Window on Nature

Surprise at the River

2011-07-03T13:25:00.000-04:00

On a trip to the river to visit with my son and check out

his new campsite we had quite a surprise

I was looking across the river and saw a small doe looking back

I called my son and he said oh yeah! it's tame

and I thought oh yeah.. sure it is

She came down to the water

and fed along the shore line

not at all concerned about me across the water taking picture after picture

Then.... she started out into the water

There were some people floating down stream and she was

heading straight for them

It was like she wanted to greet them

and that is exactly what she did... letting them pet her

She was not delayed from coming my way for long

She got to the little dam my grand daughter and daddy had made

walking around it and coming on strong

We were all in awe

My grandson was first on the scene

and then I handed the camera off to get in on the fun

We all had lots of ideas about why she so friendly, but

really have no idea why... but we were all thankful to be up close with this pretty little doe

The dog even got in on it

She left and walked down stream

A little later I saw a couple with her

feeding her cucumbers and carrots

She was liking that very much

To God be the Glory ~~ On this 4th of July

Another stop at Wildwood Park

2011-06-24T15:31:00.000-04:00

Because my daughter lives in Harrisburg PA and

I have been visiting more than usual this summer

I make it a point to go to Wildwood, my favorite park

the White Egrets are always there

And the Great blue Herons are always somewhere to be found

fishing and hanging out by the water

It's fun to watch all his movements and see him up close

It had just rained that day and the lily pads were full of droplets

Then!! As almost always I spied a bird flying low along the water and so I followed closely and sneaked in to have a look

I was happy to see this black-crowned Night Heron

Judging by his colors I would say he is an adult

Juveniles have grey then yellow eyes and only adults have red, so our guy is probably about 3 years old

Night Heron's have long head plumes ...and in breeding season they become even longer

They feast on not only fish but invertebrates, lizards, snakes, and

small rodents.

That was my thrill for the day!

To God be the Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done

From my yard

2011-06-05T16:24:00.000-04:00

I was ever so surprised last week to hear 'witchety witchety'

in my back yard...

I got my ipod and he came right in ..

At first he was in a dense bush popping up and down

Then amazingly he came close and was right in front of me

It pays to to be able to ID what you hear. Something that I am not very good at yet..

To God be the Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done

Can I make you smile?

2011-05-30T09:50:00.001-04:00

You've no doubt heard of a 'teacup' chihuahua

but have you seen a 'flower pot' chihuahua?

Meet lady

and her best friend Manny

I hope you are smiling on this beautiful Memorial Day Weekend.

God Bless our troops and America!!

To God be the Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done

Grapes, Grape Jelly and Oranges

2011-05-26T21:25:00.000-04:00

A Juvenile Baltimore Oriole decided to try the grapes

for breakfast one morning

Seemed like he was doing ok in trying to eat it

But somehow either through inexperience or lack of focus

He dropped it right out of his mouth

Looking around at his options, he can either eat oranges or jelly

Jelly looks good so he chooses it

Good choice! He likes it

Grape jelly is sought by the Northern Mockingbird as well

And Robins will eat it and also carry it to their young when they are born

Fruit it a good thing at the feeder.

To God be the Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done

A Walk on the Wildwood side

2011-05-23T19:36:00.001-04:00

Wildwood Park in Harrisburg PA is one of my favorite places

to visit when I am in the area

The Towpath Trail borders the lake and is the one I chose to walk today

There has been a lot of rain so everywhere you look there is water

It's quiet, peaceful and serene to just walk along and watch for what you might see

On my list of things that have been spotted this week is the Great Egret...

There he was flying gracefully or walking in the lake fishing

Since this is the first sunny day in a while the turtles are sunning everywhere you look

An Egret and Great Blue Heron share a common perch

Oblivous to each other as they preen

The water was almost moving and jumping as I watched so I tried to catch a glimpse of what was under there causing the raucous ....

an orange fish appeared!!

Always an ever present Red-winged Blackbird

A very welcome and happy surprise for me to see the Yellow Warbler

Then, out there where the water was jumping and splashing I saw a Blue Heron fishing

As hard as he tried

Diving right in

Head submerged

He either swallowed it or I missed it all together

I sure didn't see the fish if he got it

Looking a little wet and angry he doesn't stick around

Up and away he goes

To God be the Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done

Surprise Sighting

2011-05-16T11:17:00.000-04:00

On a little road trip out in the country I spied a couple of

deer really far away....but

When I got home and got a closer look I was excited to see a Piebald Deer

Really hard to see with all those trees in the background

Another cool sighting was the Baltimore Oriole always in the tops of the trees in the yard. So I put out the oranges and used the ipod and yea!! It came down.

joy

Enjoy!!

To God be the Glory ~~ Great Things He hath Done

Oh Baby!

2011-05-13T14:42:00.000-04:00

I was on the deck and caught motion out the corner of my eye....

looking up I saw what I thought were two squirrels fighting on the wires coming into the house from the pole.

I grabbed the camera and started shooting. To my surprise it was

a mother Gray Squirrel with a baby.

What happened next was unimaginable! The little guy was squirming so much....

She dropped him and he landed in the grass in the yard

She just let go and dropped down to see if he was ok

I thought he would be hurt or dead, but his half open eyes showed life

She checked him out sniffing and sniffing at his face

She grabbed him by the scruff of the neck just like a cat

But he was not having it and squirmed and moved

Finally Mom gets a good hold

And off through the yard they go

Through the tall dandelions stems

Walking on her back legs at times

Heading for some shelter

She hid him in a large Hosta by my yard bench

I went in the house to put the dog away so I could get a closer better look and when I returned she was gone! I have no idea where she went. I searched the nearby trees but saw no nest.

