“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature— the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.” Rachael Carson .Driving to Horicon Marsh before sunrise, there are few cars on highway 17 going north. In either spring or fall, these are the big pivot points in bird migration. I enjoy the solitude of the drive. I see dark silhouettes of ducks and geese roosting in ephemeral ponds in the endless agricultural fields. Soon after sunrise, they will be flying out to forage. The sky is beginning to get some color as civil twilight begins.

Soon I will be witness to this miracle of nature,attempting to photograph birds in flight. Always chasing the light, I have been practicing photography for over 15 years. Previously as a nurse, I developed a great respect for science. I have since adapted to the ever changing technology, studied with the best in field and traveled extensively to witness natures' wonders.

Turning on Highway 49 and on to the “Ternpike”, opening the car windows I hear the dawn chorus of the grassland birds in the tall grass prairie. Bobolinks, sedge wrens, dicksissels,and red-winged blackbirds proclaiming their territories and advertising for mates. I drive though the marsh and enter the boardwalk from the end.There is cover to break up my shape enabling me to sneak up on the birds without being seen. The air is fresh and clean. Orb spiders have spun their webs which glisten with the morning dew.I cannot hear any traffic.

One really has to be there to see nature waking up during migration. I never know what the light will be like or what I will see. I feel I am part of nature not just a spectator. My senses are all awake and open. I feel comfort and peace. I owe my love of the outdoors to my Dad, who was an avid hunter and fisherman. He taught me patience, to be kind to the environment, to understand habitat and how to move quietly in the field

As Aldo Leopold said, "There are some who can live without wild things and some who cannot." I cannot. My work is about what we cannot afford to lose, what has been saved and how important our work will be in the future.