At Great Salt Lake three frigid mornings
hanging out with thousands of Northern Shovelers.
The birds, beleaguered on all sides:
coyotes walk to the water and snatch sleeping ducks,
unsnatched comrades barely register the event.
A group of bald eagles wheel around
flushing up a mad frenzy every few minutes.
Hunters out in force, cruising the ice in airboats.
Northern harriers feast. And then there is me,
lying there on the ice in the dark.
Ducks seem to register a lesser threat.
I keep coyotes and eagles away.
They take my measure,
and then climb onto the bank next to me,
tuck their heads under their wings,
and fall asleep in a semi-circle
around me. Meanwhile, the sun rises quietly.

Mary Anne is an amateur wildlife photographer who has spent many hours photographing birds at the fantastically beautiful and rapidly disappearing Great Salt Lake. Her goal is to capture evocative images that inspire curiosity and emotional connection to the birds and the unique environment they depend on.