L
ions Den Gorge is a wonderful place. Even though it has no lions. Despite that disappointment, it's a beautiful woodland with a diverse and dynamic marsh at its center. I've spent several years around that marsh, waiting in bogwater for blackbirds and egrets and whatever else shows itself; here is a selection of my bounty.
Red-winged blackbirds reign in the wetlands of summer. They land violently and sway on the cattails, and the cacophony of their calls cuts incessantly through the thick humid air.
A red-winged blackbird hops along the pond scum looking for food.
A black-headed cowbird surveys the lagoon. To see more of these birds, go here.
A territorial red-winged blackbird puffs its wings in defiance.
Out on the marsh to find red-winged blackbirds, I was at first dejected upon realizing that Sunday hikers had scared them all away. About to head back home, the evening's light thinning, I heard a sound behind me. A grasshopper, backlit by the low summer sun, was waving on sun-touched cattails. Taunted by the breeze, I spent half an hour perfecting the focus, but it was worth it.
An eastern kingbird perches above the waving marsh. To see this bird up close, go here.
With the patience of a nature photographer, a great egret scans the water for food. After minutes of perfect stillness, it strikes.
A belted kingfisher waves in the warm morning breeze.
Common ducks like this one are easy to photograph and not very photogenic. With blur, I was able to give an otherwise boring photo dynamism and story.
