Nature Note #105: Adventures in Pennsylvania: Camera Noveau
As I come to know this small corner of Pennsylvania over the next two months or so, I decided last weekend that enough was enough and that while my iPhone could try with all its might to take good photos, it didn't actually compare to a good digital camera. So last Saturday, I returned from a nearby Best Buy with a Canon Power Shot SX510 and started shooting.
While my first and foremost love of the natural world is rooted in bird life, I tried to take some photos of other things to get a feel for the landscape as well. Ultimately though, I took mainly bird photos and that's what I'll be sharing here.
I got the chance to visit Peace Valley Park in New Britain, PA for a third time this past weekend. The main reason for my visit was to try and seek out a Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) that had been spotted near Angler's Pier on the NW side of Galena Lake. As bad luck would have it, the bird didn't appear before me, so I took photos of other, more common subjects. Despite the roller coaster temperatures, spring's arrival this past weekend was welcomed with an appropriately warm day, sunny skies, and a light breeze. The lake, which had been frozen the previous weekend, had thawed and was looking beautiful. While watching the distant mergansers and gulls on the other side, I also spied my F.O.Y. (first of the year) Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) soaring over the distant shore.
White-throated Sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis) and Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodia) scuttled through the dry leaves chirping away as I past. I love white throats because of their bold head and wing patterns and their interesting color morphs of white stripe and tan stripe. These are not a means of sexual dimorphism, but can spell intriguing results when the two different color forms breed. White stripes tend to be more aggressive than tan stripes, but both can be present in the same nest. If you want to learn more, you should check out the All About Birds website provided by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology here.
An oriole nest hung abandoned in the branches of a lake shore tree. Its exquisite construction was apparent even after having been abandoned months ago. It really is amazing the amount of attention to detail that birds give to these precious homes in the spring and summer, only to leave them to the elements when they migrate or fledge. There's something very zen about that I feel.
Black birds of all kinds flock here. Crows cawed over the woodlands, grackles creak and groan in the park trees, and a silent observer in the form of a Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) soared overhead.
Some Mourning Doves (Zenaida macroura) primped and preened on a nearby branch, allowing me to zoom in and take some close photos of their ruffled feathers in the sun's fading light. I also got to see how the cooing noise they make was performed, as a nearby male broke into song with a full throat and warm sounding tones.
Saturday wasn't the only day I took photos. Yesterday afternoon I decided to take a walk around the grounds after work and I took my camera with me as well. The Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) might as well be the state bird as they are everywhere and their honking cries can be heard both day and night, trumpeting their wild fear deep into one's ears. One has to be poetic when all you can hear is the cacophony made by those damn birds day in and day out!
Plenty of songbirds make their home here whether it be songsters like cardinals or wrens or the vociferous Blue Jays (Cyanocitta cristata), but with the coming spring warmth, cold, and everything in between, American Robins (Turdus migatorius) are there to remind us that it will come eventually. Hopefully. Maybe...
While I was heading back to my lodgings, I hear a cackling cry come from the nearby woods. I followed to sound to a tree where a 2nd year immature Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) sat stock still. We watched each other and as I strained for a second shot, it decided to flee. Just then I heard a bell-like noise in the trees nearby. I looked about frantically but found myself drawn to a nearby pine. My eyes eventually focused on a Blue Jay that was sitting in the tree. It was pretty well camouflaged with its white belly and black neck stripe facing me. It blended right in with the branches of the pines. It had made the bell-like sound, probably in response to the Cooper's Hawk nearby, but I wasn't really sure.
So with new camera in hand, I hope to take many more photos of the local bird life, wildlife, and other points of interest during my stay in Pennsylvania. I hope you all will enjoy it as well.
While my first and foremost love of the natural world is rooted in bird life, I tried to take some photos of other things to get a feel for the landscape as well. Ultimately though, I took mainly bird photos and that's what I'll be sharing here.
I got the chance to visit Peace Valley Park in New Britain, PA for a third time this past weekend. The main reason for my visit was to try and seek out a Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) that had been spotted near Angler's Pier on the NW side of Galena Lake. As bad luck would have it, the bird didn't appear before me, so I took photos of other, more common subjects. Despite the roller coaster temperatures, spring's arrival this past weekend was welcomed with an appropriately warm day, sunny skies, and a light breeze. The lake, which had been frozen the previous weekend, had thawed and was looking beautiful. While watching the distant mergansers and gulls on the other side, I also spied my F.O.Y. (first of the year) Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) soaring over the distant shore.
White-throated Sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis) and Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodia) scuttled through the dry leaves chirping away as I past. I love white throats because of their bold head and wing patterns and their interesting color morphs of white stripe and tan stripe. These are not a means of sexual dimorphism, but can spell intriguing results when the two different color forms breed. White stripes tend to be more aggressive than tan stripes, but both can be present in the same nest. If you want to learn more, you should check out the All About Birds website provided by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology here.
An oriole nest hung abandoned in the branches of a lake shore tree. Its exquisite construction was apparent even after having been abandoned months ago. It really is amazing the amount of attention to detail that birds give to these precious homes in the spring and summer, only to leave them to the elements when they migrate or fledge. There's something very zen about that I feel.
Black birds of all kinds flock here. Crows cawed over the woodlands, grackles creak and groan in the park trees, and a silent observer in the form of a Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) soared overhead.
Some Mourning Doves (Zenaida macroura) primped and preened on a nearby branch, allowing me to zoom in and take some close photos of their ruffled feathers in the sun's fading light. I also got to see how the cooing noise they make was performed, as a nearby male broke into song with a full throat and warm sounding tones.
Saturday wasn't the only day I took photos. Yesterday afternoon I decided to take a walk around the grounds after work and I took my camera with me as well. The Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) might as well be the state bird as they are everywhere and their honking cries can be heard both day and night, trumpeting their wild fear deep into one's ears. One has to be poetic when all you can hear is the cacophony made by those damn birds day in and day out!
Plenty of songbirds make their home here whether it be songsters like cardinals or wrens or the vociferous Blue Jays (Cyanocitta cristata), but with the coming spring warmth, cold, and everything in between, American Robins (Turdus migatorius) are there to remind us that it will come eventually. Hopefully. Maybe...
While I was heading back to my lodgings, I hear a cackling cry come from the nearby woods. I followed to sound to a tree where a 2nd year immature Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) sat stock still. We watched each other and as I strained for a second shot, it decided to flee. Just then I heard a bell-like noise in the trees nearby. I looked about frantically but found myself drawn to a nearby pine. My eyes eventually focused on a Blue Jay that was sitting in the tree. It was pretty well camouflaged with its white belly and black neck stripe facing me. It blended right in with the branches of the pines. It had made the bell-like sound, probably in response to the Cooper's Hawk nearby, but I wasn't really sure.
So with new camera in hand, I hope to take many more photos of the local bird life, wildlife, and other points of interest during my stay in Pennsylvania. I hope you all will enjoy it as well.
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