This photograph says it all. A picture worth ten thousand words–and more. A king-size mattress carelessly disposed of right in front of a can’t-miss, equally king-size sign forbidding the action. The sign and mattress are just outside the ERP restoration site at Money Point, and very close to where I took the pictures of the Canada Geese.
Volumes have been written about the things that we have done and continue to do to pollute–and damage–the environment. This is a prime example of that kind of behavior. This reminds me of trips I’ve taken to the Great Dismal Swamp. I’ve seen everything there from household trash and construction debris (including large chunks of sidewalk), to carpeting, truck tires, and a Sea-Doo.
Switching gears–here’s another Canada Goose photo from the earlier photo shoot. Those geese were a rambunctiuous bunch. I love the gesture here. Capturing gestures like this makes photography rewarding. And it makes for good photos too! How would you caption this photo? Or what was this goose thinking, or about to do? Any thoughts? It was laser-focused on something!
Here’s another ‘gesture’ photo from that day. This is a mother Killdeer defending her brood. They were running around and weren’t yet able to fly. She’s on extreme tiptoes–or even claws–here. Truth be told, many birds walk on their tiptoes. What we see just below their bodies, in most cases, is their feet and toes. The long bone just above the toes is the tarsus, which corresponds to our foot.
I’ll cap this off with another recent photo. This is a female Osprey flying right toward me at Money Point, as I was standing not far from the nesting platform. I wonder what SHE was thinking, or perhaps more accurately: what were her instincts here? Just look at that gaze. I know what I was thinking!!
Elizabeth River Bird Blog 