Sunrise over frozen wetland. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Springer Basin Waterfowl Production Area - Nebraska

First light is a great time to have a camera in hand, especially when there are a few clouds on the horizon to diffuse the sunlight slightly .  In this case, the sun was so low that only the tops of the wetland plants were lit up.

Springer Basin is one of hundreds of shallow wetlands scattered around south-central Nebraska.  Called “rainwater basins,” they are created by many years of wind scouring the soil away from underlying clay soils.  They fill with water when it rains or snows and provide great habitat for shorebirds, waterfowl, and many other wetland creatures and plants – until they dry up again.