Category: Nature

I pass this pond every day and the water reflections are among my favorites to photograph anywhere!  Today was a snowy day, but as I was driving home, the sun came out and a bit of blue sky was peeking through the clouds.  Not more than 5 minutes after I took this photo, the sky became gray and it was snowing again like crazy!  Typical yet unpredictable Pennsylvania weather!  We even had thunder snow today!  Jim Cantore from The Weather Channel would have been going nuts – he LOVES thunder snow!

Here are a couple more images of a Great Blue Heron in flight at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area.  They are one of my most favorite birds!  Their wingspan can be over 6 feet!

Every now and then you end up in the right place at the right time … just by accident.  On my last visit to Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area, I was walking down Willow Point Trail which is lined with wooded areas on the left and open fields on the right.  There were several Eastern Bluebirds flitting around the ground in the fields and so I took a few images, but unfortunately the birds were backlit by the sun and the lighting was not ideal.  Then, one of the birds flew right past me and perched in a tree on the edge of the woods not more than 15 feet away!  Whoo hoo!  Despite the shadow on the bird from the tree branch, I still love this image!

I’ve been spending a lot of time at this spot over the last month.  It’s the main snow geese viewing location at the tip of Willow Point Trail at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area.  There were only a few tundra swans on the lake yesterday, but the sunset was beautiful.  I took a couple of iphone photos before it became too dark.

A while back I posted an image from this same location that was taken in the early morning after an ice storm (go to:  http://betsydallasphoto.com/WordPressNew/?p=12968).  The images were taken at different times of day, with different cameras and lenses and in different weather conditions.  Today’s photo was shot in late afternoon after a dusting of snow when there was still a bit of sun illuminating the trees in the foreground and background.  The forest in between, however, is in shadow.  I love the colors and depth of this shot!