Birdsnsky

June 15 2011: Killer Deer or a case of Mistaken Identity?--on the Blue Ridge Parkway

2011-06-17T16:55:00.001-04:00

This is my craziest outdoor experience I've ever had!

On Wednesday the 15th of June, my wife, cocker spaniel, and I arrived at the Peaks of Otter Campground, Milepost 85, on the Virginia Blue Ridge Parkway. We found a level campground site and parked our RV on Loop "T'. The campground is lush with quite a forest canopy and ferns and grasses everywhere. The deer here are quite used to people and generally don't run away when approached.

After dinner, about 8:30pm--just about sunset--I began walking my 28 lb golden red cocker spaniel (Murphy) around the RV campground. By the time we were walking along the upper loop light was gone; I spied a large, dark, stationary object ahead, on the right edge of the road by the leaves. My first reaction was that I had encountered a bear, but when I turned on my flashlight and pointed it at the object, I saw a large young female deer.

She was undeterred by the flashlight, so we slowly walked towards her, on the left side of the road. Her eyes followed us continually, until we were alongside of her. Murphy tugged at the leash to get closer, but I was wary of getting within the distance of her hooves. She didn't flinch or move.

I continued walking past her, but I kept my head turned towards her as I felt a little unsettled by this event. After she had followed us with her eyes and head for an arc of 180 degrees, I finally turned my back to her and continued walking Murphy.

Suddenly, I hear thundering hooves on the paved roadway, and the female deer rushes past us, dashing into the woods, and getting ahead of us--she then turns around and faces us! I've never experienced anything like this and am scared as to what this deer's intentions are.

I turn my flashlight onto her face and just watch her watching us, for about 30 seconds. I decide that this is not the time to continue walking this looppast here and instead take a left turn and head down a small path to the lower loop, all the while facing her and pointing my flashlight in her face.

When I get half way down the small path, the deer has not followed us any further--and I hear the voice of a fellow female camper who had observed all of this, asking me if the deer had won? I replied 'yes' and returned to my RV.

Below is the picture of my 28 lb cocker spaniel Murphy--do you think that I had encountered a killer deer, or do you think that the female deer thought that Murphy was a tiny fawn?

March 19 2011 Supermoon Viewing

2011-03-26T20:06:00.000-04:00

This was a perfect night to view the Supermoon--the closest the full moon was for the last 18 years! The trees near the horizon were leafless, and the temperature was mild.

My wife set me up with a spectacular viewing set-up: a pair of Oberwerk 15 x 70 big binoculars on a Universal Astronomics tripod and parallelogram-balanced viewing assembly--which means I could view the moon for minutes at a time effortlessly instead of just for seconds hand held.

Add to this a special reclining chair meant for sky watching, and it doesn't get any better than this! Below is the setup on my deck!

From my Canon DSLR on a tripod with a 300mm lens with a 2x extender, I was able to capture this image!

Finally, while I was walking my dog and carrying a small Canon point and shoot camera, I took this handheld shot just to show that I did I see this moon in its "Great Pumpkin" mode:

Dec 31 2010: Walk around Hidden Pond Nature Center Park

2011-01-01T19:26:00.002-05:00

Every year right around New Year I visit a local park to check out the birds, plants, water and ice, and whatever else is evident.

This year I chose Hidden Pond Nature Center, a park less than two miles away--part of the Fairfax County (Va.) park system.

Today, the temperature was in the low 50's--quite balmy for the end of December. I started at the Nature Center and then wandered around the various trails, finishing at the caretaker's home.

This white breasted nuthatch was moving quickly along a tree along the perimeter of the pond--I was fortunate to catch this view of it!

Two items of note: I experimented with a Canon Power Shot SD 4000 IS Digital Elyph camera for the first time--Steve Ingraham recommends it for use with Zeiss spotting scopes; I thought I'd give it a try in a conventional manner. Second, I wore a pair of NEOS overshoes through the muddy trails--these were a Christmas present from my wife. These are awesome! Excellent tread; they fit over my regular shoes--and are waterproof, as high as below my knee. There'll be a picture below.

This white breasted nuthatch was moving quickly along a tree along the perimeter of the pond--I was fortunate to catch this view of it!

This tufted titmouse was the next bird I saw.

The pond was slightly frozen and snow covered.

