It began with a ludicrously early start to a Wednesday morning. It had the feeling of one of those cold autumn mornings where it is still dark as you leave the house for school. It was exactly like that only without the cold, or the miserable walk to the bus stop, and without school or even work for that matter. Basically it was just dark.
I dropped Whitney off at the Hospital for another monster shift (I just want to clarify that it was a long work day and that the Mayo Clinic hadn't become the first Hospital to treat creatures
from 70's B-movies),
and went in search of subjects, having decided to take my camera with me so that I could make the most of one of the 'golden hours' (the hour during which the sun rises and the hour during which it sets) as the light is at its most mellow and helps to produce interesting and pleasing photographs.
I had a few ideas of where I might explore and turned off the highway not far from Talking Stick, another interesting name I remain woefully ignorant about. I began with a series of sunrise photos, but really just to get my light settings and then took a few shots of the long shadows draped over the fairway of a golf course. I was hoping to see some wildlife; a rattlesnake or a Curly Horned Sheep perhaps, but I had to settle for an array of birds and their lively song. Unsatisfied, I got back in the car and looked for somewhere else to inspire me and had the happy fortune to stumble across a road which had been barricaded some time ago and had become a wild and ragged looking place. There was a sign in front of the barricade displaying the warning 'Dead End', and I dearly hoped this wasn't a prophetic message informing me of my impending doom. There were others indicating that the road was closed, but these were obviously there to keep other people out and not me, and so with a spring in my step I clumsily straddled the wall and
almost dropped my camera.
Thankfully none of the laughing birds had seen this and so I was spared any more embarrassment.
It was one of the stranger experiences I have encountered, walking up a deserted road at dawn with the sound of birdsong in one ear and mosquito in the other, watching creatures scurry away at the sight of me. Funny little birds with
some kind
of protruding feather arrangement chose to run away from me up the road in a drift, instead of flying away and I also saw a Woodpecker making a hole in a cactus. I found fresh sheep droppings (not a sheep in sight) and heard the cry of a coyote (didn't see him either) and also heard a diverse selection of birds making a tremendous noise. Mostly though, I found joy in the sight of nature taking back a piece of land, whether through tufts of grass pushing their way through the tarmac, birds nesting on the street lights,rabbits burrowing in the verge or a sheep defecating on a 'STOP' sign. All simply marvelous.
from 70's B-movies),
and went in search of subjects, having decided to take my camera with me so that I could make the most of one of the 'golden hours' (the hour during which the sun rises and the hour during which it sets) as the light is at its most mellow and helps to produce interesting and pleasing photographs.
I had a few ideas of where I might explore and turned off the highway not far from Talking Stick, another interesting name I remain woefully ignorant about. I began with a series of sunrise photos, but really just to get my light settings and then took a few shots of the long shadows draped over the fairway of a golf course. I was hoping to see some wildlife; a rattlesnake or a Curly Horned Sheep perhaps, but I had to settle for an array of birds and their lively song. Unsatisfied, I got back in the car and looked for somewhere else to inspire me and had the happy fortune to stumble across a road which had been barricaded some time ago and had become a wild and ragged looking place. There was a sign in front of the barricade displaying the warning 'Dead End', and I dearly hoped this wasn't a prophetic message informing me of my impending doom. There were others indicating that the road was closed, but these were obviously there to keep other people out and not me, and so with a spring in my step I clumsily straddled the wall and
almost dropped my camera.
Thankfully none of the laughing birds had seen this and so I was spared any more embarrassment.
It was one of the stranger experiences I have encountered, walking up a deserted road at dawn with the sound of birdsong in one ear and mosquito in the other, watching creatures scurry away at the sight of me. Funny little birds with
some kind
of protruding feather arrangement chose to run away from me up the road in a drift, instead of flying away and I also saw a Woodpecker making a hole in a cactus. I found fresh sheep droppings (not a sheep in sight) and heard the cry of a coyote (didn't see him either) and also heard a diverse selection of birds making a tremendous noise. Mostly though, I found joy in the sight of nature taking back a piece of land, whether through tufts of grass pushing their way through the tarmac, birds nesting on the street lights,rabbits burrowing in the verge or a sheep defecating on a 'STOP' sign. All simply marvelous.
N.B. The funny little birds with protruding head feathers are called Gambel's Quail after William Gambel, the American naturalist and collector. There are quite a few collective terms for quail, my favourites are; a battery, a flush, a rout and a shake.
