Wait! It's The 7th? And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #76 and #77

 

"The wind was as ripe as apples,

 so full of fall that you could almost bit every breath."

 

~Robert Newton Peck

Soup

 

 Well, it seems I have missed a few postings, or at one posting. You see, I have been out enjoying the last few days, with a great sense of love for my favorite season. The Sandill cranes, and all the birds really, seem to be falling in numbers. The usual places don't have nearly the number of birds I would expect this time of year, but then it hasn't been as cold, nor has their been as much rain, and really, almost everything is lacking in normality. There is an avian flu amongst the bird populations, and unfortunately I think the powers that be are attempting to lessen the spread by humans, so they are taking the necessary steps to prevent us from spreading the germs on our feet. The Monterey Bay avian exhibit is temporarily closed for that very reason. And, as a result, my bird friends aren't showing up in the numbers I had hoped, and are moving on at a faster pace. But, I found a few cranes to play with, and they always seem to pose for me, or they are at least patient while I take their photos, so I was able to enjoy that.

 

Tonight there is a full moon. But not just any full moon, the last full moon of 2022. I like the December moon very much, and tonight this full moon brings along a friend! Mars will be seen in the form of a lunar osculation as Mars meets the moon, then disappears behind it, then eventually returns on the other side. It sounds pretty cool. I don't know if I will be able to watch all of it, the cold and my arthritis don't happily hold hands in the cold months. Shrug. But speaking of cold months, not only does the full moon tonight carry the name of Cold Moon, it has many other names as well! I am not sure which one I like the most, but I think I traditionally, when I posted about the full moon, I went with the Full Snow Moon. It's a pretty name, don't you think so? Oh well. Yes. We will go with that name. If I get any good shots tonight I will come back and update this post below.

 

1. Full Cold Moon - Mohawk 

2. Full Snow Moon - Haida and Cherokee

3. Winter Maker Moon - Western Abenaki 

 

It's the holiday season, so things are busy, and there is the added attraction of waiting on ordered packages. One has to be right on top of things, or the packages are stolen right off the porch!

 

I can't wait to see more!

 

~Me

 

Frost At Night And Warm Sunny Days and #75

 

"It was the best time of year. Frost at night and warm, sunny days, when yellows and oranges of the aspens and cottonwoods did something to the blue of the sky behind them that an artist might never mimic."

 

~Peter Heller

Celine

 

This, is a Dark-eyed Junco. He's a difficult little bird to photograph. He is small, and fast, and mostly gets his meals from the ground, and that means he hides under bushes and piles of leaves. Fortunately for me, they are in great numbers so finding them isn't really difficult, and while it seems like I am complaining, I am not. I enjoy the process of photographing birds, no two are the same, and sometimes it comes with elements I wish didn't exist. Like finding the perfect shot, which includes ... gulp... them chowing down on another bird. Such as a Kestrel eating a Sparrow. The Dark-eyed Junco is absolutely worth the effort it takes to photograph them, now if only they would stand still so I could get a really good photo! This is my second attempt this year, and while it's not as good as I would have liked, I think I will quit while I am ahead, and on a high note!

~Me

 

 

Beautiful But Sad Poetry And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #74

 

"Autumn is a beautiful but sad poem that

 dying leaves recite with great enthusiasm

 so that the world will remember them

 as they bid farewell to the world!"

 

~Mehmet Murat ildan

 

 I saw so much this week. The beautiful. The scary. The Rain. The Sun. The sad. The amazing. For seven days, it carried a lot for eyes to see. The autumn is coming to a close, but the leaves show no signs of giving up, and as long as they can be found, I will be there. There is snow in the mountains right now, and I expect in Yosemite as well, so I cannot help but think about what opportunities lie beyond photographing the last of the leaves and the birds. The leaves will probably fade away fairly soon after my last Autumn Leaf Of The Day posting on December 21st. The birds don't really start to wane until sometime in the spring. About the only time I don't have something of interest overlapping is spring into summer. Mostly I just experience depression in summertime, but maybe this next summer will have something for me, if I start my search now. Maybe I will just focus on July and August, and take it slow. I have to find something to lift my spirits. I know there is something out there, I just haven't discovered it yet. So coming the research into the possibilities.

 

 

~Me