I found several patterns that caught my attention:

When I walked the trails and stream below the pond, I came across ice:

Crystals:

A nice ice block:

Finally, a faux ice floe:

A spillway below the pond provided me with some nice images:

I particularly like the pattern just upstream of the drop:

There were interesting dead wood and reflections in the pond:

The next one makes me think about a small petrified dinosaur:

I found some dried leaves that caught my attention:

It was so warm that even a small bee came out to some grasses that were in the sunlight:

My Powershot SD 4000 camera has an interesting feature: built-in means to create fish-eye lens effect.

I first tried it on the pond:

Then I tried it on a large picnic table--before:

and after:

The neat NEOS Overshoes, acquired through Arthus Morris' on-line store--great for getting around in marshes, muddy trails, and fording small streams--a great Christmas present from my wife! Note the velcro flap enclosures running the length of the overshoe!

I visited the caretaker's cottage--and I saw that someone had a sense of humor: I saw a half dozen pair of boot and sneakers thrown over tree limbs in the back yard--this is one of six!

Finally, here is what the sky looked like when I started into the park--a glorious day!

November 21 2010 Appalachian Trail, Greenbrier State Park to Annapolis and Black Rocks, Md.

2010-11-26T17:40:00.001-05:00

My sister and are re-starting out hiking adventures again--the last one was on the A-Trail in Md. from Washington Monument State Park to Greenbrier State Park and return.

So we drove to Greenbrier State Park just outside of Boonsboro, Md., off of US Rt 40, the old National Pike. It was a nice day for November: low 50's at the height of the day with winds along the ridge and little wind down below. Link to description of the features of the Greenbrier State Park

The Visitor Center had just opened, and we were able to talk to the ranger there about the trails and pick up a map. We started the trip hiking up the steep Bartram Hill Trail connector to the A-Trail. The Bartram is well blazed but completely filled with leaves, which hid the trail.

From this sign, we could see that we were somewhere close to the middle of the A-Trail. 40 miles of it runs through Md.


My sister Amy

We had two destinations as we headed north: a local attraction called the Annapolis Rock and then a little further, Black Rock. The total round trip distance for our hiking was 9.25 miles--quite a nice hike!

View of covered path over I-70

The general area we were hiking on was generally called South Mountain.

The National Road crossed over I-70 and also provided an alternate trail head to begin the hike:

The trail is wide and well maintained. We encountered several Boy Scout groups and a number of families. A number of happy dogs were also out and about. The most interesting one was a young pit bull, who carried an 8' log in her mouth as she went up the trail. At her owner's request, she willingly dropped it as she approached us.

When we got to Annapolis Rock, several people were setting up their ropes to repel down.

Nice view of the rock out croppings

While this location provided a view of both Greenbrier State Park (and its lake) plus the Cumberland Valley to the west, the skies were hazy:

A mile beyond Annapolis Rock to the north, we came to Black Rock. This was a great place to have our lunch.

After lunch, we hiked back to our car without a break, traveling just over 4.5 miles in two hours. Going south was mostly downhill, so it was easier.

Next spring we are thinking about hiking from Gathland State Park just to the south to Weverton Cliffs, a setting just prior to descending down to Harper's Ferry, WV.

Late October 2010 Trip to Pearland, Texas

2010-10-28T19:58:00.002-04:00

My wife and I drove down to Pearland Tx., just south of Houston, to see our daughter.

She lives in a planned community (Shadow Creek Ranch)--which has miles and miles of paved multi-use walking trails and paths. The big bonus? Shorebirds!

The neighborhoods have many flood control waterways, which now have tall marsh grasses and water, perfect for year round and possibly migratory birds.

While there for several days, I saw White Ibis, Great and White Egrets, Great and Blue Heron, Killdeer, a plover-like bird, dark ducks, mockingbirds, red birds, and even a pair of osprey. These are the types of birds I associate with driving to Virginia and Maryland's Eastern Shore! And this for walking just 5 - 10 minutes!

The killdeer squacked until late at night

Little Egret in flight

Egret departing; Ibis arriving

Great Blue Heron with two Ibis--one Ibis has a dark shellfish in its mouth!

Killdeer

Plover-like bird

Great White Heron

Egret in flight--urban setting!

Two ducks visiting

Egret and many Ibis feeding together

Little Blue Heron with a Great White Heron

Egret in flight

Urban setting--in flight

I can't wait to go back!

