NEDERLAND - Here we are, wrapping up another year in our tucked-away little gem on the edge of the wilderness! As I write, the sounds of Christmas music mingle with the crinkle of wrapping paper and stretching of tape for presents. By the time of publication, we will be days away from 2025!

The mountains are slowly being tucked in under a wintry blanket of snow, and that pesky “W” has reared its not-so-nice head with a roar. While the white stuff has been scarce so far, there is hope for a Christmas snowfall, and an ever-consistent crossing of fingers for a trend towards more regular snows for the remainder of winter and early spring.  

It’s been a fun year of writing for you all! From the birds to the bears, to our plants and trees and our beautiful skies, we’ve covered a good bit of ground from our own backyard. We were even granted two spectacular celestial events this fall, adding to the plethora of natural wonder we are blessed to have in our lives daily.

I write to you all on the solstice and celebrate the beginning of the slow but sure lengthening of daylight that accompanies us as we are out and about in our natural world. As a nature photographer, that is one essential natural element that just can’t be left out. It is always warming to me to begin transitioning to more light each day with which to capture images.

Solstice also heralds the first true days of winter, a symbolic time of inward reflection and the archetypal season of death in the grand cycle of life. 

In the natural world many creatures take long naps of hibernation and torpor. The diminishing light of autumn causes the leaf-bearing trees to lose their sun-gathering accoutrement in lieu of conserving food stores made with those leaves, in order to survive the long, frozen months.  

For those left awake who call this place home year-round, life is incredibly harsh from a human perspective. Foraging becomes scarce and many critters turn to their “pantries” of food caches gathered during the warmer days of summer. Squirrels and chipmunks dig into their stores of nuts and seeds kept in nests or simply “buried” around the base of their home trees or dens. 

My personal favorite champion of winter is the tiny yet mighty pika. Living exclusively near or above treeline, they surprisingly do not hibernate and survive on large stores of dried flowers and grasses accumulated all summer and fall.

Seen in this week’s image, a dark-eyed junco was proudly displaying its talents for catching snowflakes while out on an afternoon forage. Juncos tend to join forces with nuthatches and chickadees while foraging, relying on a “strength in numbers” approach to watching out for predators. 

From a feeding perspective, the group also works in tandem with the nuthatches and chickadees, which keep to the trees as they partake of seeds and insects, and in turn, drop any “extra” finds below for the juncos to enjoy.

I hope the image brings you as much joy as it did for me as I made it! Thank you all for reading along on this year’s adventures and thank you all for your kind words when I see you in person! Have a wonderful holiday season, and I will see you all next year as we continue to explore the amazing natural world in our backyard and beyond!

For additional information about James DeWalt Photography, check out https://jamesdewaltphotography.com.