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| 100-150 ducks making their way back into the food and refuge of the West Rest Pond just before sunset (click to enlarge) |
People will often ask, what is your favorite time of year in the marsh? That's a difficult question to answer, because I genuinely love all four seasons. Yes, even winter! In fact, I love all different times of day (and night) within each season. [Sure, I could do without high noon on the 100 degree days with 98% humidity without a hint of a breeze to ease the relentless mugginess . . . but this is <1% of the experience.]
This habitat is about as dynamic as it gets. I always tell people how difficult it is to give one tour of the property. How do you best convey something that is ever-changing and so full of life in a single day -- much less in a single window of an hour or two? The marsh is different today than it was yesterday; different this evening than it was this morning. All I can share is a snapshot in time.
But if I had to choose one single shutter capture, we might be getting close to when I'd choose to have my camera ready. As September transitions to October, day length shortens (always a bummer), but I rarely feel more alive. Low to mid-70s in the dry sunshine still feels warm -- even hot -- on the skin, but a touch of shade (even from a passing cloud), an otherwise inconsequential breeze, and/or a low sun in the sky all hint at the cold to come.
Beyond general comfort of classic autumn, I'm always inspired by the wildlife. Seasons -- particularly spring and fall -- are about transitions. And we see so many alive in the marsh. Each evening this time of year, just as the sun is loosing its punch for the day, we can sit back and enjoy what Roy likes to call the "night show" -- a daily routine in the fall (and to a certain extent, the spring) that has become increasingly awe-inspiring over these last few years on this property.
If you have a ticket for the "show," you should be in your seats (in our case right now, somewhere on a West dike) at least an hour before sunset. Plan on it lasting till dark, and be prepared to see birds -- lots of birds. I've experienced a good number of recent viewings while working and playing in the marsh. I'm struck that even a person like Roy (who has seen a heck of a lot of ducks in his lifetime) is compelled to be in attendance. The fact is, he -- and often his wife -- are apt to take in the show multiple times per week.
But again, its almost a spiritual experience. Seeing hundreds, sometimes thousands, of ducks of a variety of makes and models all somewhat predictably descending on the same specific area of land and water at the same time -- it's just special. My hope is that if you haven't already, you get the chance to experience it yourself.