Lyrical

Although I took this photo last January, I wanted to use it today. This common bird seems to glide in a watery world as if in a silent dream. Enlarge the photo and see what I mean. When I grew up with these birds in Southern California, we called them mudhens, and they could be found on almost any body of fresh water. They are more properly called coots, and in North America, they are northern coots. It was a muddy day on the river due to sediment from a recent storm. The storm also left the river's edge awash in broken plant material, which you can see in the glassy surface of the swells. The coot is in the shadows, but the sun on the muddy water makes it appear golden and dreamlike in this lucky afternoon photo on the Columbia River. Shattered reflections of red are from the radio tower high above.

What is your favorite thing to photograph on water?

. Watery Wednesday