Friday, January 21, 2011

Winter Images from the Platte

We have had a fair number of people out on the trail with camera in hand the last day or two. Brett Erickson from Hastings College brought his J-Term photography class out and they were out for several hours in single digit temps. They are making a blog with images of the west and I'll post it whenever I get the link.

Another Photographer from Kearney (Dean) was glad to see what he thought to be several hundred meadowlarks in our trail area just south of the bridge. I wonder if they wish they were farther south!

The photos posted below were shot Thursday evening near the Alda viewing area just one mile south of the main building here at the Center. I know we get a lot of sunsets in Nebraska. I never really get tired of photographing them. When my son Ben was a young boy and we say a particularly brilliant sunset in the western sky he said: "It's like God's painting". I'll go along with that.



Hit the jump to read on...

Both of the photos were shot when it was about 8 degrees outside. The vapor was rising out from the few places on the Platte where water was showing. The rest of the Platte was iced over with a cover of snow. When I see this it makes me thing the river will melt until July!

5 comments:

  1. Beautiful sunsets, Brad! Montana may claim to be Big Sky Country, but our skies are every bit as impressive as theirs. I appreciate the inspiration, thanks!

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  2. Hey Karen, glad to post as always. Sometimes I hear photographers grumble when the didn't get a great wildlife scene the "only came home with a sunset".

    I'm a pro-sunset guy!

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  3. Those are some beautiful pictures, Brad. Thanks for reminding Mary and I why we are so excited to return to the Platte for the month of March (not that the Gila doesn't get its share of amazing sunsets).

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  4. I wish I had this scenery in my back yard, but for my fifth trek to your area this year, scenery or wildlife, I still have yet to be able to get away and capture the true ushering in of the cranes and the other wildlife while the area is dressed in white canvas! I will not be arriving till April Fools weekend, the latest of the times visited before, but any season there and the Cranes and the Platte are wonders and I am sure the blinds overnight will still offer wonders, as will the waters and trails of photography my site has been filled each year with new and wonderful surprises! Hope to see you all soon and to the sunsets, sunrises, wildlife or wonderful scenery that I and many will be graced with upon arrival! Chaille Dee at chaille.jimani.com

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  5. Hi Chaille,

    I'm glad you can make it out in early April. That is one of my favorite time to view cranes. Its a bit warmer, the days are longer and the birds seem to be a bit more content. I hope I get a chance to visit with you when you do.

    Brad

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