What a fun little happening.

To God be the Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-07T21:07:00.003-04:00

To God be the Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done

Spring is Back and so Am I.......

2011-05-04T22:20:00.000-04:00

Just like clockwork... the Grosbeaks return to my yard.. I spot the Female on the lattice

no mistaking that bright red breast streak that ID's the beautiful male RB Grosbeak

The Indigo Bunting makes his appearance in the bushes

and breaks bread with the Grosbeak

I love to see how the Grosbeaks are competitive at the feeders

Actually my platform feeder broke over the winter so I just poured the seeds into a basket planter still hanging on the deck.

They seemed happy with that dinner arrangement.

But they constantly chase each other off

Displaying that beautiful patch of color underneath of the wings... yellow for female

Red for the male

The brown Thrasher is also back

Surprise that it was.... My husband spotted this gray Fox in the

driveway and called me.

Spring or not, this is not something I see in my yard so I was thrilled

He looked like a healthy specimen... and I felt blessed to capture him with my camera

He went up over the dirt pile

picking up his pace as he went and then disappeared in the field beside my yard

To God be the Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath done

Wildwood Park Nature Center

2010-08-22T20:42:00.000-04:00

Many come to Wildwood Park to see the flowery pageantry of the American Lotus

Cream to Yellow flowers and seed pods can grow to 6" to 10 " across

Great Egret forage among the lotus for amphibians

Looks like he is singing

Blue Herons are often seen sharing the lake with Egrets

Here you can get close to Great Blue

and observe the preening of his feathers

Wood Ducks are a common sight also

A baby I came across on a log

The little cutie didn't stay long

He went off to join his mom and dad

The turtles like to sun on logs

My big surprise was this young Green Heron standing on a snag

As I walked down the path I almost missed him

I knew he must be a juvenile because he stayed put

Oh My ! What big feet he has

and what a beautiful eye


You just barely see the blue green on the top of the head To God be the Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done

Great Blue Heron

2010-08-11T20:16:00.010-04:00

My usual shots of the Blue Heron were in the water
standing stick straight waiting for a fish

Or an unusual sighting in a tall pine tree... They do nest
in the tops of trees.

The flying shots not so easy to get

It had always been hard for me to catch the Great
Blue in the air

on this trip I lucked out big time. While watching
for Eagles this gem of a bird came flying down the
creek...

I was able to get all his wing movements

as he soared and flapped his wings

The legs straight out in back of him

at times looking like a jet plane

The largest and most widespread heron in North America,

If you've never heard them calling... They have a deep
hoarse croak and it is loud

When I heard this one it reminded me of a dog barking

You will find them along creeks, rivers, ponds and even
at the ocean from Florida to the Caribbean

I just loved this trip and the BIF action I was able to capture

To God be the Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done

Eagles at the Creek

2010-08-07T10:53:00.017-04:00

On our trip to Pine Creek we were looking for Eagles and nests.
We did manage to find two of the three nests and we saw
our share of Eagles flying up the creek.

One was just sitting in a tree right by our cabin
We had just gotten home from looking for a nest and I
heard Barbi yell.... Eagle at the Creek.

We got comfy in some lawn chairs and just clicked away.

When it started to fly I couldn't take enough pictures.
So just scroll down and enjoy the Eagle in Flight.

What a thrill to see Eagles up close.

To God be the Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done

Super-Size it mom!

2010-08-02T19:52:00.012-04:00

A trip to Pine Creek near Pennsylvania Grand Canyon

was a needed jane & barbi outing. It's so relaxing and
beautiful there.

Check out the blue sky

The tall mountains and the creek

Sitting by the creek and watching for what may come along

This Little Green Heron gave us a show

scratching his head

and flapping his wings

Looking across the creek at all the purple loosestrife
growing we also hear the 'shotgun' sounds of the Kingfisher

and saw him gliding above the water looking for his catch
of the day

He's a beauty

There were Great Blue Herons too

Standing stick straight as they always do

But the 'catch of the morning' so to speak was this King
bird who in mid air caught the biggest dragon fly

There was a a tree the storm had knocked down in the water
and he chose that site to wait

It didn't take long for baby 'King" to fly in

Mouth wide open...and mom tried to give him the
'super size' prize she has caught

If you click on the pictures you can see them in more
detail.... Now! Look at baby 'king' turn his head as if
to say.. "mom, that's too big"

Then mom has that OMG look on her face.. Kids!

They wanna eat but it has to be just the right size, maybe
I can break it in half on the branch..

Nope! no luck with that..

While baby 'king' cries she tries to figure it out

Getting tired of the game she decides to let
Jr. get his own breakfast

and..... she flies away and let him there keeping the
'super size' dragonfly for herself.

Stay tuned.... for the Eagle fun.. next post.

To God be the Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done

A Nice Little Surprise

2010-07-28T21:35:00.007-04:00

When I saw this yellow bird streaking through the air I
couldn't believe my eyes. I have never ever seen a
Warbler of any kind in my yard.

He conveniently landed in my purple butterfly bush.

Too bad it was so far away, I had to crop these to death

Then he landed in the gravel on the driveway

confirming my guess that it was a Yellow Warbler.
Then I really got lucky and it came closer
and landed in a tree.

It was my lucky day for sure.

A Yellow Warbler and I didn't have to go out and find him.

To God be the Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done

Does anyone know?

2010-07-22T19:15:00.004-04:00

The sun was bright and light was not the best for these
pictures but I needed to document this Hummingbird
behavior so someone can tell me....

What was this tiny bird doing?

I've never seen a hummingbird go to a pine tree

Is there sap she could be seeking?

Could it be a juvenile bird seeking nectar?

