Dave posted new bird photos – click #2 in left column.  Study not just the birds he photographed, but look at the photography – think about composition, action, color, depth of field, patience, and detail that he does – all those attributes of great photography.

Then come back and read about seeing “Old Stuff” as “New Stuff”.  Your camera can be a way to help you study nature. Not to show it to others – but – to study and collect it for your self: 

Nature is an integral part of everyone’s life. Each persons experience with nature is unique. Pause now for just a moment and ponder your unique way of enjoying nature.

For me, nature has been integral to life itself.  Somehow nature was available whether I worked outside growing up on a farm, or cared for cows on my ranch in Texas, or sat working in an office.  I always found nature  – when 12 years old I was getting the cows into the barn for milking in the pre-dawn mist – when I was 45 most of my day was in a plane or in an office but at night I escaped to ski down Utah or Swiss mountains, now that I am 83 I have all the time I want to take camera in hand and  walk the shores of Lake Huron.

When my office was in Copenhagen I took many opportunities to experience new sights of Europe’s nature before heading to indoor offices. I just had to bundle up and take a stroll in the new geography – and often new weather conditions for me. There is a very common phrase that you can hear Norwegians repeat – “det finnes ikke dårlig vær, bare dårlig klær” / “there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes!” I think this phrase helped me get out each day – experience nature regardless of weather conditions before heading to the office.

Something new here – In 28 days (I estimate 10 days have gone by already), +2 days for last one to hatch, +10 hours in nest to dry off – then, in early morning these 7 will head to the lake behind Mom.

We humans are primed for novel experiences. New sights capture our attention; old sights barely register. Psychologists call this “habituation.” 

You do not need to work in Europe or a far off country to experience new things of nature – just study old sights barely registered by you – they can become new experiences – there are thousands out there. I will give you just four as an example:

Moss — Moss is usually overlooked or else aggressively eradicated, but rarely is it appreciated for its unique beauty.  Mosses have been around much longer than flowering plants.

Rocks—Rocks are a tangible reminder of gigantic natural processes, like time and pressure, volcanism, and plate tectonics. Start by picking up a rock. Where did it come from? What forces shaped it? Wet the rock. It will come alive with different colors and patterns. Maybe start a rock collection – in digital form – why?

Think digital rock collection

This week I was adding to my physical collection, one of my collections rolled onto my little pinky – Yea, I get the 12 stitches out next Thursday if all goes well!

Ants—When Marc was attending Cornel University in up-state NY, I watched graduate students, on hands and knees, following ants across a walkway – the student taking notes and photographs for his/her  “Ant Research Project.” Ants are social insects. They have complex societies and job differentiation, much like humans, which is probably why they are so often studied.

Trees—Take a moment to look at an individual tree. They are remarkable feats of natural architecture. Their structures are strong enough to grow vertically. Sometimes balanced in ways that would be disastrous for a building, yet they can bend in the wind. How does water get distributed from the roots to the tippy-top of the highest branch.  A tree is part of our eco-system, but it can be the whole world to all sorts of small creatures. Look for tiny spider in the folds of the trunk. How about the tree being a host for moss?  Photograph two trees over the course of a year – see how each handle the seasons in a unique way. Suddenly a single tree is not just another tree.

Some nature seen this week on Drummond: 

I like this picture – like a painting – I am looking out at a freighter heading to the Soo Locks – See nature in action – the indoor light reflected in the window is like God’s nature pointing at the freighter – the reflection to me is nature at work.

Study clouds every day just for the beauty they add to an otherwise boring scene

Or study them for the images they create – I see an image here – do you?

Oops – a neighbors dog scared this duck from shore – I like the natural reflections of the trees in the water – but that is not the real nature question – what was that duck doing on shore in the first place?

Oh my she flew up from near this rock. She was sitting on this nest of seven eggs – I chased the dog home and scolded her – she obeyed and went home!

20 minutes later – Look at this – Momma duck back on nest – study close – exact same photo position as before but do you seed the nest or the duck?   NO!   Can nature really camouflage that duck? – I see her ’cause I know where to look – bet you can not see her – Hint: Her feathers are shown a 3 little white dots and her head points to the lake.

As you swing thru life – look down, up, and sideways at nature – maybe even stop to study nature just a little – use your camera to record and study the changes that take place in nature.