The torrential rain we experienced on our little Sea to Sky vacation continued to pour down once we arrived home. Meteorologists now refer to these super-wet weather patterns as atmospheric rivers.
It felt, last week, as if I was spending about a third of my waking hours …
(a) getting the dog and me suitably dressed for rainswept walks (snorkels optional)
(b) peeling off layers of sodden rain gear, towel-drying the dog and my camera, and
(c) finding enough places to hang all the soaking items to dry, at least partially, for the next expedition.
On the plus side, it was a great opportunity to capture some Atmospheric Crows.
There is just something about a wet crow …
Their reaction to the weather can give us small clues into their individual crow personalities. The well-soaked and rather indignant-looking bird above is Betty, one of Bill’s fledglings from last year. She’s just getting used to the business of existing in range of a fire hose for several days in a row.
Bill in the rain
Below, looking relatively suave and sanguine in the same rain, is Dennis. A veteran of several winters, he seems to have developed a more philosophical attitude.
It seems to me that some crows are more prone to dishevelment than others. Dennis’s feathers are rarely disturbed by wind or rain. I’m not sure if this is due to sheer force of will or just lucky genetics.
There is often an even higher degree of judgment than normal in the looks that the crows give me on very wet days — as if they are considering whether I’m somehow to blame for the soggy state of the world.
I would like to speak to the management …
Somewhat alarmingly, the mild winter and early spring have the blossom trees a full month ahead of schedule. The plum trees, normally just starting to bloom now, are almost finished, and the cherry blossoms are fully out already.
Below is a crow out in two kinds of rain — some of it wet and falling from the sky, the rest, pink, and being washed out of the plum trees.
Young Lou, ever-resourceful, found a nice spot under a roof overhang to wait out the worst of the rain. An inspiration, as usual!
Below: just a few of the Atmospheric crow-inspired prints available in my shop.
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