Maybe someone could shed some light on this
crazy bird's interaction

with a pine tree.

To God be the Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done

Relief from the Heat

2010-07-17T09:11:00.014-04:00

You hear about all kinds of things happening when you

have a long stretch of heat and humidity...
Tempers flare and acts are committed
and birds ... well they act up too.

I was sitting in the yard watching this young Robin
in the bird bath when things started to go south.

I don't think I ever saw a Robin this drenched...If you click
on these pictures you can see the facial expressions...

Then Mom comes into the picture and starts screaming at
Jr. and as you can see Jr. yells back...and I envision the
conversation goes like this:

"What are you doing Jr."
"I'm hot! I'm coolin off in Jalynns bird bath..."

Mom says "Shut up and listen for a minute"

As mom gets a drink Jr clams right up and sits quietly

Ok.. I'm done it's your turn mom.

"I'll just wait over here"

Go ahead mom wade right in... refresssssshing!!

NOT!! I'm too hot to wait mom..
Look at the angel with the bunny laughing at these two

Hey ! Jr.!

"What did I tell you? no splashing!"

Kids! They don't listen for nothing... anymore

You didn't have to leave mom... I'm sorry but it is
really hot today..

(Did you ever see such a drenched rat I mean Robin?)

All is well that ends well and later I saw a parent scooping
grape jelly out of the cup and Jr. waiting

Then they fly to the birdbath and Jr. gets a drink
of water and a little kiss..

Make sure you check your temper in this heat...
or at least kiss and make up ..

To God be The Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done

Summer Butterflies

2010-07-14T08:34:00.010-04:00

Fritillary. . .that was what came to mind when I saw

these two butterflies on a milkweed. I went home
and looked it up cause I'm not always right on with the ID.

I think this is the Great Spangled Fritillary to be exact.

It was fun to see them on the pink milk weed ball

The only times I want to take the butterflies is when they
are on a colorful flower

It's pleasing to the eye

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on my purple Butterfly Bush

Yellow on Purple...can't ask for anything prettier

ahhhhh.. maybe you can. Along came a little fella I hadn't
seen yet this summer

The Clearwing Sphinx Moth is sometimes mistaken for a
hummingbird. In fact it is called the 'Hummingbird Moth'
It hovers above a flower sipping nectar
with it's long feeding tube.(proboscis)

When finished it curls the tube under the chin and moves
on to the next flower

Hence, Clearwing, as you can see thru it's wings

It's back looks almost like fur and has a greenish tint..
again... mistaking it for a hummingbird

A Summer PA sky... just as nice as the ones we saw in
Shenandoah VA... I would say.

To God be the Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done

Friendship is en-deering

2010-07-09T08:42:00.006-04:00

Right at the end of work my best friend barbie calls and
says she is on her way to a little league game and she just
passed two little fawns... She didn't have time to stop so.......
I should go and see if I can get some picts.

When I got there all I saw was mama coming out of the
creek going into a neighboring yard.

I looked around and saw a Mallard with her young
swimming in the creek.

and then I thought I'm going to sneak down here and peek
into this yard...

Am I glad I did! and am I glad Barbi called and told me
to go.

Two beautiful fawns were feeding

The clicking of the shutter got their attention

And I might add it got Moms attention too! Get a load
of that look as she came out into the sun to check me out

Immediately she gave a very loud snort and ran toward
the fawns

It took a few seconds for them to get it

The littlest one seemed to understand danger first by
his body language

They set into motion....

Up went those gorgeous white tails

and away they go.

Thank you my friend.... Only a 'deer' friend would
let someone else get the picture...
To God be The Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done

You gotta LOVE those babies.......

2010-07-06T08:08:00.013-04:00

Spring is gone and the hot of summer is upon us. Today

they say we will reach the high 90's with humidity.

The love affair of Spring... which starts with the
KISS...

and leads to nesting is in full force.

The House Wrens do nothing but catch and bring prey

When I saw this mom gathering of all things...
insulation from my newly installed air conditioner
I knew she had a nest somewhere

As I watched her the Chickadee chose the log
cabin to raise a brood

My brother bought me this nesting box last year for
my birthday and I couldn't wait to see if anyone
would use it..

I can always count on those House Wrens.. I have
had 4 pairs nesting in boxes this year so far

Baby Red-bellied Woodpeckers come for the suet....
look at that tongue

They are always flapping their wings as if
they will fall... wish I could find their nest!

Not the tree to fly to baby Redbelly...
Mrs. Wren doesn't want you close to her babies..
She's that blurrrr of wings on the left.

One morning a baby bunny came out to sit
and enjoy the sunshine

This little photo-shoot was so cute ...

A baby Flicker came by to sit in the pink water dish

It's like he is saying...
"This water is deep enough for a bath:

"splish Splash...."

"I was taking a bath"

He was having himself a good time

Baby Downy gets some suet from dad

Never a shortage of groundhogs in my yard

And.... yesterday I took a short ride and stopped
at this bridge and looked up the creek..like I have
done a hundred times.. Usually nothing ...

But today was my lucky day.... Right on that limb
that hangs over the water I saw something...
Wow! First sighting here ever!
The Female Belted Kingfisher

On the way back down I stopped again and snapped
a few more pictures. There were a few birds just
flying around and I didn't ID them til I got home.
Darn! I would have stayed and tried harder had I
known they were Cedar Waxwings...

Don't let the heat get you down! It's gonna be a hot one
the next few days.

