New Year’s Day 2018 dawned cold and foggy. My annual NYD walk at Nisqually Wildlife Refuge was quiet and mysterious in the fog.  Not many birds were out; most of them were hunkered down like this Northern Saw-whet Owl. The Saw-whet Owl is tiny and hard to see among the conifer branches that it favors. This one appears to be hanging out near the visitor center entrance and I will try for a better image later in the week.

Occasionally there was a blast of sound as the Canadian and Cackling Geese took to the sky, wheeling overhead looking for better forage. After all, the grass is always greener somewhere. Mostly it was a morning for landscapes. I love the ghostly aspect that everything takes on in the fog. I took a fall image of the road to Lower Lewis River Falls and since then have found myself drawn to roads and their surroundings.  This morning was perfect for getting the dike trail. I also tried a picnic table framed by trees.

This year my photo goals are to continue working on birds in flight, do at least two of the Olympia Camera Club’s Word of the Week per month and try to create at least one abstract photograph per quarter. What are your goals?