For seven months, the dam birds were forced out of their community by severe drought conditions which led the dam idle and halted the availability of the small fish they survive on. Then, with the winter rains, the citizens of the dam returned: egrets great and small, blue herons, terns, gulls. Some I recognize from last season while others are newcomers. They have established a social hierarchy and chosen their favored fishing spots. After a heavy rain, the raging water of the outflow chutes create intense turbulence and — rainbows. In April, the Dam Birds and I were honored with a Luminous Landscape Endowment award. Here are the Dam Birds of 2017. A collection of 15 images from the Dam Birds will be featured in my first public exhibit, scheduled to open at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science on September 1, 2017.

Watercolors

The Rainbow Factory

One

Burnished

First of Flock: Guardian

Scatter

Praise For The Morning

Aerial Attack

Peering Into The Abyss

Back-Seat Driver

Picnic Under A Dam-Bow

Apollo and Daphne

High-stepping

Creep

Waltz

Meals On Wings

The Biscuit Dance

Keyhole

A Small Dispute

Hovercraft

Riding Chaos

Longing For The Light

Triangles