Figure 1 – The pond from Otter Trail March 22, 2016. (c) DE Wolf 2016.
We have had what is in all likelihood the last of the winter, or early spring, snow, here in Massachusetts. Yes, I suppose that I am tempting fate. A couple of days later I went for a bit of a treacherous walk at the Assabet River Wildlife refuge. The snow at that point had both melted and refrozen and had a very crunchy texture to it. As a result, my presence was broadcast loudly to all of the wood’s creatures, who the dutifully head from me and my lens. But I was still pleased to see a huge number of tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) freshly arrived from Mexico, gorging themselves on insects over the pond. The presence of the insects was invisible to me, which speaks even more profoundly of the keenness of avian senses. There was also a fine crop of very noisy blue jays (Cyanocitta cristata) squawking loudly among the pines.
As always what was most beautiful was the coolness of the morning and the reflection of the sunlight off the surface of the pond. The surface periodically erupted into sparkles as the wind blew across it. Here these colors and glimmers complement the lifelessness of the snow and dried grasses and contrast with both the emerald greenness of the pines and the hints of chartreuse that spell the beginning of a new season. I tried to capture this in Figure 1, which was taken along the Otter Trail and captures some trees growing out of the pond in shallow water.
Canon T2i with EF70-200mm f/4L USM lens at 113 mm, ISO 1600, Aperture Priority AE Mode, 1/800th sec at f/7.2 with no exposure compensation.