Thursday, February 23, 2017

Foggy mornings and blurry bird photos

The entrance to our wetlands is only a few doors from our home:

 Entry to wetlands 20160529

On many mornings for the past two weeks the humidity has been high and the temperature close to the dew point, so we have been greeted by fog, especially thick over the lake.

Pre-dawn clouds and fog 20170208

Sun reaching Pine Bank 20160208

Too often I strive to depict the birds in side-on "field guide" poses. A feather in disarray or an errant bit of foliage can spoil such images. Fog smooths out these defects and provides a natural filter for photo effects, obliterates the background and focuses attention on the subject and its immediate surroundings.

Composition and action seem more important than the plumage details of this Great Egret:

Great Egret in fog before sunrise 03-20170206

Great Egret in fog before sunrise 06-20170206

Great Egret in fog before sunrise 09-20170206

Images such as these of a Little Blue Heron are soft and lack detail, but I find them especially pleasing to the eye:

Little Blue Heron in fog before sunrise 02-20170206

Little Blue Heron in fog before sunrise 01-20170206

A pair of Mottled Ducks are barely identifiable:

Mottled Ducks in fog 20170215

Poor light muddles the image of a Belted Kingfisher but makes the setting almost look like an oil painting:

Belted Kingfisher in fog 20170215

Street lights, still on almost two miles to the north, burn through the fog at sunrise
North Shore fog 20170215

Just as the fog is lifting, the sun's glare is restrained and shadows are muted. The warm color temperature permits better display of plumage details, especially that of white birds such as the White Ibis and Great Egret:

White Ibis 20170202

Great Egret in flight 01-20170212

I did not see these two Red-breasted Mergansers swimming away from me until they were too far away for a decent photo, but I loved the warmth of the sun playing on the grasses of the wet meadow:

Red-breasted Mergansers 20170212

A patch of sunlight pierces the fog next to these White Ibises:

White Ibises 20170215

Everything is coated with dew as the fog breaks up and droplets fill the air. I don't know what kind of composite flower this may be, but it is very tiny, only about 3/4 inch (2 cm) wide:

Tiny composite flower 20170209

The spiders' webs are weighed down by dewdrops:

Tiny composite flower 2-20170209



A necklace of silk and dewdrops:

Necklace of dewdrops and silk 20170219







= = =  = = =  = = = =  = = = = =

Linking to Misty's  CAMERA CRITTERS,

Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,

Linking to GOOD FENCES by Gosia

Linking to SKYWATCH FRIDAY by Yogi, Sylvia and Sandy

Linking to WEEKEND REFLECTIONS by James

Linking to BirdD'Pot by Anni

Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday by Stewart

Linking to Today's Flowers Friday by Denise

Linking to Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) by NC Sue

Linking to ALL SEASONS by Jesh

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Please visit the links to all these memes to see some excellent photos on display

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23 comments:

  1. Wonderful photos!
    The fog adds soft beauty
    Hope you are having a great week!

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  2. Hi Kenneth,

    I absolutely love this series! The mist and fog add character to your photos, and I love the colours, light and reflections!

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  3. Lovely series of photography ~ some great sky shots! ~ thanks,


    Wishing you a Happy Weekend ~ ^_^

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  4. The foggy bird shots are wonderful! A little bit like paintings, and a bit like they were taken using grainy old film.

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  5. I like the misty look to the pictures with fog. That's an amazing spider web. - Margy

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  6. You are so blessed to live in this area. It's quite lovely. So many wonderful birds to enjoy. The fog was neat and really gave your bird shots a unique look, almost like a painting. - I enjoyed all the fences, birds, and lovely scenes.

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  7. Hello Ken, wonderful series. I love the foggy scenes and birds. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Happy Saturday, enjoy your weekend!

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  8. Mmmmm, mmm, mmm!! I love foggy days/mornings! Your 'blurry' images are priceless [I don't think they're blurry at all Ken!....simply gorgeous]

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    1. I've returned to send along my thanks, Ken, for sharing this post with us birders at I'd Rather B Birdin' this weekend.

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  9. All wonderful nature photos ~ hard to pick a favorite ~ love the misty effects in some photos and such clarity in others ~ thanks,

    Wishing you a Happy Saturday ~ ^_^

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  10. You are a good photographer! Love the photos. So nice. You give me golden moments to look to them. Thanks.

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  11. You really did get some photos that look like artist's renderings! They would be beautiful to print as notecards or enlarge and frame. I love the water droplets and spider web too. Enjoy your weekend and this fabulous weather!

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  12. Your shots are brilliant! I love the lighting and the foggy effects. A real delight to see :D)

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  13. Beautiful shots Ken!

    1)"I think. The reflection is from an unusually clean rear window of the Fiat, and the yellow car is reflected directly." = You are correct.

    2)"Yet there are reflections from what appears to be the interior of the Fiat, and the window decal "www.auto---.it" is not reversed-- is it a double reflection" = Parts of the interior can be seen through the reflection. For example "www.auto---.it" is not a reflection it's just a sticker on a black surface behind the glass. :-)

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  14. simply exquisite photos of life here

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  15. These are marvelous, especially the birds in flight and the "necklace."

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  16. Just lovely.....fog is so mysterious. Love the spider web necklace.

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  17. What wonderful photos.... and such beautiful scenery for you to enjoy! :)

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  18. wonderful photos...and I love the "soft" ones especially

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  19. Thank you for the misty morning photos. I have not been able to get out early in the morning much lately and so I especially appreciate them. It is great that you live so close to that wonderful wetlands. I love all your photos and, as always, envy your beautiful flight shots.

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  20. Wow - each shot is a masterpiece!

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