Bald Eagle – The Counterpoint To A Faceless Storm

Bald Eagle

The Counterpoint To A Faceless Storm Standing in one spot waiting for a photo opportunity is one thing. Standing in a snow storm where at times visibility is questionable is another. When this magnificent creature emanated from the murky scape, its outline was vaguely defined. Was it real or a figment? Then the falling snow lightened. What came out of the storm was a creature on passage. In the fury of the stormLittle seems of solid formJust a sea of shapeless whiteBlowing left and flowing rightWhirls and whips the aerial seaA tumult in realitySlowly, though, a form takes shapeWithin the hoary-mantled drapeA feathered beast of royal formThe counterpoint to a faceless storm ~ Anecdote, poem and Bald Eagle capture, The Counterpoint To A Faceless Storm © Jerry L. Ferrara

Bald Eagle – The Line of Symmetry

Bald Eagle

The Line of Symmetry Many times the Bald Eagles fished far out from shore. Often it was disappointingly at too great a distance. Even with big glass the subjects and the visual tale were too small in the frame. Day after day I worked from first light to dusk capturing sequences of the birds hunting the water’s face. Most of the images were discarded. Then luck dawned, circumstances changed and persistence proved the key to success. The light was breathtaking that morning. The water’s tranquil surface seemed a visual echo. I had an uncanny sense something magical was about to happen especially with a subject at the right distance. Suddenly a mighty snow-capped creature swiftly swept in and deftly descended toward its weary and spent prey. No time for thought as I framed, followed and fired away. What was born in the camera was this capture of the eagle with fish in talons, the splash and the reflection. To my surprise both reality and the mirror image were separated by the line of symmetry.  ~ Anecdote and Bald Eagle capture, The Line of Symmetry © Jerry L. Ferrara 

Bald Eagle – A Burst Of Glory 

Bald Eagle

A Burst Of Glory The speed of the undertaking was nothing less than meteoric as the feathered creature plummeted from the open sky toward a languishing, scaly target fixed isolated on the lake’s somber veneer. At death’s door, with its spawning role complete, the Kokanee Salmon held little life in its weary, spent body … for it, passing on would be a blessing. And so it was as the Bald Eagle’s steely talons hit the water’s surface with a violent force, grasping the dying fish and sending a mountain of moisture into the air. As the mighty predator’s momentum carried it forward, it surged heavenward on grandiose outstretched wings. What trailed behind was a burst of glory.  From far above a sky-bound beast so rockets swiftly to the feast.
As talons break the waterline they seize the flesh that’s gone supine. The eagle clutches matter gory but leaves behind a burst of glory. ~ Anecdote, poem and Bald Eagle capture, A Burst of Glory © Jerry L. Ferrara 

Bald Eagle – Dark Intruder

Bald Eagle

Dark Intruder Dark Intruder in the skyPower through while feathers plyAre you on a treach’rous search?Absent from your lofty perchSome below are not awareThat danger lurks but in the air … and one of Nature’s apex predators, the Bald Eagle, goes in search of a salmon meal. ~ Poem and Bald Eagle capture, Dark Intruder © Jerry L. Ferrara

Bald Eagle – Outspread

Bald Eagle

Outspread Outspread wings invite the air. Drag and lift do battle there. When feathers sing in harmony,
the creature swims the sky so free. At the moment when it’s best,
it spreads its plumes and comes to rest. ~ Poem and Bald Eagle capture, Outspread © Jerry L. Ferrara from the book, Wild North Idaho: Season of the Eagle

Bald Eagle – The Creature’s Steely Stare

Bald Eagle

The Creature’s Steely Stare Idly the white-headed apex predator sat discreetly nestled in the verdant atmosphere of the forest’s upper canopy … and a gently falling sleet added tenor to the creature’s steely stare. Yesterday [12-15-24] we had twenty-five-plus Bald Eagle sightings within a thirty-minute period. It’s a never-tiring thrill to see these magnificent raptors. Catching this one in a quiet moment with the snow just topped the day. ~ Anecdote and Bald Eagle capture, The Creature’s Steely Stare © Jerry L. Ferrara

Idaho Scenic – The Hunter’s Moon 

The Hunter's Moon

The Hunter’s Moon  When Fall does dawn A quickening spawns For Winter’s grasp be soon It’s time to reap From forest and sweep Behold the hunter’s moon ~ Poem and Idaho Scenic capture, The Hunter’s Moon © Jerry L. Ferrara

Northern Pygmy Owl – Mighty Sprite

Northern Pygmy Owl

Mighty Sprite I may be small, but don’t be fooled, for in my tiny frame,
I pack a punch compared to some that puts them quite to shame.I roam the woods and forest breaks while constantly in search And from atop the highest stands I wait upon my perch.
So when the mousy beasties dash across the open tract
I rocket off my waiting post and there commit the act.
It’s swift and sure and if my prey is larger than am I
I have no doubt that I will take it up when I do fly. ~ Poem and Northern Pygmy Owl capture, Mighty Sprite © Jerry L. Ferrara

Mountain Goat – Gambol in the Snow

Mountain Goat

Gambol in the Snow The early morning mountain light sang a visual hymn that aroused the eye and inspired the soul. My lungs took captive the thin, crisp, icy air. It delivered a sharp pang to the chest that brought reality to my consciousness…a reminder of what it is to be alive. As daylight intensified, I continued along the slick and frozen alpine route and then it was I met a fellow trekker coming from the opposite direction. The Mountain Goat stood stock-still and full in the narrow slippery path. Normally, I would have moved to one side or the other to grant passage to the caprine creature. That wasn’t possible as any off-trail maneuver on my part would have surely resulted in disaster. And so the Mountain Goat and I stared at each other for what seemed an interminable period of time [they are very good at staring]. Suddenly the shaggy beast launched into a trot directly toward my position. At about twenty-five feet, the sure-footed goat broke from the path downslope and cavorted around me only to effortlessly return to the course and resume its leisurely and confident stride. What a show it was that the Mountain Goat […]

Whooper Swans – Idling in the Brume

Whooper Swans

Idling in the Brume The early morning’s tenor was visually dense with moisture rising from the warm spring near the frozen lake’s elusive edge. Manifested in its own murky monotony, the simple scene seemed lifelessly uniform in visual presentation. It was the suffocatingly plain wall of whiteness that challenged the eye for detail. When a gentle zephyr thinned the misty veil, entities within the opaque haze were revealed … a flock of Whooper Swans idling in the brume. ~ Anecdote and Whooper Swans capture, Idling in the Brume © Jerry L. Ferrara, from the frozen edge of Lake Kussharo, Hokkaido, Japan.