Another Shot at the Moon

I woke up early on Wednesday morning and decided to see if the morning might be putting on another beautiful show.

It was.
 

The moon was still magnificent and there were other delightful sights as the day began. 

Geese were snoozing in the early morning light. 

 One woke up, but the other just kept sleeping and drifting. 

The glass calm surface of the water mirrored the colors of the sky and the distant shore, as it reflected the face of the moon.

A seagull flew past as I was taking pictures of the broader landscape.

It circled back around several times, calling as it went. It almost seemed as if it wanted to give me a chance at a halfway decent photo. Distance and low light make it only halfway decent, but I liked the silhouette against the sky.

Glancing away from the moon and to the north, I noticed a cloud bank to the east that was kind enough to keep the sun from brightening the sky too quickly. It was nice to have the extra time to enjoy the early morning light.

Soft quacking (and then a speck in the sky) alerted me to a mallard that was flying in from the southwest. It just kept chattering to itself as it came in to join its mate. 

I tried to taking pictures of  the splash down, but I wasn't quick enough with the camera.  I did get a nice one of the pair swimming off into the moonset, though.

One day made even more of a difference than I thought it would in how well the moon could be seen at its setting. It went down several minutes later and the sun rose a few minutes earlier, turning the moon into a pale, ghostly light that was enveloped by some developing clouds. It wasn't as dramatic as the previous morning's display, but beautiful in its own way.  

Getting up and out before sunrise on these crisp mornings has been very enjoyable. I think I might have to continue taking daybreak rambles.