Turn, Turn, Turn

I woke up this morning hoping that yesterday’s sunshine would still be hanging around. Nope. High clouds. Forecasters predicted a higher chance of rain as the day went on. So, I decided I’d go to Nisqually in the morning. By the time I got there, the clouds were really thick and getting closer and closer to the ground as I walked the five mile circuit. It was cool enough that I was forced to wear my gloves for the first time this year.

Despite the best effort of hundreds of purple asters to maintain summer’s sway over the Nisqually Delta,

Purple Asters

most of what little color there was on a dark, drab Thursday was provided by bright red berries, enhanced by a bit of Photoshop,

Elderberries

and golden leaves, quickly destined to become next year’s dirt.

Golden Leaves

It was so dark that many of the shots I took of moving birds and animals were blurry, despite setting my camera’s ISO to 400. Most of the landscape, as in this shot of a Great Egret was so drab that it would have looked nearly the same in Black and White Film.

Great Egret

It didn’t help that there weren’t many birds about, at least birds that I haven’t seen, and shown here, many times before.

Still, the highlight of the day, though not the best pictures, came when a lady walking the other way asked me what had just crossed the trail and I noticed two river otters looking back at us. They were moving way too fast to get very good pictures in the low light but pictures are never going to give you the same rush I always feel when I see them in the wild:

River Otter in Swamp

No, to get that feeling you’ll have to get out there yourself.

P.S. As was to be expected, the sun came out right after I got home.

2 thoughts on “Turn, Turn, Turn”

  1. Fall is around the corner isn’t it? But it seems like where you live fall has already found its way. Great photos. I like the second one especially.

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