Astrophotography for 2010 with Update

2010-09-26T16:15:00.002-04:00

Update: On October 8, I set up on my deck again to view Jupiter, and I was able to see Jupiter AND all 4 of its moons:

The year 2010 has been a good year for taking pictures of the stars and planets.

I have accepted that I live in an urban setting just west of Washington DC--and that I live in a sort of 'hole', with no access to the horizon for good sun rise/moon rise or good sun set/moon set. Light pollution is prevalent in the north and easterly direction, often extending from the horizon to 30 degrees above the horizon--independent of any moisture in the air, creating haze.

The collection of pictures you'll see were all taken in my neighborhood--primarily from my backyard deck but also from the street out front.

My typical equipment setup is a Manfrotto carbon fiber tripod, a Kirk Enterprises ball head, a Canon T1i digital SLR running at higher ISO's (800 - 6400), 1.4 and 2x Kenko Extenders, and a Canon 300mm lens for long shots and a Canon 17 - 85mm lens for wide angle views.

Near the spring equinox in March, I captured a crescent moon:

The next major stellar event occurred in late June and early July, when Venus, the star Regulus, Mars, and Saturn all lined up, from low in the NW sky to higher in the Western Sky. Later in July (I checked on the 15th), this line was broken and no longer straight.

My western skies view is blocked by backkyard trees that have grown over the years. After walking around the neighborhood for several blocks to find a good view, I realized that my next door neighboor had a full view of the western sky. So, on the 4th of July--while neighborhood fireworks were being set off--I set up my camera in his back yard and fought off the gnats and mosquitoes during the ~ 20 second multiple exposures. This is what I go to see:

From L to R, Saturn, Mars, Regulus, and Venus

In late August, I had a great view of the Big Dipper from my front yard. Normally I don't look for the Big Dipper until winter, but since the view was there and there was some visibility, I decided to shoot it. Note how the camera and lens were able to resolve the double star in the Big Dippers' star that is second from the end of the handle.

In a series of four consecutive pictures, I discovered some type of "sky object" that looks like a comet and moves towards the NW as it dissipates. I checked in Starry Night Pro, it showed nor indicated any space objects--so I guess it was something man-made.

Open up this image and then look towards the center of the top to see a yellowish object.

On Thursday night the 23rd of September, I took advantage of a moon one day past Harvest State with a good view of Jupiter from my deck. I used my 300mm lens with the 2x extender plus Live View 10x to manually focus on Jupiter. Tonight only 3 out of the 4 moons were showing; the 4th was behind Jupiter itself.

The bonus for the night was that Uranus was also evident--a planet I thought I'd never be able to see! With my birding binoculars, I could see Uranus slightly above and to the left; Uranus appears as a fuzzy blue blob in the sky. I over-exposed Jupiter in order to capture Uranus.

Open up the image to see Uranus at the upper left.

There are three upcoming meteor showers left for the year: late October, mid-November, and mid-December. I hope to load up my RV with chairs, warm beverages, and cameras with extra batteries and drive up to Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park and stay at an overlook--perhaps Stony Man--and watch the meteor shower through the night--at least that is the plan!

Update to Kenko Extension Tube Use

2010-05-02T20:23:00.003-04:00

On Saturday, I decided to visit a neighbor who is a flower gardener--I love to visit her garden.

I decided to see what the affect would be on inserting a 12mm Kenko Extension Tube between the body of my Canon Rebel T1i and my Canon 17 - 85mm EF-S lens. This normally has a macro distance of ~8" to 18".

I found a violet "puffball" flower of approximately 3" in diameter and attempted to take a picture of it. I was unable to do so except under this condition:

17mm wide open, almost on top of the object (less than 0.5cm)--with no further magnification allowed. Any other scenario was totally blurred.

I'll continue to use my extension tubes with the longer 55mm - 250mm and 300mm lens--for which the tubes were really designed for.

January 23 2010: Experiment with Kenko Extension Tubes

2010-01-23T22:30:00.006-05:00

For several years, I have been curious about the use of Extension Tubes. Arthur Morris in his Birds As Art bulletins has used Extension Tubes with his telephoto lenses, occasionally with a teleconverter added to the stack.

For Christmas, I purchased a set of Kenko Extension Tubes in these sizes: 12mm, 20mm, and 36mm. These are straight tubes, with no glass or optics inside. They have the connections to allow for your AF functions to still work. I conducted an experiment to see what the effects and benefits were to their use. I used these sizes individually; they may be stacked for additional gain. I wanted to see how I might be able to use this lens for macro work.

