pull over to watch and listen to the migrating geese in this open field, cameras in hand. 

Most were sitting still in the field, but some were milling around. They were getting ready to take flight - You could just feel it in the air. 

And there they went . . .

More and more of them took flight . . . 

Until finally, the last, lingering geese left the field and followed the masses into the morning sky. 

What doesn't show up here is how the morning sun was glistening on the backs of the geese, sparkling like diamonds. It was an amazing sight to behold. The sound was awesome as well. 

And then they were gone. 

A Hairy Ice Pecker

This hairy woodpecker uses his pecking skills to break apart a little chunk of ice, then carries a piece of it in its beak and deposits it in a hole in the tree bark. 

 I wonder if he will be disappointed if he finds it melted from the warmer weather that we have been promised? 

Next, he checks out the suet smorgasbord . . .