Tag: Sunrise

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Dawn on the Marsh

It seems like there are hundreds of these Passerine flitting among the branches

A glance out the office window reveals more gold than green in the aspen branches. The feeder is getting constant visits, including a couple of Gray Squirrels.

A crisp fall morning on Summer Lake

Mornings start with a hint of frost on the ground  .  .  .  October has brought Fall to the high desert.

This week we returned to Summer Lake, hoping to be there before the gate on the Link Canal dike was closed.

 

First light plays across the reeds and grasses

We were too late. The hunters had even started to stage their RV’s for waterfowl season. 

This is the kind of image we came for

Another aspect of the trip was to catch a sunrise, capturing that early morning light. That was a success.

At dawn there is a mist on the ponds, dramatically long shadows and a orange hue to the light. This make for some really nice photos.

Fall marsh still life

The bird population is up from our last visit, even if we couldn’t get to the east side along River Ranch and Schoolhouse Lake.

American Coots

However, activity really doesn’t pick up until mid-morning, so mostly we took in the landscape and spied on perching birds.

Marsh wrens

In late January or even mid-February, when the hunters have cleared out we’ll make a winter visit.

Stealthy predator using the tall grass for cover

There is plenty to keep us busy in other parts of the state through the rest of these beautiful fall days.

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Walking the Badlands

There are lots of options for hikes around us, but none of them transport you back in time like the Oregon Badlands Wilderness. High desert and Central Oregon landscape really don’t begin to explain the terrain you walk through on this complex of trails just 20 minutes east of Bend.

Weekends from May to September, the parking lots are packed from sunrise to sunset. The place is just that popular.  However, if you come out on a winter’s morning you’ll often find no one around.  Like we did on this day. For us the cold, today it was 17 degrees at 8am, is preferred to the heat of a summer day.

Gnarled ancient junipers, desert sand paths, and jutting igneous rock make for a very different view from our typical walks along streams and rivers. The place is very dog friendly and the trails are wide and not technically challenging.  We went out on the Flat Iron Loop looking for a good sunrise and thoroughly enjoyed the quiet morning.

 

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In search of a sunrise

Since moving to Central Oregon we’ve noticed there is an abundance of sky. The Cascade range is now to the west and the high desert’s sage brushed plains stretch out to the east. The weather moves from the southwest to the northeast. Unlike the rainy Willamette valley, fronts break free of the peaks and sprint out across the sage and juniper dotted landscape.

 

As winter takes over, trail and hiking options narrow. The camper is winterized and while there is winter fishing, most of our excursions are planned around photo ops. This week JQ was determined to find a good spot to shoot a sunrise. What does that mean?  We are going location scouting. The actual shoot will need careful weather related planning.

Scouting still requires early morning drives. But we are pushing out to the east for an obstruction free, or relatively obstruction free point to capture that Quinacridone Red moment. That moment just before the sun pushes over the eastern edge of the earth. The key here is obstruction free because as it turns out the barren landscapes of Oregon’s high desert are dotted with ugly transmission lines, polebarns, and assorted manmade intrusions to the perfect sunrise.

The first scouting was on Highway 20 about 18 miles east of Bend at the Badlands Wilderness area. Ancient juniper trees, jutting rock formations, and sandy trails are a great hiking spot and while there are some interesting image capture possibilities, it’s not perfect.

Next day and again a pre-dawn drive…this time on Highway 31 toward Silver Lake and the Christmas Valley. Where Badlands’ obstructions were trees and lack of elevation, this area proved difficult to find a space without gigantic hay barns or ugly transmission lines.  But there was a much more diverse cloud cover to offer interesting textures to the skyline.

In the end, we’ve got a couple of possibilities and now have to start watching the weather report for ideal conditions. As usual, we’ll share those travels here as well.