Conditions: Canon Rebel Xsi body with a Canon 55 - 250mm IS EF-S lens on a tripod. I set the focal length to 100mm. Aperture was fixed at f/6.3. ISO = 800. Using ambient lighting from a nearby lamp. Used a 2 second delay to take the picture. Note, the closest distance to an object in this scenario is 1.1m or 3.6 feet. I used a Christmas ornament as my object.

Initial findings: as you increase the length of the tube and move closer to the object, you get an increased object size in exchange for requiring a longer shutter speed (less light).

This first shot is taken with no extension tube. Aperture is f/6.3 and shutter is 1/40 sec, and the distance from the hot shoe to the front of the object is 43.5".

This second shot is with the 12mm extension tube. Aperture is f/6.3, and the shutter is at 1/25 sec. The distance from hot shoe to object is now 39". Can't really see a benefit or improvement in object size.

This shot is taken with the 20mm extension tube. The aperture is f/6.3, and the shutter is now 1/20 sec. The distance from hot shoe to front of object is now 27". Note the signficant improvement in object size.

This shot is taken with the 36mm extension tube. Aperture is f/6.3, and the shutter speed is 1/8 sec. Note the greatly magnified object size. Distance from hot shoe to front of object is now just 18", compared to the earlier 43.5" with no tube.

Conclusion: Assuming that I have good lighting and possibly a tripod, I can use this technique to magnify object sizes. Note, that with extension tubes, they will fit my other telephoto lenses--unlike magnifiers placed on the front of the lens, which must match the size of the lens filter.

Next experiment will be with my 30mm lens, with and without a 1.4 teleconverter to see the benefits and restrictions of this combination.

Dec 14 2009: Green Spring Garden Park, Alexandria, va.

2010-01-23T20:45:00.006-05:00

Green Spring Garden Park in Alexandria, Va., is one of my favorite places to take pictures. This Fairfax County Park strives to have flowers and plants growing and visible year round. If freezing has already occurred, the greenhouse on the premises is also available.

I decided to pack my camera and stop by this Park on my way to work. These are the highlights of what I saw 10 days before Christmas. It was sunny with a light breeze. I stayed for about 30 minutes. Next time I'll check out the stream below.

I love the bright red pyracantha, with the old country house in the background.

A winter cabbage with last night's rain having beaded up.

A few berries are in bloom here.

Even with a recent freeze, this plant was reasonably intact.

I like the water droplets on this frozen rose.

I love "explosions in nature"

Another cabbage

I particularly like the texture and color of these leaves.

I like the look of grasses

More flowing, wispy grasses

Blue Ridge Parkway Mid-Sept 2009

2009-11-15T20:39:00.017-05:00

My wife and I pointed our RV down the Blue Ridge Parkway, starting at MP Zero, Rockfish Gap/ Afton Mountain in Va., just past the end of Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National Park, and heading south.

We camped at a succession of National Park campgrounds: Otter Creek, Peaks of Otter, and Roanoke Mountain. We thoroughly enjoyed the regional cooking served up at the Otter Creek restaurant and the lodge at the Peaks of Otter.

Below the Peaks of Otter put prior to Roanoke Mountain, we watched the Broad-Wing Hawk migration at Harvey's Knob, a well known hawk observatory in the area. We saw over a hundred broad wing hawks in an hour, starting at noon. The sky was too hazy to get a really good photograph of the swirling hawks. We did look for hawks at the Afton Mountain hawk watch site, but none were evident at that time.

The weather was balmy, 60 - 70 by day, and the 50's at night, requiring the furnace to turn on.

In the extreme uphill climb from the James River Visitor's Center--the lowest point on the Parkway to the Peaks of Otter via Apple Orchard Mountain (highest point on Parkway in Va.), we met a couple named Bob and Christina from the Research Triangle area of NC who were biking from Front Royal (start of Skyline Drive) in Va. to Mt Mitchell in NC, the highest point in North Carolina, a distance of 480 miles. We were able to provide them with some extra water as they steadily biked uphill.

This is a view of Otter Creek, passing under the Parkway

At Otter Creek Lake, we found two butterflies very attracted to a piece of apparently white bread.