To God be the Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done

Oh shenandoah....You gave me Joy

2010-06-24T20:24:00.022-04:00

The sky is the daily bread of the eyes.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

One cannot look up into the sky without seeing the beauty
of a sunrise or sunset or more.....

which is what this post is about
~~~~~

the more being

BIRDS!

We saw a Peregrine Falcon while in the park. My friend Barb
has a great interest in this bird and all it's shenanigans
so you will want to check out her posts about the

Peregrines at Shenandoah My Bird Tales

As we watched on several occasions I did get a few
flight shots of this falcon

and one shot of it fighting with another Peregrine.

Every other bird you see will be the beautiful blue
Indigo Bunting. They were everywhere singing their
hearts out.

When we were hiking the Limberlost Trail I was more
than thrilled to get this close to the Chestnut- sided Warbler.

He didn't seem to mind us snapping pictures of him

Even seeming to pose for the camera

The Common Yellow Throat Warbler was there too

It helps immensely if you can ID the call and then
use your ipod ...

They hop right in to get their picture taken and even sing
a song too

On the screen right outside our room we saw this
beautiful Moth... Looking it up I think it is the
Polyphemus Moth

This giant silkmoth gets its name from the large eyespots
on its hindwings, referring to Polyphemus, the Cyclops
of Greek mythology in in Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey.

The American Redstart was flitting around and making
it hard to get a shot

but I managed a few

I was so hoping that this bird was the Worm Eating Warbler
but upon closer inspection it is a probably a Vireo

Ravens were plentiful in the park..
They are known for their intelligence
and can live up to 13 years in the wild.

Right beside our room we were able to sit in the car
and have a very long photo shoot with this
adorable little character.
He was perched in a pink blooming Mountain Laurel

There just wasn't any pose he didn't strike for us..

My favorite picture being the "angelic' pose of this
Yellow-rumped Warbler.

Early one morning on the way to breakfast we
came upon a Father Robin giving his son a
little advice.. son was listening intently

A hawk that Barbi spotted high up in a tree - no ID on it

We saw a lot of vultures... both Turkey Vultures and Black
Vultures

Again, the star of the show

At an overlook on another day the Chestnut-sided
gave us a show worthy of praise

I just loved the 'wing' shots I was able to capture with the

new DSLR Pentax

Singing the 'blues' again

On the way out of park on day 5 we saw a bunch of birds
eating berries... my settings were all wrong so I only saved
this shot

When we stopped for lunch a bunch of the same birds
were on the ground ... an unusal place to see a Cedar Waxwing

Bye Bye little blue boy....

As another sun sets on another day at Shenandoah National Park
I can't say I want to go home. I enjoyed everything about
this place and hope to come back in the fall for some more
beautiful pictures and adventures with my friend Barbi.

.....
All of this beauty makes me acutely aware of God's handiwork.

For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven,
and that are in earth..... all things were created by Him
~Colossians 1:16

To God be The Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done

Oh Shenandoah....The Wild Side of Wildlife

2010-06-21T08:31:00.022-04:00

In the Spring in Shenandoah at the Lodge or along
Sky line Drive... You can easily see a bear

People stop the car, get out, let the door hang open

and run to the side of the road and start taking pictures

Fear doesn't seem to be a factor for most

On several days we passed these boots and clothes
apparently abandoned... We wondered if fear and a
bear had anything to do with it

If you look closely you will see a really dark spot just off
the roadway in the woods... Likely it is a Black Bear.

The American Black Bear population is 600,000
on the continent

5,000 to 6,000 of these bears live in Virginia

It is believed that the bear population in the park ranges
from the low to the high hundreds

They forage for berries, grasses and acorns, or will paw the
ground for grubs and and will ignore you if left alone

However, if boxed in or a sow with cubs will
charge if she feels threatened

We were fortunate enough to see 4 bears while at Shenandoah

One evening around dusk, we saw a guy pulled over with
his kids watching a sow...and he told us where to find
her cubs in a tree on the pipeline....

When we arrived and located them high up in a tree
they were snuggled up together sleeping

They soon awoke and started moving around

It's hard to believe that these little ones only weigh 8 ounces
when born in February. Twins are common but a bear sow
can birth up to 4 cubs.

The Big Meadow gave us so many opportunities to
see newly born fawns. We got up at 4:30 the first morning
hoping to get there and to see hundreds of deer. On this
morning only one was standing in the meadow.

As the week unfolded we learned when and how to see
these friendly deer.

You could walk right up to them and take as many pictures
as you wanted

The fawns were not very old and they stayed along
side the mamas, unless running to keep up

On one evening we walked out into the meadow and
found about 5 bucks getting bedded down for evening.

But of course the fawns were the big attraction

Every time we saw one we would try to get the inter -action

between the mom and the baby

This little cutie was caught in the early morning light

Mom took him up to the road

and we held our breath as she crossed...

This fawn was newly born and nursing when we came along

Look how tiny it is

While watching deer one evening we saw a Male
Bluebird feeding the kids

They were waiting patiently for their next meal

On two separate occasions we saw Turkey in the field

Every evening we tried to catch the sun set.

Each one was different than the last.

Stay tuned for the birds of Shenandoah...

To God be The Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done

Oh Shenandoah ... History Rich with Folklure

2010-06-17T14:57:00.022-04:00

Shenandoah, a wilderness oasis in the busy east .

Gazing across the horizon from the peaks of Shenandoah
National Park it’s hard to believe you are just 75 miles
from the bustle of our nation’s capital. Take Skyline Drive
along the crest of the mountains through the woods
and past spectacular vistas. Hike in the shade of oak trees
along the Appalachian Trail, discover the stories from
