The Mercer Meadows Pole Farm is a beautiful place in all kinds of weather, but I find it extra special after a decent snowfall. We had back-to-back days of snow over the holiday weekend, and I was able to get to the park Monday.
Annoyingly, the gates at the Cold Soil Road parking lot were closed, as always seems to be the case whenever we get more than a dusting of the white stuff. With at least four inches of snow on the ground, I drove over to the ungated lot on Keefe Road and started my walk from there.
The park looked spectacular. From a clear blue sky, the sun shone brightly on the snow-covered branches of the trees. The sun was so bright that the transition lenses on my glasses darkened so deeply that I couldn’t see through the viewfinder of the camera.
Sans glasses, I took several wing-and-a-prayer shots. Relatively few birds were making their presence known, but I did get one surprise. An Eastern towhee, usually a Spring arrival, was calling “twee!” from the woods along the trail. I couldn’t find the bird and turned back toward my car.
Throughout, I never got a clear shot of a bird amid the snowy branches. My favorite shot was of a blue jay, a long way off, on a tree top. 🦅
The Jersey Birder 
I loved the detail about your transition lenses turning traitor at exactly the wrong moment. I’ve had that happen in the past.
LikeLike
I first notice the problem a couple of weeks before, thinking maybe my camera settings were off or I was having some sort of vision problem. I’m glad I figured it out. Now I’m debating whether to buy a pair of glasses without the Transitions for future days.
LikeLike
I’ve started using one of those little neck‑strap thingies for my sunglasses. I know it looks pretty dorky. But, it was either that or risk my wife killing me in my sleep for “losing” yet another pair of expensive sunglasses. Sometimes you’ve just gotta choose survival over style. 😄
LikeLike
Years ago, I lost a $100 pair while rafting on the Rio Grande in New Mexico. Cheapos from then on!
LikeLike