Refuge Sunday

It was a chance call - to go to the refuge or not at 7:30 this morning. The wind was gusting from the south and there was still a darkness mostly due to the cloud cover. But since I wanted to give Molly and myself a good walk, plus I was curious about what was happening at the refuge in the supposed pre=storm time.
As expected, the duck-goose hunters were blasting away. A low cloud cover plus the strong south wind kept the flying birds low, just what the hunters wanted. Where we walked the sound of the guns came occasionally but didn't impede us. When Molly flushed 4 pheasant 5 feet in front of us, that's when we got excited!
Kestrels, Harriers, Rough-legged were all out today, and the ones I saw were successful in their hunt. The low visibility meant shooting at a very high ISO to get any shutter speed, so not too many good photos of wildlife, but some fun ones of Mother Nature creations.

Kestrel and Vole

Teasel in it's winter dress

Goose egg hill and the savanna

These last two are paintings by Mother Nature. Ever-changing, what you see is only a moment in time that will not ever be repeated.