Spring is only 38 days away, and I’m wrapping up my first winter in Arkansas with a sense of appreciation for this new landscape and environment.
After spending so many years in Utah, I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect, but I’ve quickly learned that winter here has its own rhythm, one I’ve come to enjoy. The landscape may not be buried in deep snow, but that doesn’t mean it’s lacking in seasonal beauty. Instead, the softer, more subtle changes make every day worth watching.
Rusty Blackbird walking through snow in Arkansas – Canon R7, handheld, f7.1, 1/320, ISO 1000, +2.3 EV, Canon EF 100-400mm II at 371mm, natural light
The birdlife has been a highlight, especially seeing new winter birds I never saw in Utah, like Purple Finches. I’ve also been able to photograph birds I rarely saw there, including Rusty Blackbirds, White-throated Sparrows, and Fox Sparrows.
Carolina Wrens have been as bold and energetic as ever, darting around the yard and filling quiet mornings with their big voices. Eastern Bluebirds and Northern Cardinals add splashes of color to the more muted winter scenery, and I never get tired of watching them.
Rusty Blackbird in deep snow – Canon R7, handheld, f7.1, 1/250, ISO 1000, +2.3 EV, Canon EF 100-400mm II at 371mm, natural light
The weather has been different from what I was used to in Utah. There’s less snow, but the cold feels different because of the humidity. Temperatures have ranged from cool and pleasant to very cold, but it’s the dampness in the air that makes a difference.
It’s been a season of discovery, new places, new birds and wildlife, new patterns in nature that I hadn’t experienced before. With only a little over a month left until spring, I know there’s still more to explore and enjoy, but so far, my first Arkansas winter has been a great one.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see my Rusty Blackbird photo gallery plus facts and information about this species.
Arkansas suits you well. It’s hard to describe but your pics have a different feel about them. The variety of birds and other wildlife you are discovering, the landscape, the weather, the sense of wonder you bring to every shot…all seem to have brightened your inner colors. You are at once both biographer and defender of all we hold dear in nature. It excites me to see what’s coming next. With you…every day is an adventure. Thanks Mia.
A cute set, Mia.
Thank you, Michael.
Hi Mia. Glad you’ve been able to truly get onto the feel of the season in Arkansas. It seems you’ve made a really nice move. I fully appreciate your ventures as well as you insights and comments,thanks
Thanks Joanne!
I grew up in Utah but left in 1980–I loved the connection your Utah posts gave me to my home turf and was sad when you moved. But I know almost nothing of the area you are in now and have very much enjoyed learning about it from your beautiful work. Thank you.
Marlene, you probably wouldn’t recognize much of the area around SLC now, it changed drastically just in the 14 years, 10 months that I was there, and definitely not in a good way. At the end of my time there, I couldn’t find the peace in the wild that I had come to crave. Utah is being destroyed.
Here, I am finding that peaceful feeling again.