The cold weather over the past couple weeks has produced some rather picturesque river ice. This week has been a little warmer and caused the ice to recede a bit, so I'm glad I took pictures of it when it was it its peak with just a channel of water running in the middle.
One of the advantages of these extensive ice shelves is that they provide plenty of area for wildlife. In the past decade there have been an increasing number of bald eagles nesting along the river and they've successfully hatched eggs and raised offspring. It's now a pretty common occurrence to see eagles and their eaglets. The ice shelves make a perfect place for the adults to show their eagles how to rip apart the fish they might have caught. I'll spare you any of those barbaric photos, but this one just looks majestic.
I didn't take this picture but it's from a friend of John's brother. Everyone around here looks for piebald deer, and there are lots of photos sent around if anyone spies one. The snow makes a nice background for this one.
This covered bridge is about a mile from where John grew up, so we've driven through it plenty of times. I tend to take it for granted, but snow always makes it look even more scenic.
My last photo isn't wildlife or nature, but two lovely people that I love. Justin was in a friend's wedding last weekend and both he and Jess cleaned up nicely. He never dresses up, so this occasion was photo-worthy.
I hope your weekend is full of fun and relaxation and a photographic moment or two!
The rivers do look so pretty with an icy covering! Although here in Pittsburgh they had to put "do not go on the ice" signs up in a bunch of spots because there were several rescues of those who ventured out onto said ice. Steve and I don't think the signs helped much because we are pretty sure they probably can't read... ha! Jess and Justin look so lovely and they look like they had a marvelous time!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pictures Bonny! Some of them look like postcards to me (the covered bridge and the eagle in particular). I've never seen a piebald deer - interesting. And what a great picture of Justin and Jess - they make such a cute couple.
ReplyDeleteSome of these shots do look like postcards! That deer is very sweet (I had to google piebald deer because I wasn't familiar with them). We've got a ton of ice on our rivers, to the point where they've had to limit river traffic, but the long-range forecast is looking much warmer, so I'm hoping the situation improves. And Justin in a tux is a big deal! He and Jess look lovely.
ReplyDeleteThese are great photos, Bonny. I have never heard of piebald deer! I will have to look that up. The winter scenes always look so lovely, I wonder if it is the clean, whiteness of it all? I lived near a covered bridge in East TN, long ago. I always felt I had gone back in time when I went through it. Justin and Jess look quite elegant in that photo, something to treasure. As John always said when the raptors here swooped down and tore a little body apart, "they have to eat, too, Becky".
ReplyDeleteWe had a deer just like that one in our woods. I haven't seen it in ages. The most we get here are seagulls walking on the ice out in the bay. It's pretty funny watching them ice skate along.
ReplyDeleteJustin and Jess make a very handsome couple! I miss weddings. One not so fun thing about getting old is that no one's getting married anymore.