Pigeons and Ice Fog

Gallery: Man & FaunaPosted December 22, 2012206 views5 comments

Olympus E-5, 12-60mm at 17mm, handheld
f9, 1/640, ISO400

Winter solstice at solar noon, downtown Fairbanks. With Rock Pigeons, an alien species. Ambient air temperature -44 F. A very strong inversion, visible in the photo, has triggered the ninth air quality alert in the month of December. The fog is a mixture of fine particulates, suspended ice crystals and auto exhaust. The sun is 1.7 degrees above the horizon.

Full frame. Unadjusted.

C & C, please. Thanks for looking.

Comments

5 comments

Comment posted by Peter Cross on December 22, 2012 at 12:57 AM

Is this one of those times when the tires on your car stay flat on the bottom until they get warmed up? I've done -30F and that's cold enough for me. I don't associate Fairbanks with air quality alerts.

Registered on April 3, 2010, 271 Posts, 1342 Comments

Comment posted by John Clulow on December 22, 2012 at 9:12 AM

To share my impression of your image, the underlying concept seems to be one of "continuum",

In the light, there is the continuum between highlight and shadow; in color, between blue and red ends of the visible spectrum; and an existential sense, between our earth-bound lives here on Planet Earth, and the sky, with the birds mediating that continuum.

Registered on November 1, 2012, 155 Posts, 1079 Comments

Comment posted by Carl Battreall on December 23, 2012 at 1:46 PM

-18f at our house Jim, makes me feel like a wimp. The air quality hasn't been too bad here in Anchorage but the valley, with all the wind, has been pretty bad. The image really captures the feel of the cold.

Registered on August 29, 2007, 24 Posts, 222 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Roberts on December 23, 2012 at 2:06 PM

I was involuntarily transferred from Fairbanks to Anchorage with my job. But this time of year I don't miss it. We've been having just single digit minus temps for a couple of weeks and I now find it really tedious to do anything outside when this cold. Takes fifteen minutes to get self and dogs dressed to go for a walk. Those of you in Fairbanks probably felt closer to the Mayan caledar event on the 21st than anyone else

I didn't even know there were pidgeons up there. I thought ravens and redpolls were pretty much it for winter residents.

Registered on March 9, 2011, 69 Posts, 501 Comments

Comment posted by Jerry Marella on December 23, 2012 at 4:39 PM

-44 F..............and air quality issues to boot. Single digits with a foot of snow down here has me thinking about getting away. As much as I'd like to visit Alaska, your photo shows something I never realized happens up there.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 142 Posts, 862 Comments