An older photo I’d forgotten even existed. Plus a report on our current drought and the disappearing Great Salt Lake.
1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
On August 11, 2016 I photographed this Western Grebe at Bear River MBR as ‘he’ rose in the water to perform a wing flap. I took an entire series of photos of him as he flapped away but I pretty much dismissed them, probably because of all the green goo so prominent on many of the whites of his ventral surfaces.
Then I forgot all about them until yesterday when I stumbled upon them again while looking for something else. My reaction to them yesterday was about the same as it had been previously until I noticed, for the first time, the shadow on his right wing in this single photo in the series.
I really like that shadow so I’m surprised I hadn’t noticed it before. It’s very obviously a shadow of his head and upper body, its contrast stands out well against the whites of the wing and it appears to fit perfectly on the wing – especially along the upper margins of the head portion of his shadow. The little wedge of light peeking through the junction of his lower neck and upper back helps to define the shadow even better.
I’m a fan of shadows when they’re interesting and well defined and for me this one fits the bill. Your mileage may vary.
Ron
PS – It’s raining!
And it has been ever since I got up at 3:40 AM and noticed lightning to the north through my window before I turned the kitchen lights on so I could plug in my coffee pot. It isn’t a downpour but it isn’t a sprinkle either and it’s been coming down steadily most of the time. Hope it continues.
Here’s a link explaining one of the reasons I’m so very concerned about our current mega-drought. If you watch the video Jaimi Butler, wildlife biologist and Coordinator of the Great Salt Lake Institute at Westminster College, is a personal friend of mine. I’ve donated images to the GSLI.
Believe me, Jaimi’s tears are real. And justified.
Great Salt Lake Is Shrinking Fast: Scientists Demand Action Before It’s A Toxic Dustbin
Ron,
That is an alarming reference to Jami’s article. The radio said the other day that the GSL had reached an all time low level dating back to when records have been kept, i.e. 1847. We have seen this over the last couple of years and it has affected the migratory birds as you have pointed out so many times here in your blog. I hope this trend can be reversed to some extent.
Oh, and great Grebe pic including shadow.
Stephen
Jaimi isn’t the only one shedding tears over the precarious state of our natural environment (and the idiots who … OK, don’t get me started. 🤬🤬🤬)
This is a wonderful shot, algae and all. Who knew grebes made shadow puppets.
Thanks, Marty. The algae doesn’t really bother me but I figured some readers wouldn’t appreciate it much.
That shadow is very cool, the green goo not so much, but definitely a photo worth sharing.
Thanks also for sharing the link to that article…. I’m afraid just more evidence of the calamities the human race seems intent to inflict upon all the living creatures on Earth, even while knowing there are steps that can reduce/reverse the trend. 💔
Thank you, Chris. I don’t like sharing bad news on my blog but this simply can’t be ignored.
Catching up on all your and Mia’s blog posts today. I have been busy with bird releases and enjoying some hiking in the mornings. Today I am taking time to slow down, plus I took a slow motion fall yesterday while hiking. I caught my toe on a downed log and just fought to catch my balance but went down on one knee, so I am oddly stiff in places from the jarring. I saved the camera slung over my shoulder though, it was my first thought, personal injury be damned!
I love the shadow too. Jaimi is not the only one shedding tears, most of us who know and understand how important the GSL is are feeling great sadness at the state of affairs.
April, I saw that you and Tana have been doing a lot of hiking. I’m jealous.
I know you’re heartbroken about what’s happening to the lake, and all its implications.
A study in contrasts: the icky algae and the mesmerizing shadow; the Great Salt Lake of old and the not so Great Salt Lake now. Humanity is clever, just not clever enough to avoid ruining it all.
Lyle, humanity may be clever but collectively at least we’re far from smart.
It’s a great photo and for me the green goo just adds to the story. But the link about the lake is breathtakingly disheartening though hardly surprising since we have known this was coming for 30 or 40 years now.
Thanks, Pat. Yes, it’s been coming since the early 80’s but it’s now accelerating rapidly.
Good morning Ron. Glad you mentioned the shadow. Just got started before my first cup and I might have failed to notice that. What is the green goo? We continue to get rains of substance here in Prescott. Flash floods all over the area and had a tragic loss of a teenage girl the other day whose car got caught in a wash that eventually washed her away. Took hundreds of searchers both professional and volunteers a few days to find her body.
Everett, the green goo is mostly algae. Sorry to hear about that poor girl. Sympathies for her family.
That IS a neat shadow! 🙂 Shadows and reflections always attract me. I’d seen that or a similar article of late. The “dust” let alone the arsenic would/is going to be awful both for humans and wild life. 😠Also Lake Orville in CA and the fact that pre-1914 water rights may be impacted shortly is another area of concern. None of it will we “fixed” in one winter for sure.
Glad you’re getting some rain – had a bit yesterday tho hours later you wouldn’t know it.
Judy, arsenic AND mercury! It’ll become a toxic cloud blowing over the Salt Lake Valley and elsewhere preceding most storms that blow through the area.