The Peace of Wild Things

When despair for the world grows in me

and I wake in the night at the least sound

in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake

rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things

who do not tax their lives with forethought

of grief.  I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars

waiting with their light.  For a time

I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

                              Wendell Berry, "The Peace of Wild Things"

Every year, for who knows how many centuries, sandhill cranes and snow geese come from Alaska and Canada to winter in the central New Mexico valley of the Rio Grande river.  And for most years since moving to New Mexico, I go to be in their presence, usually at the Ladd S. Gordon Waterfowl Complex near Bernardo, NM.  You can see my earlier posts and images here and here.

This season I made four visits with my friend, Bruce Shah:  one in November, one in December, and two in January.  Frequently there are other photographers present, with tripods and big long lenses.  I shoot hand-held with my 18-300 on a crop-sensor Canon 7D Mark II, which gives me all I want.

The rhythms of the birds' days are always the same:  hanging out overnight in wetlands near the Rio Grande . . .

. . . until the sun rises, when they begin to take off in search of feeding grounds elsewhere.

The cranes tend to leave in small groups . . .

 . . . but the snow geese often leave in a mass ascension.

They take a turn around the pond, wheeling about, then fly away for the day:

By 8:00am, the birds are almost all gone, and the pond is empty:

In the afternoon/evening, the sequence is reversed as birds return to their overnight locations.  At first, just a few . . .

 . . . and then more and more.

They circle the pond and line up for landing:

Beyond documenting the birds' behavior, from a purely photographic/artistic perspective I look for opportunities to capture them in beautiful light -- in particular, the light on the birds' bodies and wings immediately after sunrise or just before sunset.  Here are some examples:

In addition, if there are clouds or other elements in the sky, I try to use them as well:

Best of all, on two visits I had the moon to work with -- waxing moon in the afternoon . . .

 

. . . and the full wolf moon setting in the morning:

I hope these images bring you into the peace of wild things and give you rest in the grace of the world.

If you would like to see these images in a larger format, please visit my photography website, Todos Juntos Photography, by clicking here.