Open Water

Subzero Life Around the Currents                     27 January 2014

Bald Eagle, Mississippi River bluffs, subzero temperatures...

Wisconsin is a strange place in winter.  So long as the rivers flow, we will be witnesses to water in all of its forms when the temperature dips into the deep freeze.  Open water serves as a winter oasis for wildlife, and survival is assured for many species.

Hooded Merganser, female, over open water

Common Mergansers

Feet tucked in feathers, a Bald Eagle travels along the open water.

To the wildlife photographer, open water is a busy concentration of wildlife. To the waterfowl, it is a chance at overwintering, a hole in an otherwise frozen universe.   To the eagle, it is better odds, a source of captive prey.   As the winter moves along, the drama unfolds, shifts, and renews itself a thousand times over.

A young Bald Eagle tests mergansers and goldeneyes for weakness.

Young Bald Eagle, Canada Geese, Trumpeter Swans, and Common Goldeneye

The rare bird alerts repeat the contents of each open water oasis, some of them tinged with humor or regret. "For those wishing to see the Long-tailed Duck, I will save you the trip. It has just been eaten by an eagle," reads one report.   Nonetheless, I venture to the spot and watch with my breath held as young Bald Eagles attempt to dine on Common Goldeneye ducks.

The sun goes down, and I continue on for home where the furnace and family are equally warm and dim lights yield academic reflection of a world that can be brutally cold.

All images were photographed with my old Canon 40D and old Canon 300mm f4L IS lens, thrown in the van for days when unexpected photography may arise through serendipity.  Be well, and pursue life in every breath, in every cup of tea.