Thursday 12 February 2009

Wetlands in winter

Light snowfall overnight, temperature stayed above zero. Driving to work, I stopped by the marshes at the end of our road to record the scene. Above is a panorama stitched together from two photos. Click for big picture, scroll across (can you see the join?).

In six weeks' time standing in this spot, one's ears will be assailed by the sounds of frogs and gulls, and - if one's lucky, there's a chance of spotting some hares. But now, things are quiet.

Apologies to my squeamish readers for the photo (right), but I feel I need to show nature as it is, a cycle of birth, life and death. This is, I think, the carcass of a heron, dug up by foxes from wherever it was lying and decomposing and dragged to within a few yards of the road. This must have happened a little before dawn, as there's no snow on it. If you're not squeamish - go on! Click to enlarge...

Compare to last winter in the Jeziorki wetlands.

This time last year:
A week into Lent

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I admire your photographic representation of organic decay - a reminder to us all of the cycle of Nature and the inevitable return to the fecundity of the earth. Its natural eloquent characteristics are there exposed in simple truth. Francis Bacon achieved the same in his visceral art. At the same time, your photo allows for meditative reflection - as Bacon said "the Job of the Artist is the deepen the mystery". You have caught that mystery.



Frater Watchtower