Nearby, we found another, different butterfly
This dragonfly presented itself above the water's edge

This unusual butterfly was just sitting on the side of a nearby structure

While walking around Abbot Lake (Peaks of Otter Lodge), a very curious deer came over to see me. Her ears perked up when I spoke to her.

Near the Peaks of Otter, we discovered some thistle in bloom, attracting both bees and butterflies

On the fringe of Abbot Lake, I found these plants growing at the water's edge

The spiders were quite active at the Otter Creek Campground

An interesting pair of stumps

Some wildflowers at Otter Creek

A small collection of wildflowers not far from the creek

Along the Otter Creek Trail, I spied a spider's web

Some person(s) with a sense of humor stacked rocks on top of each other in Otter Creek. This recurred over a distance of half a mile

The Parkway offers up a fascinating variety of lichens and ferns, particularly north and south of Otter Creek.

More lichen with yellow wildflowers

This is a view of the James River Water Gap, with the James River Face Wilderness in the mountains there--along with the Appalachian Trail

This bridge underpass is accessible from the James River Visitor's Center. The US Highway passes overhead; this path will take you to a set of old locks

A short trail from the Visitor's Center passes by these rocks on the way to a view of the Water Gap

Just outside the Visitor's Center, some of the stone were deliberately set to resemble a buffaloe

Before the advent of the railroads and their progress to the Blue Ridge Mountains from Richmond, the James and Kanawha Canal paralleled the James River. This is one of the lock control mechanisms

This is a more complete view of a lock

These wildflowers were just above the locks

Adjacent wildflowers

A set of pretty yellow wildflowers, with the mountains by Buchanan in the background. James River bottom land in the foreground

Wildflowers seen on the Parkway

A view from the north of the Peaks of Otter

I see this flowering plant up on Skyline Drive, too

Bob and Christina, on their way to Mt Mitchell in NC

We stopped at an overlook called Thunder Ridge. These wildflowers were on the walkway to the overlook

This wildflowere really caught my attention, with the white and yellow together

A caterpillar enjoying this plant

More wildflowers enroute to overlook

While registering at the Peaks of Otter Campground, this deer came over to see us. When my wife talked to her--for several minutes--her ears perked up!

While walking along the lake (Abbot) trail, I saw these berries growing along the path

View of the lodge rooms, which all face Abbot Lake and Sharp Top Mountain. The tall mountain behind is called Mourning Hill

Sharp Top rising above Abbot Lake

At dusk and using ISO 6400 handheld, I captured this thistle on the Lake Trail

One more deer browsing along the Lake Trail; she was watching me carefully

Cape Henry Lighthouse and 1st Landing State Park (Va)

2009-08-29T21:09:00.011-04:00

On our way to Va's Eastern Shore, my wife and I decided to stay on the mainland side of the Bay: 1st Landing (Va) State Park, on Cape Henry.

This cape is outside the Hampton Roads/Chesapeake Bay area of Tidewater and sits on the Atlantic Ocean. This is the site where the first colonists from England stayed on their way to Jamestown, further upstream.

First Landing State Park is open year round. RV's get to park nestled in between the large sand dunes, right on the ocean!

This park is strategically poised right adjacent to Fort Story, which houses both the original Cape Henry Lighthouse (first in the US) and the newer, operational Cape Henry Lighthouse. In addition, you are just 5 minutes north of Va Beach, with its boardwalk and associated amenities. And, you are a short jump to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel going north on US Rt#13 to the Eastern Shore.

During our first evening in the RV, fog was setting in from the ocean just as we set up. We listened to (and occasionally saw the lights o ) the ships at anchor, who would cross over the Bay Bridge Tunnel on their way up the Bay.

Previous RV, nestled in the sand dunes

Map showing Cape Henry, plus start of Chesapeake Bay Bridge TunnelWalk to the beach from our camp site
View of nearby boardwalk to the beach
Ships waiting for a pilot before crossing over the Bay Bridge Tunnel

The current Cape Henry Lighthouse, located on the grounds of Fort Story

An interesting section of the lighthouse

Still foggy, a view Old Cape Henry Lighthouse

View looking up into the dome of lighthouse

Looking down from the top of the lighthouse. I like the lines here.

The afternoon sun began casting shadows.

