On this particular morning I heard this very clear, strong call - I kept thinking … am I hearing a pheasant?? Lorraine and I have seen and heard some pheasants in Ashfield but I am no expert on pheasant calls… but I kept thinking it sounded like something in that family of birds. The lighting was just so spectacular and that call was so constant and loud that I picked up all of my gear and slowly made my way towards the sound of the call…

We’re back!!! It feels like forever since I have shared with all of you! My Get up and Go is still in New Zealand but I am finally starting to adjust to our time zone - jet lag is real! :). We had an experience of a lifetime in New Zealand - we absolutely loved our time there…

WOW!!! What a way to greet 2024 - incredible morning!! I parked at the Conway Grammar School and walked up Roaring Brook Road. My first goal was to get a landscape of the Boyden Farm at dawn…. As soon as I set up I heard a Great Horned Owl hooting! And then another, and then another!! Three distinct owls kept hooting to each other for the next 25 minutes! I never saw any of them…

It was very quiet but as always it was beautiful. I quit early so that I could drive home to see if Lorraine wanted to take a ride and explore - she was game!. We drove through Old Deerfield and then on through East Deerfield. When we were on River Road all of a sudden we saw three absolutely adorable alpacas at a farm!!

The last couple of mornings the silence has been deafening for long stretches of time…. No wind, not a peep, not a hoot - just amazing stillness. I did have an amazing barred owl fly right in front of me yesterday morning on the hunt! It all happened so quickly from left to right that I never had a chance to get a shot off - incredible bird!

And then I heard a twig snap close to me to my slight front and left…. and this dazzling coyote was waking up from a little nap right there!

I kept thinking about where to go today after our torrential rains yesterday - lots of flooding everywhere so I knew most of my spots would not be possible today. I decided to park on the north end of Main St. in Old Deerfield and walked towards the North Meadows ponds to wait and see who might come floating down the flooded waters. Wow was it ever flooded!

Spoleto is a medieval hilltop town - we stayed up at the top in one of the oldest parts of the town. I started each morning by walking the ring road in order to see the village and valley below light up - absolutely stunning! I think the ring road is the one flat road in all of Spoleto when you are in the area we stayed in - lol. When not on that road you are either walking up or down - it is very much a hilltop town! This first shot is from the winding road I would take each morning as I would head out.

I woke up extra early and left the High Head parking area at 4:30am - I barely needed my head lamp. It was a beautiful mid-40 degree morning with just about no wind. I came up over the dune that leads to the beach and it was just stunning… the moon was behind me over my left shoulder and the sky was absolutely filled with brilliant sparkling stars!

Once again it was worth the wind and cold to head out! This morning I went out again on the Hatches Harbor Fire Road - low tide was just about at sunrise. Once the sun came up over the horizon it was cold, glorious, strong low light everywhere that I looked!

Wow! Late Saturday afternoon I bundled up - what is with this very cold weather so early in the season?? Anyway - I bundled up to head over to try and capture the full Beaver Moon rising by the Harbor Life Saving Station at Race Point Beach. I figured that everything was lining up for it to rise right near where I have dreamed of getting a shot as the sun sets behind me…

Recently we were in Spoleto, Italy for a much delayed planned trip - we had re-scheduled 3 times due to Covid. We had an absolutely wonderful time and at a later date I will share more photos once I have had time to organize them all. This photo is from an amazing day we had exploring the Castelluccio area of Umbria - absolutely stunning!

WOW! My last two morning outings have been out of this world - the lighting was pure magic!!

You will need time for this post - it has many shots… I hope it isn’t too long!

Yesterday morning was beyond anything I could have hoped for… As I drove over to the parking area for the Hatches Harbor Fire Road, there was a lot of fog and low-lying clouds. Just as I pulled into the small dirt parking area, I could see stars sparkling in and out of the clouds.

I have to say that I am in the camp of those who dread when we leave daylight savings behind and move the clocks back to standard time. I try not to dwell on it but it is hard when we have sooo many hours of darkness headed our way!

As I walked over to my usual starting place the silence was deafening… it was as if every living creature was just waiting for the fog to lift…. I found myself stopping several times just to listen to the absolute silence - it was a very calming way to start the day.

Recently I went to the North Meadows in Deerfield hoping to see my first green heron of the season. The morning started out with lots of low clouds and fog.

The last two mornings I have been at Bullitt in Ashfield - WOW!!!!! The beautiful early morning fog, fall colors, delicious 46 degree air, gorgeous sunrises and very happy wildlife! The early morning light was astounding -

As quietly as possible I made my way over along the edge of the pond just hoping I wouldn’t flush it. I was trying my hardest to spot it in those tall grasses. At that exact time the sun was just coming up behind where I had seen the bittern land - it was blinding but I kept at it.

I drive by a gorgeous farm field each morning when I head to Ragged. I have been wanting to stop and spend some time there to see if the cows would make their way down towards me. The first morning I tried they didn’t come down towards where I was standing…