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