Shenandoah’s past, or just relax in the wonder of wilderness.

Skyland Resort
Originally named Stony Man Camp, is located at the
highest point of elevation along Skyline Drive (3,680)
in Page Co, VA in the Blue Ridge Mountains providing
179 units.

ranging from the cutest little cabins

to more traditional rooms

George Freeman Pollock was the first private owner of
Skyland Resort from 1888- 1924. A young Washington DC
man whose father owned the land surrounding the resort.
George's father was a principal stockholder in the Miners
Lode Copper Co... but when the mine was not commercially
successful, George convinced his father that the land had
value for resort development.

Massanutten Lodge

To his guests at Skyland—‘Polly,’ they called him—
George Freeman Pollock was the eternal party boy,
blowing his bugle at sunrise while dressed in a ten-gallon hat
hunting trousers, boots and decorated fringed vest.

They have restored Massanutten Lodge and it is
well worth the tour if you find yourself in Shenandoah

He enjoyed breath taking views of the valley and cool mountain
breezes from his mountain cabin

He may not have been a businessman but he was a promoter...
He sold lots and developed cabins, established dining and
recreation halls. Most of all he planned and engineered
elaborate balls, costume parties, teas, pageants and bonfires.
.
The Skyland Resort became the core
of the new Shenandoah National Park after the
National Park Service awarded the new concession
contract to VA Sky-Line Co. Inc. in 1937

The Big Meadows Lodge is listed on the National Register
of Historic Places featuring 25 rooms and 72 additional
cabins suites.

The main lodge was built from stones cut from the
Massanutten Mtns. and the interior structure of the lodge
is made from native chestnut trees which are
now virtually extinct.

In the past a few activities included Tea with the First Ladies:
Lou Hoover and Eleanor Roosevelt.
Me? Not so grand....I just had my picture taken with
the bear who greets each person coming through the door

Each lodge has nightly entertainment..
keeping with George's tradition.....
Local talent ranging from solo singers
with acoustic guitars to blue grass bands and
Shenandoah cloggers

If that doesn't appeal....get out and hike. We went
to the Limberlost trail and found many surprises along
the way.

In June the trail is lined with pink and white mountain
Laurel..

Benches are provided for a rest along the way

A scenic bridge spans the trail way

If you can't find a bench... find, as I did, an old hollowed
out stump and have a seat and gaze with the binoculars
for wildlife and birds..

You won't be disappointed!
I think they should make
the Indigo Bunting their official Park Bird because
we heard them everywhere and photographed them
in every setting..

Of course we saw Bear!! Beware though they
aren't as friendly as they appear.

Driving slowly would be the safe way to view the deer
as they walk along the sides of the road....
this one appears to be reading the sign, maybe she's
checking in.

At the end of your day as the temps drop and the cooler
air comes across the mountains... relax in front of
the stone fireplace at one of the Lodges.

Visit Shenandoah... It is a great place to be.

Next post we will explore the wildlife of Skyline Drive.

To God be The Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done

Oh Shenandoah..Blue Ridge Mountain Home

2010-06-15T08:57:00.019-04:00

Presenting another

jane & barbie
adventure

We traveled from PA to Front Royal Va
driving in and out of rain the whole trip

Arriving and paying our $15 for the privilege
of driving on Skyline Drive for 5-7 days

The lady Ranger was smiling as she extended
her welcome to Virginia's Skyline Drive..

Entering Shenandoah National Park...
and keeping our speed at 35 mph

As we begin the climb we see large rocks along
the road

If you look closely you will see tiny purple wildflowers

among the lush green foliage

Look even closer and you will notice the ferns growing
right out of the cracks in the rocks

Further along the stone wall lines the edge of the road

and the sky just opens up and the blue streams through
the white fluffy clouds

Like gravity pulling on us we must stop and
capture the breath taking views of the valley below

Be prepared to shift into low gear and

if you are driving an RV make sure you will clear

Mary's Rock Tunnel just south of Thornton Gap

As we travel up and down Skyline Drive overlook signs will
beckon you to stop and look and enjoy

None of them will leave you disappointed...

Each view as beautiful as the last

Picturesque

Along the road you will see the white ox eye daisy

In the wooded areas a plant I believe is named
'fly poison' or 'stagger grass'. It is toxic to animals if ingested

Lance leaf Coreoposis

A fuzzy Bumble bee enjoying a pink clover

Wild strawberry with it's delicate white flower

Early morning is a good time to see the mist rising
from the valley up the mountain

A change in weather gives way to more mist
and beautiful photo shoot

yellow Sulphur on a pink Mountain Laurel

Swallowtail butterfly tasting a purple thistle

We finally arrive at our destination....
Skyland Lodge

Room with a view..
Just in time to see the sun go down

It was a beautiful day... from morning until night.

To God be The Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done

One liners..............

2010-06-06T14:45:00.015-04:00

I'll be leaving for a short vacation so I went through the computer

and cleaned out my picasa files and organized...and found
a few funny pictures for one liners.....

mmm mmmm good!

Please take my picture... get the flowers behind me too

I've got a 'leg up' on this job

Outta my space Robin!

Geronimo!!!

This stuff is making me sick

This is my Lion face..

Picture perfect.

color clash.

Mom! I can't find the door

First hummer sighting

Bringin' home the bacon, (bug)

That's all folks!!

Orange you glad you stopped by?

To God be The Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done

Majestic...

2010-05-31T19:58:00.014-04:00

On the way to see this thing my friend told me was 'majestic'
I saw a small deer in the road...

As I came closer I can see it's a young buck with some
horns sprouting up

A little further up the road I see a doe...

She probably had a fawn hidden somewhere as cautious
as she was acting...but I didn't see it

Now, 'majestic' will mean different things to everyone and
when I came upon the natural gas well that was being
burned off... I said ok.... maybe when it gets darker..
I did notice you could smell the gas burning and hear
the roar of the fire.

