Weekend Warrior and the GBBC

Big White Birds and More                     16 February 2013

GBBC? Great Backyard Bird Count.  It is a global Citizen Science effort held by the Cornell Labs of Ornithology each year.  Google it.  You will find out lots! Participate, and you'll learn even more.  To me, it is a day or two to collect data and submit my checklists.  Sadly, it is also a day when I see another Winter season (we only get a few dozen in a lifetime) bowing down to longer days and warmer sun.  My hands are just now resistant to frostbite.  My face no longer feels the sting of a windchill.  Bring on the birds, and let Winter linger well into March!

Winter's grip sets in during January.  The world freezes and slows.  February brings all of winter's charm with less of the pain as days grow longer and cold temperatures are warmed by the sun's rays.  Animals become more active.  The snow is clean and pure, and the light is very nice.

It is about this time of the year that I begin to hope for a long winter.  Things are just getting interesting, and now, old friend Winter, we are getting ready to say farewell again.   These days are worth more than most, and each February day with good light will find me clawing for freedom.

The snow and cold are masterful in sculpting scenery for interesting creatures and adding drama with mists and a sense of place. When so fortunate to find the animals I seek, the mysterious winter places come to life, revealing volumes about the struggles and adaptations in these overwintering lives.

As a dedicated classroom teacher, I am a slave to the calendar and have become a winter-hardened weekend warrior.  May there always be great light on Saturday!  Cheers!

All images were made with a refurbished Canon 7D and Canon 300mm f4 IS lens.  More and more, I am shooting from a tripod.  To make these images, I flattened the tripod and lay prone in the snow.  I was able to endure more than two hours this way by dressing in Gander Mountain Guide Series bib overalls, polar fleece coat, and winter parka.  I worked with the gloves off most of the time but was able to warm my hands against my body within the parka and bibs.   The clothes make the man, right?  There is no such thing as cold, only being under-dressed.