Photo Essays

Aerial Chase- August 15, 2026

Some evenings you go out hoping to take a good photograph and then there are other evenings when you simply stay long enough to watch a story unfold.  After having witnessed a coyote rushing out of the pond while in pursuit of a whitetail deer, the pond grew quiet. The sun was slipping toward the horizon, throwing soft gold across the clouds and reflecting off the water below. I had already taken several photographs of the scene when I heard a bird take off not too far from me, it crossed through the evening light. A Great Blue Heron. Then, as if on cue, another appeared...an Osprey.

What began as a peaceful silhouette against the sunset quickly became an aerial chase. The two birds twisting and turning across the sky, diving, banking, separating and closing the distance again before eventually disappearing beyond the trees.

I'm learning that some of my favorite encounters and photos come from paying attention long enough to see what happens next.  What a night!