One of the original set of buildings on Va Beach's boardwalk

More shadows as you look out into the Atlantic Ocean

I like these shadows, late in the afternoon

Dune grass

Ships are lining up for the next day's transit

Gorgeous sunset

Birding Trip to Cape Charles/ Eastern Shore of Va April 2008

2009-08-23T20:50:00.014-04:00

My wife and I spent several days birding on the Chesapeake Bay side of the Va Eastern Shore, focusing on Kiptopeke (Va) State Park and the town of Cape Charles. These two places are located at the very end of the Delmarva Penisula, just before your cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel to Va Beach.

We parked our RV at Kiptopeke State Park, which offers full hookups including sewer. Unfortunately, while the place has wonderful hiking and walking trails, fishing pier, and boat access, the park is operated by staff (and probably management) with a poor attitude. The men's bath house was disgusting...

A feature of this park is the collection of sunken "hulks" or old WW-II ships, which form an underwater reef below the surface and a place for birds to nest and congregate above the surface. I was told by a fisherman that when I got to the pier just before sunset, that I had just missed the dolphins swimming up the Bay. For any future trips, we will probably stay at a commercial campground such as Cherrystone or go further north to the town of Chincoteague and stay at the Maddox Family Campground.

Our last birding was on the rest area and restaurant on the final southern piling of the Bay Bridge Tunnel as you go south--that is where we got to see pelicans flying majestically as well as a rare, solitary mandarin duck.

Common Loon

Black Vulture greeting me on my way to the fishing pier

Common Loon, another view

Red breasted Merganser

Osprey with some nesting materials; an eagle knocked a fish out of its talons earlier

Male red-breasted merganser

Male and female red-breasted mergansers

Female red-breasted merganser

Osprey at the nest

Sunset over the hulks at Kiptopeke State Park, Chesapeake Bay

Deeper sunset

Birds against the sky

Sea gull against the sky

In-bound ducks

Unusual Mandarin Duck, as seen from the rest area on the Bay Bridge Tunnel

Pelicans passing by the rest area

Pelicans departing the rest area

Finally, some plovers

July 2009 Butterflies--and more-- on my Butterfly Shrub

2009-07-22T21:33:00.015-04:00

My Butterfly Shrub is in its 3rd year and has grown to 8' tall from its 4' trimmed height this spring. I have had a variety of butterflies appear in a short two week period, along with some bees and a pair of Hummingbird Moths. I've done my best to identify them! Enjoy.

Clouded Sulphur Butterfly

A skipper of some sort

Possibly a Peck's Skipper

Another view of the possible Peck's Skipper

Cabbage White Butterfly

Cabbage White Pair

Silver Spotted Skipper

Cabbage White Butterfly

European Skipper (on a neighbor's purple cone flower)

Black Swallowtail Butterfly

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

A Hummingbird Moth!

A second Hummingbird Moth

Honey Bee

Eastern Carpenter Bee (on neighbor's flowering plant)
Eastern Carpenter Bee

Honey Bee on neighbor's purple cone flower
Honey Bee

May 16 - 18 2009 Smith Mountain Lake State Park, Va.

2009-06-27T20:29:00.009-04:00

Heading, to Smith Mountain Lake was the start of our vacation--three days, two nights, mostly with rain...Smith Mountain Lake offers over 500 miles of shoreline! The town on Moneta is a lot like the small beach towns found on the Atlantic--shops, ice cream, pizza parlors, and good restaurants, with highway and boat-slip access.

Smith Mountain Lake is located SE of Roanoke, Va., and SW of Lynchburg, Va.

I like this site--you can swim, fish, and boat with the mountains on the shoreline. All amenities from the state park are about 20 minutes away.

While I don't have any pictures of birds from here, this was the best birding site on the trip--hairy and redbellied woodpeckers outside our camp site, male and female blue birds, cedar waxwings, warblers, rufous crowned kinglets (including hovering), osprey, plus deer and wild turkey.

It was fairly cool on the middle day when I went for a walk. I ran into the camp host, who said that we were having a cool spell because the wild black berries were in bloom. Pictures of wild blackberries below.

Smith Mountain Lake, from the visitor's center.

Another view of the lake

A function of state park
Butterfly Garden by the visitors center

One of several spores found by the camp ground

Interesting texture on a cypress tree

Bluets

I look for symmetry in nature

Wild blackberry, following blooming

Wild Blackberry in bloom

Daisy

Pink Mountain Laurel

Azalea

More wild blackberry

Another mountain laurel

I like this flower

Osprey Nest, down from the visitors center

May 19 - 20 2009: Holliday Lake State Park, Va.

