Each April, the Wachusett Meadow Audubon holds a Sheep and Wool Festival Day.
Sheep wool at this time of year is luxurious, with a variety of colors, textures and patterns. Included here are my color and black and white photos, taken before the shearing, which seek to emphasize the beautiful natural material of these engaging creatures.
Digitally enhanced photos from even a simple point-and-shoot camera can appear like paintings. In addition to trying to achieve good photographs, I also enjoy creating transformed images of my favorite birds.
The grackles have returned just in time for the Spring Equinox sunlight to make their feathers glow with multi-colors. In contrast, when in the shade, they can look as dark as a crow.
The Northern Cardinal performs some magic in the snow.
There are many early indicators of a seasonal shift from Winter to Spring at Wachusett Meadow Farm in New England — an increase in snowshoe travel, strong shadows and patterns, running streams, melting snow patches on stone walls, diminishing icicles, sheep wool thick enough for shearing and diverse creatures sunbathing and feeding.
The clouds accumulating before last week’s Winter storm felt ominous, yet were mesmerizing. In relationship to the landscape, they provided an experience of dramatic movement during a shift in atmospheric pressure.
My point-and-shoot camera enables me to see amazing details, even at a great distance. During a recent walk at Mass Audubon Wachusett Meadow, I thought I saw a nest swinging near the top of a tree. Thanks to my camera, I was delighted to discover that it was really this gorgeous Barred Owl!
What could be more enchanting than waking up to eight inches of fluffy chiffon covering an otherwise Spring-like day?
The cardinal spreads the news: Yet another Winter Storm Warning for Massachusetts.
This red squirrel took great care to find, examine, select and enjoy only the choicest of black sunflower seeds from the treasure trove beneath the bird feeder.
The meadow may be snowy (and more snow is on the way), but I am imagining the transformation from Winter to Spring and finally to a hot Summer’s day.
The recent Super Moon provided a chance for experimentation with filters and editing.
Even within the short space of an hour, the Winter light in New England can intensify color dramatically.
In Massachusetts, the return of the red-winged blackbird is a welcome sign of Spring. Luckily, this one doesn’t seem to mind the snow.
Jewel-like colors can be found in lively meadow lands as well as quiet cloisters.
(Window photographed at St. Joseph’s Abbey, Spencer, MA.)
The Sun was perfect for capturing “eye light” in animals and birds of different sizes. A close inspection of the squirrels’ eyes reveal barns and landscapes of the Audubon. The eyes of the titmouse and the northern cardinal are harder to decode, but they sparkle charmingly, anyway.
