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Posts Tagged ‘winter solstice’

The sun was so low at 3:15 in the afternoon last Friday that I cast a really long shadow as I wandered the trails at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge with my camera and telephoto zoom lens attached to a monopod. This is my favorite type of selfie, a genre of photos that I do not feel compelled to share daily, unlike several of my younger friends.

Happy Solstice Day! Astronomically speaking, today marks the beginning of winter in the northern hemisphere and of summer in the southern hemisphere. In the north, it is the shortest day and the longest night of the year while in the south it is the longest day and the shortest night of the year. Time moves slowly at this time of the year—the time of sunrise doesn’t change much over the next month, but gradually the time of sunset gets a tiny bit later.

I look forward to days when I see long shadows, for it means the sun is shining. For much of winter the sky is grey here, so moments of light are a welcome reprieve.

shadow

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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The sky was overcast yesterday morning, the day of the Winter Solstice, but my spirits soared when I caught sight of a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) high in the air over Huntley Meadows Park.

I was thrilled to be able to capture a sequence of shots that shows the eagle initially coming right at me and then gradually circling to a position that gave me a side view.

bald eagle

Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

 

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