This is from a couple weeks ago when there was still snow at Willow Lake. It snowed again last night, but it was only an inch or so on my side of town- and I didn’t see significant snow at Willow when we drove by this morning. I love the contrast of the white snow against the warm tones of the rocks.
Last week we spent an hour or so at Willow Lake one morning, just hanging out and watching the birds- AND we were the only people there! We were on the lookout for sandhill cranes which have been photographed over there recently. I think I spotted one flying, but didn’t grab the binoculars or camera in time, unfortunately. Although I’ve seen them in the air and at a distance several times since I started doing photography, I’ve never been close enough to get good photos. At one point, I was able to get two herons and one egret in my frame as they were busily looking for food. Toward the end of our time at the lake, one of the herons flew over to a little island, and I was able to get this photo of him taking a break from fishing.
Another view of the same egret posing on the rocks.
On Christmas Day, we went for a leisurely walk at Willow Lake and watched a heron and egret fishing for an hour. We are used to seeing the heron slowly wade through the shallows looking for fish- an example of patience and perseverance. The egrets are normally farther away, but this day we were lucky to be able to watch one close to where we were walking. It was less patient (maybe more hungry) than the heron and was constantly moving along the shore, eventually ending up in a little area by the rocks. This photo was taken as he spotted a fish, which he caught a moment later.
Late one afternoon, we finally got over to Willow Lake to visit the white pelicans that flew in a few weeks ago. They are earlier than usual- and staying longer- perhaps because of the hot weather. As I drew closer to photograph them, it seemed the pelican on the right was becoming nervous, and it looked as if the bigger one was reassuring him. This went on for awhile, and eventually he did take off over the water to find a place to swim.
FYI- It has been about 11 months since my knee replacement, and during this walk, I noticed that I really don’t even think about my knee at all before taking a step. Before surgery, each step on uneven ground was wobbly as my knee was very unstable. I can’t say that it feels like a normal knee, but it WORKS!
The light was beautiful as we took a drive by the lakes last evening. We stopped for a few quick iPhone shots of Willow Lake, and then headed home for some banana bread I had baked earlier. Our last instacart order had provided us with 5 bunches of bananas instead of 5 single bananas (I’m not complaining- we’re ALL frazzled…), and yesterday was the day they were ripe enough for baking and freezing. We now have an abundant supply of frozen bananas for smoothies, pancakes, and baking!
It was a beautiful sunny day in Prescott- perfect for a walk and some photography. The water is high at Willow Lake, and areas where we normally walk are under water. The upside is that the water surrounding the boulders create beautiful reflections- and waterfowl is everywhere! The usual ducks were there, as well as egrets- and there was a hawk perched high in a tree (too far for a photo with my limited lens).
melinda anderson photography 