Sunday, January 22, 2017

Along Wet And Muddy Trails


We are very lucky to have the laguna close by, right between Santa Rosa and Sebastopol. During the recent heavy rains it was prone to flood all the land next to it - and it did. However, with some drier days following the water receded quickly.




When we took a walk in the laguna last weekend we still met pretty wet and muddy trails with some rather large puddles that weren't always easy to navigate. But they displayed some beautiful reflections and were very welcome for this photographer's eye.



The water must have been about six feet high in places judging from the debris that we saw in the bushes and shrubs. Colorful plastic doggie bags hanging from twigs and branches were signs of how high the water used to be. It was quite impressive (the doggie bags not so much).




Sitting high up in some trees I finally saw what I was missing at the lake the day before: black-crowned night herons. They had chosen just a few trees where they were perching in little groups. We counted 22 of them that day, and I'm sure we missed some. I was so happy to see them.


We also saw quite a lot of hawks this afternoon, sitting in bare trees and circling over the area.



I will leave you with a few more shots of our beautiful laguna.




15 comments:

My name is Erika. said...

Wow- gorgeous photos today.

Michelle said...

That is a beautiful place. The water is so perfectly still. Like glass!

Tammie Lee said...

That looks like a wonderful place to explore. That seems like a lot of herons to see all at once, fun.

Yes, some wonderful reflections and so good that you got rain, even though it might have been too much all at once.

Elephant's Child said...

Thank you so much for this truly beautiful window into your world.

Cynthia Schelzig said...

some super shots here....and so much water....wow, looks like that will really help the drought problems there.

krishna said...

awesome pictures.. but the trip is looking like a small river..

gina said...

Oh, my gosh Carola! These water images are incredibly beautiful! You have such a good eye.
I especially love the third to last one -- the lines and reflections are amazing. Thank you for taking us along with you.

Sue (this n that) said...

Hello Carola, I'm really impressed with your wonderful photography. Most especially the reflections and the misty scenes. Very inspiring. Cheers :D)

Darla said...

Your photographs are wonderful. The beauty after the storm. Happy to see all those birds still in the area.

DeniseinVA said...

Fantastic photos Carola! A lovely selection.

Cheri said...

Playing catch up again. Your photos are amazing! I hope some of that rain managed to do its job of filling up reservoirs and waterways so that you all can stop being in drought conditions so much!

Jeanie said...

As always, your photos are spectacular. It's shocking to see how much water you received. I'm glad it has calmed down for you.

windrock studio said...

What a lot of water but what beautiful images you got! and it seems you may be getting even more rain. So happy that you saw many hawks and herons up high.

Anonymous said...

It's amazing to see how much water you got! The reflections...and all those birds...wonderful photos! A few years ago I got very excited at seeing a pair of black-crowned night herons around here. I can't imagine spotting 22 in one outing!

Magic Love Crow said...

Gorgeous images!! I still can't believe how much water you got!!