TNMC

A few weeks ago I noticed something new, or seemingly new on one of the nearby roads.  On further investigation I found out that it was a public conservation area.  So this morning I set out for this spot, figuring it might make for a good subject for taking pictures.  I greatly underestimated it.  I spent two and a half hours hiking through the area and taking hundreds of photos.

Last week I spent twenty minutes trying to get a decent picture of a distant heron.  This morning I nearly walked right into one.  The trail ended at the stream, but the height of the plants to either side of the path was such that I didn't see it until I was right on top of it.  The heron was pretty surprised too.  I quickly retreated so that I could swap lenses and then sneaked back to get some shots from fairly close by.

I said stream but stream bed would be the more accurate description for most of the way.  It was a bit startling actually.  This was a stream I regularly mucked around in as a kid and I never recall it being so low.  The spot I found the heron in had water but there were lots of spots where I could walk right down the middle of the stream bed and not get even vaguely damp.

The shot I chose for the photo blog gives a real good idea of this.  It was taken from pretty much dead center of the stream bed and all you see is a puddle.  But that's what makes the photo cool.  The stones, contrasted with dried leaves really caught my eye.  If you're interested, you can go here to see the rest of the shots from my hike, including the heron.