Mackerel Skies

Life thrives in winter too...

This sunrise was a few days before the ice storm a couple of weeks ago hit. Note the eagle upper left. I see and hear eagles every day now. Sometimes I spook three or four as I walk up to the overlook over the river.

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Above is an eagle flying below the overlook near the spot where Cedar Creek merges with the Des Moines River.

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I am a student of sunrises. I shoot some shots a few minutes before sunrise because we have maybe ten minutes to get the perfect colors but I never know where the perfect moment is until it has come and gone. This shot was taken maybe six minutes before sunrise, and every shot after was not as beautiful. Sometimes, the moment the sun breaks the horizon is exquisite. Two minutes later the colors have faded. Maximum beauty in nature photography is in the contrasts of color. As those contrasts fade, so does beauty.

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Every morning in winter I am chomping at the bit to go outside to go on my walk. Sunrise now is around 7:30 am, which feels like mid-morning when I wake up every day between 3 am and 5 am. The above two photos were shot with my “nerd light” with night vision between 4:00 and 4:30 am.

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I love the ice on branches.

Above’s a closer look.

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One day I found someone had pecked or chewed into this fallen log. I'm not sure who did it, but there are some larger woodpeckers here, including Pileated Woodpeckers. I see them regularly, but never on the ground.

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I’m more used to woodpecker holes like this, on the side of a tree. Who knows who created these? Let me know if you do.

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I first thought this might be a bit of trash. Nope. A fungus?

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The yellow fungus at the bottom has hung around for weeks.

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Photos above and below are of mackerel skies:

A mackerel sky is a sky covered with rows of cirrocumulus or altocumulus clouds that resemble the scales of a mackerel. The clouds appear to ripple or undulate due to atmospheric waves at high altitudes.

The term "mackerel sky" was first used in 1667. It's often a sign that the weather is about to change. The clouds are influenced by shifting upper wind directions, which are typical of an approaching warm front or low pressure system. As the clouds pick up moisture, they'll thicken.

Mariners would look for altocumulus clouds and falling air pressure as a sign that rain was coming, but it would only last a short time.

The mackerel sky has also been featured in art and music:

• Flemish master Peter Paul Rubens painted a scene featuring a mackerel sky.

• Hoagy Carmichael's song “Ole Buttermilk Sky” was nominated for an Academy Award in 1946.

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The river bank was dry. This plant were everywhere. It’s interesting that the species seems to freeze and leaves die from the furthermost extremities to the center, serving as a kind of a thermometer. More mass is at the center, protecting those leaves from frost.

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And, I was lucky enough over the holidays to have Johanna and Asa home to join me on my walks! It doesn’t get any better…

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