We have been having January thaw weather -- blue sky & clouds and temperatures topping out in the high 40's (about 8 or 9 C). We finally decided to take advantage of it, so yesterday we attended a winter birding program at Lancaster County Central Park.
It was great and we were so charmed by seeing things like snow drops (that shouldn't be out for about a month at least) that we decided to continue the fun by taking a ride.
Arny asked where I wanted to go. At first, I said north, and then I looked at the clouds moving in and said, let's just follow the sun. He thought it was a great idea, and we had a wonderful couple of hours drifting through the county, choosing each new turn after consulting the sky. If our direction of travel started to move us into clouds, we turned towards the most sunny place.
What we saw on our ride reminded us of how beautiful our county is even in the more-subtly-hued times of winter. By the end of the trip, we were pleased and surprised to find that our drift had led to one of our favorite natural places, Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area, and that it already had a large population of swans and geese.
Check out a selection of the photos we took below and
tell me which ones you think I should use as subjects for my "painting a day" project.
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| Fox Sparrow on Christmas Tree |
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| Sparrow on Feeder |
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| Nuthatch on Pine |
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| Chickadee Hanging From Feeder |
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| Winterberries |
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| January Snow Drops |
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| Seed Pods in the Sun |
See
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| Dried Grasses Glowing in the Sun |
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| Winter "flowers" |
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| Sycamore Against a Winter Sky |
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| A Spiral of Swans, Middle Creek WLMA |
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| Middle Creek Swans & Geese in Late Day Sun |
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| Swans Trough Late Day Trees |
Arny asked where I wanted to go. At first, I said north, and then I looked at the clouds moving in and said, let's just follow the sun. He thought it was a great idea, and we had a wonderful couple of hours drifting through the county, choosing each new turn after consulting the sky. If our direction of travel started to move us into clouds, we turned towards the most sunny place. 
Love your pictures, it gives me hope that Spring is on the way! I vote for those lovely, red winter berries but all your photos are great!
ReplyDeleteYes, it does give me hope, and today is even warmer -- in the 50's. I agree with you that the winter berries on the blue sky are great, and I am sure that I'll paint them soon.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite is the nuthatch hanging upside down. (That's my memory aid to remember the difference between nuthatches and chickadees. If he's hanging upside down I think "oh that NUT", so it must be the nuthatch.")
ReplyDeleteThere isn't great color in it though. Maybe add some of the red berries in the other picture?
Great pics.