I had to make a very early trip to the Manchester Airport yesterday morning. Here is a photo of the rest stop on the opposite side of I-93 in Hooksett at 5:33 am on Saturday morning.
Since I was passing through Hopkinton on my way home, I decided to see if I could get lucky with the Sandhill Crane that has been in West Hopkinton for over a month now. When I arrived the bird was in the sun near the middle of the large field along Rt. 127.
By the time I had parked, using my car as a blind, and raised my camera to my eye, the crane had moved into the shade. This was great as it gave me the chance to get a few photos with lower contrast than with the early sunlight. The shade coupled with the blue sky gave the scene a blue tint.
Then the crane moved a short distance into a sunny area.
The crane was slowly working its way farther back in the field, perhaps concerned with my presence. I hoped I had captured some decent photos, but in any case I moved on. I almost never chimp¹. I only glance at my monitor to check exposure, not to check composition or whether I got the shot. In the field I want to be spending my time observing and photographing.
Here are a few more photos I took during the three minutes I spent with the crane.
It was still early, just after 7 am, so I decided to hike into the nearby Elm Brook Recreation area. A short way in I heard geese overhead and grabbed a few shots as Canadas flew over heading south. I decided to hike the nature trail loop. From there I photographed a lit tree with mist on Hopkinton Lake.
I also got a photo of two fishermen in the early light.
Below is a scene along the nature trail.
Back out in the fields, I found a curious Song Sparrow.
Finally, for good measure, a waterlily.
It was only 8 am as I walked back to my car. I passed the covered picnic pavilions and remembered back quite a few years ago when I kayaked OVER the top of them. After all this is a flood control area designed to hold water and release it slowly to prevent flooding downstream. Hopkinton Lake protects the communities of Concord, Boscawen, Canterbury, and Bow.
- Chimp — To review an image on the LCD screen of a digital camera after taking a photograph. In common usage among press photographers. The act was dubbed chimping after photographers were caught making monkey-like noises when they reviewed a good shot in their cameras.