Merrill Creek Reservoir and Snowy Owl

Today was a beautiful day for a hike around Merrill Creek Reservoir in New Jersey. Temperatures were in the fifties, with a slight breeze which was sometimes chilly, but overall very pleasant, especially for December.

Submerged trees in the reservoir

The water was calm and still.

The highlight of the day was seeing this Snowy Owl. He is the little white speck in front of the largest rock. I know that my point and shoot camera barely shows there is an owl there, but, believe me, he was impressive. I had several nice views of him from different perspectives. He did not change his location the whole time, but he was moving his head and looking around. I have never seen a Snowy Owl before, so this was a rare treat. There were several other birdwatchers there to see our feathered visitor from the Arctic. He has been hanging around since November 4th.

Another view of the calm reservoir

A rainbow!

Self portrait. That's my shadow in the bottom left.

A beautiful day. The colors were bright and clear. You can see the moon in the top right.