This past weekend I had to head to the Noyes Museum of Art in Galloway to pick up some photographs I had hanging in their "Aftermath" exhibit. It's really a wonderful place, and I highly recommend it. One of my favorite things about the museum is that it is about a quarter of a mile from the Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge.
The Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge is one of my favorite places in New Jersey. I sometimes wish I lived close to it.. However, when I think about it, I realize that's not such a great idea, because I might never leave. The problem I have when I go there is that I am so smitten with the wildlife I usually forget to enjoy the beautiful landscape.
I was determined to not do that on this visit. It's helpful that in the winter there isn't as high a concentration of birds. Also, because most of the water close to Wildlife Drive was frozen on this visit, a lot of the birds, like that tease of a snowy owl, were beyond the useful range of my 300mm even with a teleconverter.
That said, patience and determination do eventually pay off, but you'll have to wait for day two and three for that.
Here is some of what I saw on Sunday.
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| Sunlight glistens off the bay between the refuge and Atlantic City. |
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| The colors and textures of the grasses are magnificent. |
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| Mallards |
