Simply Nature

click on image for full screen signs of spring sandhill cranes (click on image for larger size) location: harney county season: spring backstory: before moving to this area i had never seen or heard of sandhill cranes.  there is something about their personality, so... strong.  in this area you know spring is on the way when you can hear their very distinctive calling way high in the sky as they migrate.  on the ground, when they call, they stretch their necks straight up.  fascinating. they fly in formation with great precision. sandhills also have a very elaborate mating dance. this scene is part of the bird migratory path through harney county, that includes the malheur wildlife refuge. it is such a joy when driving through a fairly barren and desolate high desert to crest a ridge and see these amazing creatures. there is something deeply intriguing about the red area around the golden eyes.  (return to simply nature portfolio site )

setting sun/rising moon juniper gulch (click on image for larger size) location: owyhee reservoir season: spring backstory: there are planned photos and then there are spontaneous photos. this is the later. i often organize backcountry treks around the full moon, a few days before and after the peak. most of the time i'm interested in using the moon to light a landscape. on this journey, i had planned a series of moonlit photos along several miles of leslie gulch. the canyons wind around affording different lighting angles based on moon and canyon positions.  i finished one scene with the moon cresting the horizon along a jagged ridgeline. it wasn't quite the right composition. figuring that was the horizon/moonrise chance for the night, i began hiking toward the next planned shot with the moon at a higher angle providing a light source. walking the high desert backcountry at night feels... other-worldly, except that i now consider it this-worldly; the rest is other. after a ho