Winter Pond - Mergansers

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36" x 48", acrylic on board, 1998

Although I get as excited by spectacular sights in nature as anyone, it is the modest glimpses of beauty that are really important. It is all too easy to pass through this life only partially tuned in. I have to remind myself to metaphorically open my eyes and really see what I am looking at.
 

While driving home one day in late winter, my eyes caught the glint of open water in a bit of swampy wetland. I had passed that spot many times but at that particular moment the rhythmic pastel patterns in the snow, in contrast to the rich stained glass effect of the water, made me pause. Although there was no particular subject matter the over all visual effect filled me with delight.
 

I later decided to add the pair of hooded mergansers. They nest in swamps or near small lakes and they could be there at that time of the year. The male with his flaring disk-like crest looks like an exotic tropical bird. Actually, this member of the duck tribe is a fairly common bird right across northern United States and southern Canada. Whether you see a hooded merganser or not, I would recommend spending some time looking at swamps. You might find something beautiful.