On the Move, November Wings!

A Sandhill Crane Sunrise                         November 4, 2012

November has arrived, and a renewed sense of urgency moves on the wings of migratory birds.  The toughest birds have lingered here, gambling on the weather, feeding up and putting on migration fat.  Others have already arrived from the boreal, and the air is alive with the mechanical twitters of redpolls. 

At 4 AM, the stars shone brightly in the sky, and clouds, few and far between, promised to allow the sunrise through to set our artwork aglow.   Bruce arrived early, and we headed north together in pursuit of opportunity, a moment or two between marks on the calendar to create, be inspired, and refresh the soul in the realm of nature photography.   The Sandhill Cranes had lingered on, and we were going to paint images with brushstrokes made up of the workings of their lives.

Closer to our landmark, a large mass of clouds lingered, changing our perception of what a morning would bring.  Think fast, adapt, and create in a new direction.   Bruce had put his technical expertise into motion and advised, "I'm going to open it up and shoot at least 2/3 stop over.  I want to pull as much out of this as possible."   I did the same.  

It wasn't pea soup light.  It wasn't a bust.  Instead, the softly filtering light broke through a window in the clouds, illuminating roosting Sandhill Cranes in a warm glow.  To our surprise, the cranes, far and wide, held on to their roosts.  They spent the sunrise stretching, dancing, and mingling.  They weren't leaving.  They weren't flying to feed.  The light was perfect, and they were sitting tight.   In the chill of the morning, we watched the "Jack Frost" patterns of ice creep further and further into the wetland, gaining nearly six feet of new skim in an hour.   The ice grew, and the birds sat.  Warm light, ice cold.

Then, as if to spite us, the sun fell behind the cloud mass and hundreds of birds roused and lifted into the air. Ha ha, very funny.  Adapt again!  We can't script nature.  It does what it does, and we witness it peacefully through the lens.   Sometimes, in the greatest sort of way, it almost seems as if nature intends to script us, a big game where we are made the fool.  

But we are crafty fools, and we know how our gadgets work.   We know where the cranes are going.  When they land, we'll be saying "Hello" again, putting the light in our favor.  The Chess game continues...

All images were made using Canon 40D and 300mm f4 IS Canon lens.  Many were also photographed from a Gitzo ball head on a Gitzo Reporter basalt tripod.  For comfort, I used a folding hunting stool, but I didn't stay seated very often!