Ice is For The Birds

Capturing the beauty of the frozen in Flathead Valley, Montana

Subject: Icy Dew Drop, Flathead Valley

I got up early, made coffee, slipped on my Xtratuf boots, and putzed my way down-highway to see if I could photograph any of the birds migrating through. A few days earlier, while driving by a small pond, I thought I had seen snow geese. On the edge of the pond, while I waited for the geese to show and to stay warm in the post-sunrise frost shadow, I pushed and mucked my way through the cat-tails, photographing the icy dew drops.

After startling some mallards, and being harassed by one angry little brown bird who would not stay still long enough to be photographed, I decided it was time for a warm-up; I photographed the ice. Ultimately, this was my downfall. With my hands cozied around my hot coffee mug, three snow geese caterwauling “good morning” flew overhead into the rising sun.