LLELA, February 2016

Sunny skies, warm temperatures, and a free morning typically add up to one thing -- photo outing! Not feeling like a long drive, I returned to LLELA for the first time in four months. I hoped to see some birds around Bittern Marsh, possibly an armadillo along the Cottonwood Trail, and if I was especially fortunate maybe a bobcat or coyote. Nature, as usual, had other plans.

The first thing that struck me were all the pelicans.  The Corps of Engineers has been releasing a lot of water from the dam since the end of September.  Lots of small fish get caught in that release, making for wonderful -- if turbulent -- fishing conditions on the Elm Fork Trinity River.

About two dozen American White Pelicans and many more gulls and cormorants were taking full advantage of the situation.  The pelicans would fly towards the release and land in the rushing water, let themselves be carried downstream for about 50 yards, then repeat.

The cormorants stayed a lot lower in the water, usually just keeping their heads and long necks visible.  It was amusing to watch the pelicans land among them, neither species seeming to care too much about the other.

I spent quite a while just sitting on the rocks by the water following the big birds as they coasted in for their landings.

When they touched down, they added some additional spray to the froth from the dam release.  At a shutter speed of 1/1000 of a second I was able to freeze the pelicans and the water nicely.

For fun I switched sides, and got even better light on the birds' faces.  And the cormorants were still hanging around.

Satisfied with this unexpected display, I headed down the Bittern Marsh Trail only to discover that it was still impassable due to flooding well before reaching the actual marsh.  Saw exactly zero wildlife, but I did notice a number of abandoned wasp nests along the trail.  Something about their geometric nature always catches my eye.

On my way back I ran into a nice couple who pointed out an osprey they were watching on the far side of the river.  The raptor eventually decided to look for some lunch, and while the sun being nearly directly overhead kept the bird's underside in shadow I was still able to get a decent capture with manual focus.

I made a quick pass down the Cicada Trail and back up the Cottonwood Trail hoping to recapture my armadillo mojo from last year, but didn't see any.  I did watch a small herd of deer run off through the trees and saw a beaver swimming in the brackish waters, but didn't get shots of them.  The only cooperative subject was a field sparrow who hopped along looking for food, fairly disinterested by my presence.

Three terrific hours out in beautiful weather.  LLELA always gives me something unexpected!