I continued a short distance and encountered this sign

Turning down the road I saw what the sign thinks is
'majestic'

An Elk farm with elk grazing in the field.

I looked around and was not seeing 'majestic' through
my lens..yet

until....

I spotted this Bull Elk closer to the fence and holding
his 'majestic' rack high

His rack is in velvet and beautiful...

Turning his head and flaring his nostrils I can tell he has
gotten wind of me along the fence

Coming back to the gas well.... I see it's getting darker and
the moon has shown it's face in the right side of the sky

My friend had told me it looked like a giant torch like the
Statue of Liberty would hold... well, maybe but....
the Bull Elk was the picture of majesty for me

And this country church with the turbines in the background
on the mountain was majesty

There was beauty in the sky and majesty in what the
Lord had made

As the moon was rising in the sky I was headed home
having had a lesson in what is "Majestic" .

To God be The Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done

Just when you were sure......

2010-05-29T09:14:00.010-04:00

Never say NEVER!!

Yesterday afternoon at work... about 2 o'clock I walked outside
to water a few potted plants and low and behold I thought
I heard the Killy killy killy call of a Kestrel.
I looked over into the tree where they USED to always sit
and low and behold there was none other than a Kestrel.

I ran upstairs to my office and grabbed my camera...yes!
I always have it with me. and started shooting through
the rather old blue tinted windows of the Historic Building
where our funeral home is located.

I found when I got home that I could crop much better with
the DSLR than the old Sony H50 and retain some detail.

Soon the Male landed on the top of the building

and the crop did confirm it was the male.

As she waited in the tree he flew away and soon....

He was back carrying a mouse in his talons....
Looks like a courting gesture to me...but
let's wait and see.
Click to see the mouse...

Quality of these pictures suffer when taken through windows
and really far away, but hopefully if they nest I will have
opportunity to get close up and personal.

To God be The Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done

The Missing Kestrels....

2010-05-22T09:06:00.009-04:00

Some of you have inquired about the Kestrels lately.
I wanted to let you know that they are gone. Where?
I surely do not know...

So, no sweet young baby out of the nest acting like
a brat and calling for mom.

no darling little face trying out legs and flexing his wings

No dad in the top of the tree exercising his muscles

Not one but three babies on the ledge at the site of the
nest hole (click for a closer look)

No fledgling tree with babies all over it...

No play time on the antennae on the rooftopNo mom watching every move that anything makes

Instead.... on March 9th I saw both Kestrels in the top
of the leafless tree outside work

On March 10th I caught a glimpse of both on the pole on
the rooftoop... not clear or detailed... this was before
the new camera!

Mom was calling

and Dad came to the answer..... but

sadly I never saw the female again. The male hung
out on the building for a few more days and was gone.

Maybe something happened to the female... and the male
moved on. I'll be watching again next year...
Thank you for inquiring..

To God be the Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done

A Step up for me

2010-05-17T21:22:00.010-04:00

With my best friends prodding I broke down and bought my first DSLR...
a Pentax K-x.

I had been using a Sony H50 point and shoot...
I was accustomed to using Manuel settings so it wasn't
too hard to make the change to a DSLR. the one thing
that I wanted to do is capture birds in flight. So I sought
help and practice from the many Blue Jays in my yard.

OK you heard her.... Lets give her a show...
So she can try out that nice new camera

Wheeee I'm a glidder

Wind me up and get me going

Look out below.. I'm coming in

just catching some air

Oops.. I'm banking for a landing

Looking like a hummingbird

Getting those feet down is the tricky part

I was amazed at how this camera stopped the action....

followed the bird through the flight

and captured the moment

This is my Indian dance.... feathers all a -flow

Now for the real test with a real BIF adventure. I met
Birdgirl at the lake and the Osprey came by....

I caught him coming in throuigh the clouds

flying over head I locked on

If you click you will see it has a fish in its talons

I think I should have gotten a DSLR a long time ago.
I was always afraid I would not be able to learn how
to use it. Thanks to my friend for finding me this
gem of a camera!!

To God be The Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done

A Flash of Red,,,,,,

2010-05-13T22:06:00.012-04:00

Of all the birds in the yard the ones with red are my favorites.
Whether it is the Rose-breasted Grosbeak.....

With that beautiful red V on his chest..

Or the bright red head of the Red-bellied Woodpecker
I am always looking for the 'flash of red'
But on this day when I was playing around with the
settings on my new camera.. I was trying to see if
I liked the red bright, vibrant, or just natural.....

I moved to another window to get a better shot of the Red
belly and saw a flash of red on a faraway tree....

I was just amazed and just started clicking away giving my
settings no thought at all...

I had not seen a Pileated Woodpecker in my yard but once
in 20 years.

He flew from the tree right into the yard and started to
hop around on the fresh cut stumps

I tried to tone down the vibrant red from the wrong camera
setting by reducing the saturation in picasa...but

That big beautiful head was about as bright red as it could get

No matter that the red was really red and green was
well..... really green, I was thrilled to get these pictures
of a coveted bird in my yard.

He hopped from stump to stump

not aware of me at the window....

Only in the Spring can you see these amazing things
right in your own back yard...

To God be the Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done

Finding the Baby Wrens....

2010-05-11T17:46:00.013-04:00

So devotedly birds tend to their young in the nest, and so

intuitively they gently nudge them to flight.

When I arrived home on Monday I knew it was way too quiet.
Before I looked I was sure the baby wrens were gone.
They were.
So I decided to find them. I went out on the porch and
listened and sure enough I could hear the parents calling
and singing . I followed the bird song and it took me behind
my tool shed and into the thicket.

