What’s Behind The Mask? What’s behind the mask? It’s funny you should ask Does it help your sight in the dark of night? Or hide what some could see–a face that mischief be? So pales the cryptic ruse Those eyes do not excuse A case of devilment The mask does complement ~ Poem and Raccoon capture, What’s Behind The Mask? © Jerry L. Ferrara
Shedding Water During its power dive into the lake, the Osprey missed its target, the fish. Coming up empty, the hawk climbed skyward from the liquid surface. Suddenly it sharply shook its waterlogged body sending a substantial spray of moisture into the atmosphere. It was shedding water. ~ Anecdote and Osprey capture, Shedding Water © Jerry L. Ferrara
Briefly Held In Time Along a gently flowing stream in a wild and remote setting on the Alaskan Peninsula, a sow Brown Bear [left] pauses with one of her youngsters [right] to quench their thirsts. The bruins were captured not just by the camera and lens, but were briefly held in time by the aqueous, mirrored surface that idled the untamed domain. ~ Anecdote and Brown Bear capture, Briefly Held In Time © Jerry L. Ferrara
Stare Down The female Gray Wolf was so incredibly beautiful as she gracefully loped across the sweep parallel to my position. I stood stock still while clicking off image after image, but periodically paused just to watch. It wasn’t long before things changed rapidly and the “lupine being” turned directly into my camera and lens. It was breathtaking! In the blink of an eye she had approached to about 16 feet, the closest I could focus with the lens being used. To my chagrin she wouldn’t look directly at me, but constantly surveyed both her sides and toward her back. Without warning the wolf pointed her nose downward and peered in my direction. The stare down was brief, with neither threat nor aggression implied, simply recognition. She then turned and ambled up and over the snow-mantled ridge and melted into the wild realm, like the spirit she was. ~ Anecdote and Gray Wolf capture, Stare Down © Jerry L. Ferrara
Ablutions On a warm day an American Robin enjoys its ablutions. ~ Anecdote and American Robin capture, Ablutions © Jerry L. Ferrara
The Double Goer Circumstances turned out to be nearly perfect one very early morning within the haunts of the diving bird species known as the Red-necked Grebe. This one suddenly turned in its watery path and the incidence of light unexpectedly created a doppelganger effect … The Double Goer. ~ Anecdote and Red-necked Grebe capture, The Double Goer © Jerry L. Ferrara
Its Raucous Voice The resplendent riparian habitat was saliently dense and the hidden creek within its confines spoke softly in unending murmuring susurrations. In one alluring moment an ebullient entity spontaneously exploded onto the scene in the configuration of a Red-winged Blackbird. Though brief, the handsome avian’s appearance was impressive as its raucous voice tore the tranquil setting to shreds. ~ Anecdote and Red-winged Blackbird capture, Its Raucous Voice © Jerry L. Ferrara
Sitting On The Fence A Fence Lizard pauses briefly in an indecisive moment of ‘stay or flee.’ It didn’t take the spiny reptile long to choose the latter and it terminated its ‘sitting on the fence’ behavior. ~ Anecdote and Fence Lizard capture, Sitting On The Fence © Jerry L. Ferrara
Fiercely Focused A tense moment is captured as a Bobcat assumes a fiercely focused freeze-posture just before the pounce. ~ Anecdote and Bobcat capture, Fiercely Focused © Jerry L. Ferrara
The Bird That Laughs The ambient light was muted and fading fast. Its softness gently caressed everything the eye drank. In the dim-lit setting, a chunky creature scooted quickly on rapidly moving feet across the open terrain and then exploded into a powerful but short flight that brought it to rest at the top of an ancient fence post. Throwing back its handsome head, the California Quail called out “ha-HA-ha”…and the bird that laughs’ voice rolled across the Palouse. ~ Anecdote and California Quail capture, The Bird That Laughs © Jerry L. Ferrara