After the thaw came an artic blast blanketing New York in snow again just as I was starting to see tiny buds on the trees. Yes, buds the weekend of the thaw was that warm, but it had not succeeded in melting all of the ice. We experienced several more days of cold and then the temperatures slowly began to rise. . My son wanted to go outside to play one evening so we did. His father arrived home and the boy went running. I however, turned around to notice a pair of muskrats having dinner next to a hole in the ice on the pond. I quickly and quietly went inside and retrieved my camera and long lens. They were still just dots in the distance so I very quietly walked the old trail around the pond until I was just across from them and made my way down the bank and across a swampy area to get a closer look. It was the almost perfect spot. The light was in the wrong place and instead of getting some semi-cute mammals my test photo showed two fat black dots. I rejoined the guys for a few more minutes of precious fresh air before going inside to make dinner. The next morning we awoke to snow covering everything again but the sky was blue. It was pretty. Much better than cold, gray and brown. It was even a bit cheery. I however am ready for warmer temperatures and more time outside in the fresh air. My son and I grabbed our camera, trudged through the snow. We took photos of the trees still tucked in their blankets around the iced over pond. We discussed composition and angles a moment for art class and then took some actual photos. My best shot is displayed at the top About a week later I decided for my son's art class we would go outside and do some more nature photography since he now seems interested. It was warmer and the snow was gone. There was still ice on the pond but it was melting. First we listened to the birds and tried to locate them. There were a few in branches of the hedgerow but a clean shot was impossible then high above I noticed a mourning dove greeting the morning. We continued to walk over to the pond and observed four muskrats having breakfast around the big hole in the ice. I raised my camera as one disappeared into the water. They were still quite a ways out. I pointed them out to my boy and we very quietly tip toed back to the spot that I had last seen them in the light of the setting sun. This time the sunlight was coming from the opposite direction and it was glorious. We carefully made our way down to the edge trying not to snap twigs and avoiding getting too wet. Only one muskrat was still up. We quietly raised our cameras and photographed it eating before it too disappeared. My son was upset when it dove into the depths of the pond. I quietly whispered to him, " Wait quietly, they will be back with more to eat." He squirmed a little but was really good. After a minute or two another muskrat appeared on the ice with more vegetation to feast on. A moment later it's mate appeared beside it. We observed the muskrats for about twenty minutes. Once they had all disappeared and I knew I couldn't keep a seven year old quiet for much longer it was time to go in and review our shots and get started with the dreaded language arts (he hates writing anything). It was great fun photographing wild animals with my son. He enjoyed shooting the trees too. For a beginner he has quite an eye, than again both of his parents are photographers. There is a rumor that one is distantly related to Ansel Adams so he could be great some day, you never know. I think my mom would say they are so ugly they're cute. I hope you enjoyed the muskrat show as much as we did in photographing them. Wildlife photography is a thrill. The next morning we saw a sure sign of spring which I will drop below.
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Julie MetottNature Photographer, wife, mother, lover of outdoor adventure! Archives
November 2022
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