It is overgrown and lush green back there with lots of bushes
and wild purple phlox growing.

I couldn't resist taking a picture of purple against the green.

It didn't take long to find mom and dad.. it looked like they
were discussing what to do next.

A short distance away in the middle of a mess of tangled
sticks and limbs were two of the babies.

The one of the right was doing ok, but the the other was having
a really hard time getting upright and turning around

Notice how hard he is holding onto the limb. It must be
scary to come from the nest to a high open limb.

He finally gets turned around and you can clearly see the
white eye stripe on both babies.

If you click you will be able to see the fuzzy white down on
top of the baby's head on the left

Mom came flying in to check me out and protect her precious
cargo hanging on in the bushes.

Then I spotted another one .. he looked like he was napping

Opening his eyes he turns toward me.

Don't you just wish you knew what they were thinking?

Then he gives me the straight on 'mad wren' look.

Another one was in the direction of the sun streaming in...
My settings were all wrong, but I got a couple bad shots.
Look how short and stubby the tails are. Not the typical
adult straight up in the air perky tail your used to.

Before I left I told them to come for meal worms ......

As soon as I got back to the house I heard the male calling
at the window...I scooped up some meal worms
stuck my hand out of the window
and there he was ..

I'm hoping the babies will come too... We will see.

To God be the Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done

Wren Update...

2010-05-10T10:20:00.012-04:00

The first Baby Picture

Tiny but looking for food. Taken on April 27th

The next photograph is taken on May 2nd. .. 6 days later
Wow how they grow

This photo is taken on Mothers Day May 9th...
That's 13 days later and they are now looking like
Wrens and about ready to fledge .. 14 days they say.

My goal was to hand feed these cute noisy little birds...
Having hope but not much expectation I proceeded to
feed them meal worms on the stump next to the tank.

I watched as the 'poop' came out and

the food went in.

Mr. with his broken beak liked to sit on this 12 foot
snag in my yard and sing to his hearts content.

One day as I watched it had been raining and he was looking
a little unkempt...and just sat there hunkered down.... then

He laid his cute little head down. He was probably exhausted
from all that feeding of 5 babies.

They were already used to me giving them meal worms...
but wouldn't come to my hand when I sat out there
so I had to think of a way to get them close to me...
I took a small decorative ladder and positioned
it out of the window and put a upside down flower pot
on it and there little white bowl with worms.

They immediately took the bait... no pun intended and so I went
to the next step and extended my arm out with worms in
my cupped hand.

I put my camera on the tripod and set it for movie
and waited... about 30 seconds later they came...
Check out the video below.(next post down) I was so happy and
can't wait to see if I can feed the babies when they
fledge in the same manner.

To God be the Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done

Finally.... hand feeding the Wrens

2010-05-10T10:05:00.004-04:00

Mamas are sooo great.....

2010-05-09T18:32:00.005-04:00

To God be the Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done

Eastern Towhee

2010-05-05T13:54:00.006-04:00

Eastern Towhees are birds of undergrowth and often the only
picture you get is through the leaves and sticks. Be on the look
out for this rusty color sparrow size bird accented with black.

They can be found on forest edges or
in scrubby backyards or thickets. Since I cut trees
and have piles of brush I am seeing more of these kinds
of birds.

Their large white tail feathers can be observed when they
scratch in the leaves or skim over the grass for food

They will drink from water bowls or bird baths

I was thrilled to see the female E. Towhee one day in the
tree.

and then both of them together on the ground foraging for food

Towhees eat many foods: seeds, fruits, insects, spiders,
millipedes, centipedes, and snails, as well as soft
leaf and flower buds in spring and also wheat
corn and oats.

I found that putting corn on the stumps brought them
out of the underbrush into the yard where I could
get a closer look

I noticed when the female showed up the male was constantly
chasing her around and then I read this is part of the courtship.
Then.. one after noon I got to see a little 'splendor in the grass' from
the rufous sided couple. click for a closer look.

Their call is a shrill 'drink your tea' or a short 'drink' drink' drink'

Thrilled I am to have Mr. & Mrs. Eastern Towhee in my
backyard. Wonder if they have a nest?

To God be the Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done

Third Time is the Charm!!

2010-04-27T12:22:00.015-04:00

My pair of Carolina Wrens built a nest in the propane

tank two years in a row and both nests having failed they
came back and tried it again. These feisty loud little
birds are known to nest in strange places....well yea this
is strange. I find myself saying.. the wrens are
out back in the tank!

On the 19th of April I popped the lid and found 5 oval
grayish white eggs speckled reddish brown. I waited
until yesterday to look again figuring she would lay one
more egg before sitting.

The tank is outside my bedroom window and every morning
starting about 5:30 I can hear that crazy wren.....
"chirr-up chirr-up.. chirr -up"

or
"tea kettle tea kettle tea kettle"
The Male is the only one who sings and sings
LOUD.. The Female does not sing.

I watch as he sits on my pump case and scope for
bugs in the grass.

They will visit the feeders but usually to scratch around
and look for insects there, I do not see them eating seeds.

I can usually find him on one of the freshly cut billets
which is close to the 'tank'

or hop skipping around the feeders
On this day he was bouncing from feeder to feeder

standing on top and looking up

I knew what he wanted cause I could see the whole picture

He wanted on top so he could look for insects among
the seeds on the platform feeder..

The squirrel wouldn't budge and so he gave up

and went behind the wishing well obviously to pout!
Just the way he was walking he reminded me of a
toddler who was miffed.

Am I crazy, or this wren's bill broken? I looked at pictures
of other wrens and their bills are the same length both
top and bottom.

Back to this morning when I popped the lid on the tank....
