Taking photographs of the rising or setting sun highlights just how quickly the earth moves. During the rest of the day you are hardly aware of this, but when working to position yourself in just the right spot at either end of daylight you feel like you are racing against the sun.

This Great Blue Heron seemed content with his chosen spot to watch the marsh start a new day. He stayed put until the sun was fully up and the glare kept me from seeing him.

Just four minutes after the first shot above, the photograph below was taken just before the sun would be blinding in my face.

Lovely photos! I especially like the orange-yellow, rich egg yolk colour of the first photo, its so beautiful!
Thank you, Liz! It is amazing to watch the colors change so quickly at dawn.
I admire you for having the discipline to be up and away so early, all ready with your camera gear to get these captures!
It is worth it once in a while to get those shots. A small plus with the shorter daylight hours in fall/winter that the sun comes up later.
It’s amazing how quickly some changes occur in our environment. Often I’ll see a sunset (or Sundog or Rainbow) and before I can get stopped and get the camera out, the event has passed. You expect this from wildlife, but not a huge planet. How does it move and change so quickly?
I saw a phenomenal evening temperature inversion, dropping ground clouds in a beautiful little valley, with deer feeding in the foreground field. By the time I turned around, drove back, parked the car and got out, the phenomenon had largely passed, and left just a small degree of the element I wanted to capture.
Seek peace,
Paz
The joys of nature. How cool to have seen that! I am familiar with the accompanying disappointment of the passed opportunity and know we probably miss an awful lot that we aren’t even aware of. On the flip side, sometimes when you stop the car something even better appears.