In Search of Migrating Hawks.....

My girlfriend and I spent the entire day on Saturday together
with the purpose of seeing migrating hawks at Allegheny Front
Hawk Watch........(and trying out my new H9)but saw only a fading glance of ONE hawk.
I got up this morning and first thing I saw out of my bathroom window was
none other than a hawk! You just never know when God is going
to give you that sighting, so be ready camera in hand..
To God be the Glory!

When it was looking grim for hawk sightings we set out to explore other
possibilities. We returned to Route 30 (Lincoln Highway) and stopped
at the barn across from the bison Corral. It was just as beautiful and
eye catching as the last time I was here . Go here for more information:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_271020.html

The gift shop at the Bison Corral was quite inviting . Don't forget the Fall
Festival in October. Lots of fun and activities.
13TH ANNUAL FALL FESTIVAL October 6-7, 13-14, 2007 ... 10am - 6pm
more info can be found here:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_271020.html

We were lucky this time and were able to see the 'buffalo Roam' through
a nearby field.

This appears to be "Bentley" the Patriarch of the buffalo herd. He is on
display usually during the Fall Festival and you can see him up close
and personal. Kids love him.

A few of the Buffalo were rolling in the dust and making quite a stir.

If you zoom in on the mural you will see the 1806 Church and also the
Grand View Point Ship Hotel. We stopped to take pictures of the
church along our journey...

This Church is located on Route 30 near Schellsburg.

Continuing on Route 30 we located the spot where the
Grand View Point Ship Hotel was located. The view was breathtakingly
far..... 3 states and 7 counties they say.

By the mid-1920s Herbert Paulson, a Dutch immigrant,
had built the first permanent structure at Grand View Point. But
it wasn't until the 30's that the ship was erected and this is what she
looked like in 1931 according to postcard renderings of
her perched on the mountain.




For more information please go here.
http://www.roadsidephotos.com/LH/grandview.htm
The history is utterly fascinating. The
Ship went up in flames on October 26, 2001. And they say it looked like
a giant fireball on the mountain at 2:20 in the morning. ..almost
as if the sun was coming up.

up the road a little further this mural of the grand ship is on
display.

And also a fiberglass gas pump in her memory.

As if we hadn't had a full day we trudged on shamelessly in search of the
one ever loving 'hawk' sighting. this brings us to Shawnee Park where we heard
water foul could be found and maybe a bald eagle or two.

I used to come here to the beach almost every week end when my boys were
little and had not been back in quite some time. It is - in fact - very well
kept with a lot of opportunity for beautiful water and landscape shots.

We even found a little trail where we decided to take a stroll and see where it
would lead us.

Hawks? No! but we did see this cute little flycatcher flitting from
tree to tree.

We came to the end and could see the Colvin Covered Bridge in the distance.
double click to see it better.

We even sat on this bench and rested for awhile in the shade. It
was a hot day and we had walked a distance in search of the 'hawk'
sighting. None here.

I had just got my Sony H9 and was so excited to try to
capture some shots of this osprey snatching a fish from the lake.

As he flew toward the shore there was a blue heron fishing near the bank.
We took a kazillion shots of this..... became boring after awhile as he never
moved just stood there.

We left and went for a cup of coffee in nearby Schellsburg and then
returned once more for the 'hawk shot'

we were sitting at a picnic table discussing the days events and
to the left of us we heard a commotion of some kind.
My friend whispered "look, look, look!!!!"

I was so excited I barely could get the camera to work. This was my
first shot........

Then I took several more like the next two and would you know it.
my memory stick was full and battery dying. Hokey Jeez!!!
But we got some dandy shots of the heron with a catfish in it's mouth.
WoW!!!! That was better than a 'hawk' any day now.

For more on our trip please visit
http://mybirdtales.blogspot.com
My friend Bird Girl has the rest of the story
and pictures to go with it.