I saw a bug being carried into the tank and only assumed
the male was feeding his missus who was sitting on the eggs.

So after he was gone.. I walked right over and lifted the lid
gasp gasp... Oh My Gosh!

Was I ever surprised to see babies. They had all hatched
while I was waiting for more eggs to be laid.

I guess the "Third Time is the Charm"

Happy Happy Birthday Baby Wrens .. all 5 of you!

Keep singing you happy little guy... you have a lot to
sing about. How happy I am for you...

and LOOK who showed up yesterday starving for food!
My Rose breasted Grosbeak..
God Is Good..

To God be the Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done

The Attraction of the Pink Bowl...

2010-04-23T12:09:00.012-04:00

Since cutting all the trees I have stumps now to use for whatever purpose
I can come up with. I set the Pink bowl on one and forgot about it.
It rained and caught a little water and then................

It seems every time I looked out I saw a different bird
drinking from the bowl..so I started to take pictures of them
The Male Cardinal clashes with his bright red colors

White -throated Sparrows love the 'brush piles' cutting the
trees created and they are thirsty little buggers too

I was more than thrilled to see the Eastern Towhee... have
many more pictures for you later of him and his pretty little
mate.

The Blue of Mr. Blue Jay looks good against the pink bowl

Squirrel sneaks a drink in between birds

He catches me with the camera and says" Hey!
whatcha lookin at?"

Water is essential to attracting more birds to the yard.
I have a small pond with a pump that recirculates
the water. Nothing like running water to bring the
birds in. When I saw this Sparrow down in the very
low water it reminded me I needed to turn on the pump
and add some more water.

"A little more water here please..."

"Do you think I look fat drying my feathers this way?"

"Ahhhh this is more like it.. the shower is acutally working

Mrs. Cardinal came over to see what the fussing was about

She was loving the sprinkles of water coming out

See another White throated Sparrow waiting his turn?

Pretty in the Lilacs after her bath

Mr. Groundhog comes out to see if he can fit into the pond...

Nope! But I left some corn on another stump just for him.

Everything in the yard has possibilities for wildlife...
take advantage of it as best you can.

To God be the Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done...

Photo of the Day!!

2010-04-19T09:50:00.006-04:00

I was driving back from Curves feeling a little blue......
and, God knew just what to put in my line of vision.
Enjoy!

To God be The Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done

Wildwood Park, Harrisburg PA

2010-04-17T11:38:00.015-04:00

As I arrived at Wildwood and started my walk on the
nearest path I was surprised and impressed by the Dogwood
that was already in bloom.

The petals were so beautiful I just had to take a few shots.
I was reminded of the Legend of the Dogwood:

Blossoms like the cross.
As blood stains the petals marked in brown
The blossom's center wears a thorny crown.
All who see it will remember Me (Jesus)

Crucified on a cross from the dogwood tree.

It was mid afternoon and pretty quiet as I walked along

Looking out over the wet lands I was seeing little wildlife
but the sky held beauty in it's fluffy white clouds and
the earth as it turned green surrounding the water
whispered peaceful serenity to me.

Two ducks were lazily sleeping on a piece of driftwood

A male Mallard fishing for unknown tidbits

Something small out there on that log....

It's a turtle catching a few rays

I came upon a pair of sleeping Wood ducks

Later I caught the awakening..

and each departure into the water.. first the Male

and then the female

I had been seeing swallows flying above the water
hoping to snag an insect for lunch.. too fast and
far away for my camera to capture..but

When one landed nearby on a dead branch I was able to
get it! I believe this is a Rough winged Swallow.

Of course the proverbially Canadian Goose was present

Lily pads were starting to grow and in a month
the yellow flowers will fill the water and be gorgeous

As I was preparing to leave I saw something big and white
come flying in.. Yep! A white Egret

I left it there ....
standing on long skinny black legs grooming it's feathers

and I praised the Lord for some solitude and peaceful
moments in the midst of a day that was laden with stress.

To God be The Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done

Spring Blooms and Bird songs....

2010-04-13T19:57:00.009-04:00

The day the Lord created hope was probably the
same day he created Spring.
Bern Williams

From out of nowhere, tiny white blooms appear on green stems

The Birds sit on branches and tweet and twitter

Forsythia opens it's sunny face to the wind

and I must say - toooo early, the fragrant lilac is springing
to life and smelling divine

The Carolina Wren lifts it's voice to the sky to impress
it's mate whose nestled in it's nest listening

Spring is a careful artist who paints each flower

with delicate workmanship.
Roger Wray

The first visitor of Spring, the Robin pauses to listen
for a meal passing by

The Jay watches the yard for predators and screams
when one is found

As I fly down the highway ...
Redbud colors both sides along the way

and.....
I am reminded of God's Goodness by the bright green of the grass
and the colorful flowers and trees.

Spring Projects

2010-04-06T09:56:00.007-04:00

Our house is flanked by Walnut trees. As much as I hate
cutting trees, this was way over due. Two trees so far
have ended up falling in wind storms....one causing
damage to my house and porch.

So! I rounded up some guys and some equipment and
and we had a real 'wood cutting' party

The end results looked a little bare....but now I won't have
to rake walnuts until my arms fall off, or clean my sidewalk
that gets stained black from the little buggers.

We left the trees that lined the perimeter of the property

and cut all the ones in between. A
Spring project that was long
overdue....

Another Spring project... 3rd year in a row is
the gas tank occupation.

Pop the top and you will see the nest being build.

I don't know why... but here they are again trying to make a go
of this nest in the tank. Last year the gas man threw it out..
so I called and asked them not to come until June this year.
Year before that the babies were born and all died..
So! Maybe the third time will be the charm.

Let's hope so. My Carolina Wren sure is happy singing his courting song.

To God be The Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done