Saturday, March 16, 2013

March 16, 2013 - Windblown beauty

Magpie on the trellis

Wallula Gap in the afternoon

Pintail duck

Actoss the river at sunset

I had planned to work outside most of the day today.  Then the wind kicked up, and the temperature dropped, and I decided it was a good day to get my taxes prepared, instead.  But, that didn't stop me from seeing what was going on around me.  The sky kept changing, as different clouds blew through, and some began to pile up into cumulonimbus formations.  A bit of rain fell, but hardly enough to measure.  The sun would break through every now and again, making the hills gleam and the newly greening trees show off their colors.  And the apricot tree is in full bloom.  (I'm praying it doesn't get too cold tonight!)
 
The pintail duck was in the pond across the road, on the refuge.  He was sharing the pond with a pair of widgeon, and several coot, but seemed to be abandoned.  There are large numbers of pintails that spend the winter on or near the island.  This is the first one I've seen in the pond.
 
And why would I take a photo of a magpie?  Well, really, why not?  They're lovely to look at, if not to listen to.  Yes, they're notorious thieves, but they're quite smart, and are, after all, native to the area.  Think of them as an avian version of "Coyote", just another trickster, here to make our lives more interesting.

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