2009-06-14T17:31:00.005-04:00

My wife and I spent one night at this fairly new state park. Amenities and facilities were rather new. The RV camping area was on the side of the hill, so I used all of my leveling boards.

Several remarkable things here: the sky was so incredibly clear and lacking of city lights that I had a difficult time finding the Big Dipper! I don't recall seeing such a stellar display! Unfortunately, the Milky Way was behind the treeline, so I could not see it. However, I did see four meteor bursts!

Second, we saw for the first time the Brown Thrasher! It *ran* the length of the paved roadway, stopping and looking for caterpillars. When a thrasher found one, it would pick it and start smashing it before eating it.

Also while here we saw a big brown bunny AND a mockingbird the size of an adult blue jay. Unfortunately, it flew off just as I pointing my camera at it.

Holliday Lake

Trail leading down from the campground to the beach area

Excellent signs along the trails
Reflections in the stream leading to the lake

Looking down the trail

Nice ferns

Pretty yellow flowers

Mountain Laurel

Nice set of ferns just off of the trail

The state park maintains the grounds for quail

Turtles sunning themselves

Female turtle digging a pit for her eggs

Overview of turtle laying her eggs

May 20 - 21 2009 Bear Creek Park State Park, Va.

2009-06-14T10:53:00.011-04:00

My wife and I spent a night here in our RV. This state park is another in the Piedmont section of Virginia. While the campsites were a little tight, the facilities were new and clean. Bear Creek feeds the lake here. We apparently missed the spring bird migration here; I saw and spooked the local great blue heron.

However, I did see a number of flying insects and bugs, along with a few flowers. This lake had circular path around it; I accomplished about 25% of it before I turned back. I had about 4 ticks on me when I got back to the campsite.

Bear Creek Lake

Another view of Bear Creek Lake

The state park hiking trails are exceptionally well marked--it is very difficult to get lost, unless you choose a trail leading away from your goal

Beautiful Mountain Laurel

A mono-colored salamander on a bridge

"Blue Beetle"

Common Whitetail Dragonfly

Bumble Bee

Common Water Strider

Another view of the Common Water Strider

The upper one was chasing the lower one (a female?)

Black Swallowtail Butterfly

Another Black Swallowtail

Boat Dock on lake

Monster fish in lake

Turtle Crawling along the trail
Pretty, but unable to identify

Another pretty flower, unable to identify

Daisy Fleabane

Marshy area where Great Blue Heron was found

Canoes ready to go into the water

Interesting tree growth

Shelf lichen

May 21 - 22 2009: James River State Park, Va.

2009-06-13T16:38:00.017-04:00

My wife and I visited James River, the newest state park in Va. The sights and amenities were quite new and well maintained. Our pull through RV site was at least 80' long and level. There are a number of trails to explore, including Taylor's Pond, Green Hill Pond (accessible), and the River Trail.

Taylor's Pond was about 2 acres in size--reeds, turtles, flowers, and insects--a nice little walk.

At the Green Hill Pond, the state has provided a 1/3 mile walkway around the pond. We observed turtles, fish, dragonflies, heard a bobwhite, observed a prothonotary warbler, and I even watched a bat flutter around the pond and then go to the water's edge to get some water, then fly away. The 'wild' tufted titmice moved about a lot, emitting mating sounds unlike those I hear at home. The smell of the honeysuckle was nice yet strong.

I watched a lone bat fly and flutter over this pond--even checked it out with binoculars--and fly down to get a drink of water then fly away.

This wide path around the lake was over 1/3 mile long.

Turtles sunning themselves

Nice lily pads; too early for flowers.

Wild blackberry in bloom

Hedge Bindweed

Buttercup

Daisy

Mountain Laurel

Yucca

Nice colors--unable to identify

A canoe and livery service operates at this park--put in upstream and take out downstream about 8 miles later. Unfortunately, the current due to recent significant rainfall was running 5 - 6 miles per hour (9' per second), which was faster than I would go out in to. Maybe next time.

Fast running river, as seen at the put-in

Black snake by the take out

Canoe and small boat take out

Unusual device near the take out--even has a fire box at lower left

The "Appomatox", a replica of a bateau used to run cargo between Richmond and Lynchburg during the early 1800s. Poles were used to power the bateau up and down the river.

