Silver Creek
Andy Ziemba and a late night bent rod. Silver Creek
Almost midnight. Silver Creek
After the sun goes down there is a period of time when the color blue takes over. "Blue Hour," Silver Creek
A bend in the Creek and the "Blue Hour."
Nikon D3s, Nikon 14-24 f2.8 afs lens
Well, our summer season is getting an early start out of the gates. Brown Drakes on Silver Creek are just getting going and it is only June 1st. If I have it correct, drakes started last year around June 18th. It is a hatch worth seeing and is one of my favorites to photograph. Yeah, it gets pretty busy on the water but once the sun goes down and the bugs get ramped up you never really notice.
Last night there were a bunch of Lesser Nighhawks making their who, who, who, who call and it was debated how the bird makes the sound. Is it thier wings or vocal chords? As it turns out it is their wings. Here is a clip from Avian Web .Com:
"The male performs a dramatic aerial display during courtship, flying first at moderate height, then diving straight towards the ground. When he is about two meters from the ground, he will turn upward. Near the end of his steep dive a deep booming swo-o-o-onk sound that is caused by air rushing through his wingtips as he flexes his wings downward. The intensity of this sound is said to be more or less proportional to the speed attained. This dive is usually part of a courtship display, but can also be directed at rival nighthawks and intruders (including people)."