"Grey Skies & Bald Eagle at Lake Lowell"

Some winter days, when the weather conditions are quite cold and gloomy but not snowy, it's tempting to stay inside; especially when you have a cold and have been quite fatigued lately. I'm glad we had to take our kids somewhere or today would have been one of those days. I hadn't even planned to go shooting today, but I make it a habit to have my camera gear with me when we go out. You just never know...

On our way to drop off the kids, we saw several golden eagles, & red tailed hawks hunting in some agricultural fields. I didn't get any great images of those, though. They were pretty far away from us and the hazy, dark skies didn't help, either.

We headed to Lake Lowell to see what we could find. I managed to find the icy image below, by the docks on the north side of the lake. I tried a new frame on it. I think I like it. For a short time it looked like the sun might actually break through the haze, but it never did; at least not while we were there.

We walked down the nature trail by the Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center and entered the bird blind. It's really cool! I want one at my house. My upstairs blind in our laundry room is nowhere near as cool as this one, but then again mine's heated. A plus for mine. Mine's also higher.

Anyway, high above the blind, a bald eagle was perched. I couldn't really get a clear shot from any of the windows in the blind. Why do the birds always seem to know just where to perch to ruin my shots? The color version wasn't that great with the grey sky and all, so I converted this one to black and white. I also did a white vignette effect that I'm not sure I like.

I had a nice time shooting today, overall. Wish I'd had the proper clothing for the cold weather. I didn't even have my shooting gloves or anything so I'm glad we didn't shoot too long. I hope I rest well tonight, it's supposed to snow tomorrow!