Oak Hammock Marsh, just north of Winnipeg is always a good place to find dozens of different birds, insects and other critters. The marsh is in a state of “drawdown” making way for plants that have had no chance to grow in the last few years.
Probably a very good idea for the marsh’s ecosystem, but for photography not so much. Reeds now block the view to most of what is left of the water surfaces and birds now nest in the reeds instead of in a more visible place. Again…
So, after a few months, say six months, I have gone back to the English Gardens armed with a camera. From what I heard from other photographers and other visitors, wildlife seems to have abandoned the place. So I went there to see for myself.
The Gardens have been cleaned of all old dead wood as well as many of the older shrubs and bushes. The result is a clean and open space, totally devoid of birds that loved to be there in previous years. So, the old adage of “Shoot what you get, not what you don’t have” became more true than ever.
It seems like this is becoming an ongoing series about the skies of Manitoba. It is true that skies are always fascinating. I grew up in a medium town in Holland. Seeing the wide open sky was not always possible and usually if the skies were interesting it was time to get inside, or time to get soaked.
Not so here in Manitoba. The prairies allow for viewing of interesting skies from a distance and stay dry in the process. So here are a few more of my skies.
It’s interesting to see how vision evolves over time. At one time, I started taking pictures and was happy (and amazed) with everything that I got. I was trying out all kinds of things, taking pictures of the world and its mother and grandmother. Everything was good to shoot. Quality was constantly admired and never questioned.
My first “amazing” picture with lots of details was this one. Obviously composition and other elements leave to be desired. So, while this was a nice achievement by itself, it was not enough for me to say that this was all.
Sometimes you think that what you can see at one given moment will always be there. Just to be reminded that these encounters are only for a one-time experience. You wait and wait to see them again, but the occasion never repeats itself.
Often I have thought that this Blue Heron almost lived here. I got one chance to shoot it and have never seen it again. So here are a few of those encounters. It’s always interesting to see what story went on at that particular moment in time.