The bateau style of boat was overtaken by larger barges when the James and Kanawha (W Va) Canal opened up parallel to the James River. An old lock may be seen at the James River crossing of the Blue Ridge Parkway a little ways upstream.

Stern view of the bateau

Taylor Pond loop trail

Delightful cat tails

Mountain Laurel in bloom

Unusual sight of grasses in the water, with late afternoon sunlight on the water

This Stream Cruiser kindly chose to hover near me at water's edge

More grasses illuminated by the late afternoon sun

Bluets

Pretty flowers--unable to identify

The ferns were quite lush

A pod and stalk on the water's edge

I like this view of the grasses

A final flower

May 18 & 19 Twin Lakes State Park, Va.

2009-06-06T21:54:00.010-04:00

We drove to this beautiful, bucolic state park from Smith Mountain Lake near Bedford. This park was a little unusual for a campground in that you could see and easily walk to the amenities from your camp site--instead of having to walk or bicycle or drive a long distance. The lake was quite visible from our very level campsite--no leveling required. Birds and insects were available for picture taking. For more information on this park:

http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/twi.shtml#generalinfo

Goodwin Lake

Goodwin Lake again

Edge of Goodwin Lake

Interesting flowers

This salamander was very busy running along the warm surfaces

On a new warm surface

A nice daisy

One of many blue birds seen in park

Walk over this bridge from the campground

An experiment with my Canon T1i camera: ISO 12800 handheld [1+ sec] around 9:30pm--could still see some contrast between the sky and the lake

One of three hawks heard and seen flying above the trees

Ruby Crowned Kinglet

Eastern Phoebe

Ruby Crowned Kinglet about to smash a caterpillar against the rail--then it can eat.

A warty frog discovered in the grass

Gorgeous white iris

Liz Hartwell Mason Neck NWR April 25 2009

2009-04-26T21:18:00.009-04:00

Liz Hartwell was a staunch environmentalist who set out to preserve the Mason Neck peninsula of Va (above Mount Vernon) and make it a sanctuary for bald eagles. In 1969, the Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge was created. The "Eagle Festival" took place on the 40th anniversary of this event at the adjacent Mason Neck State Park.

In addition to presentations by Reptiles Alive and the Raptor Conservancy of Va., I was looking forward to the trip to the Great Blue Heron Rookery--opened to the public once a year: today.

The Mason Neck State Park includes a small boat launch, canoes for rent, a shoreline and view onto Belmont Bay, flowers, birds, and a playground. It is one of my favorite state parks.

Pictures below shall almost all aspects of the park. Unfortunately, when I got to the rookery a little after 11am, most of the great blue herons had departed for a cooler location--temperatures were already in the unseasonable upper 80's. However, there was a real bonus on the way back: a pair of wood ducks in a pond by the road!

The Raptor Conservancy presented two eastern screech owls and a red tailed hawk as part of their outreach. Pictures of them are below.

Great Blue Heron above Belmont Bay

Many heron nests above the marsh

Great Blue Heron perched in a tree

Wood duck!

Reptiles Alive presents a bull snake.

A blue skank is now being displayed!

The Northern Va Astronomy Club was setting up for some evening star gazing.

Bluets by the road side.

An old stump by the water's edge.

A turtle sunning himself by the small boat put-in

Other turtles behind him.

A gorgeous tree in bloom.

Another small shrub in bloom.

A new butterfly (to me) enjoying the tree in bloom.

My favorite presentation by the Raptor Conservancy

An Eastern Screech Owl

A companion Eastern Screech Owl

Another view of the first owl

A nervous Red Tailed Hawk is presented to the crowd

Frontal view--note the talons!

Side view

Back view of the red tailed hawk

One more view

Horizon Team Hike to Marys Rock--A-Trail--April 17, 2009

2009-04-20T07:33:00.011-04:00

The Horizon Software Development Team held its 2nd annual team building event: a 7.2 mile hike along the Appalachian Trail, from Pinnacle Picnic Ground to the top of Marys Rock, in the Shenandoah National Park.

The temperature was in the 60's for most of the hike; light wind except at Marys Rock, where the winds were stronger. We had the trail to ourselves, encountering as many as a half dozen hikers along the way. Saw many turkey vultures, a few black vultures, an American Redstart (warbler), some Cabbage White butterflies, along with some yellow and black swallowtails.

Total hiking time, including a lunch break on Mary's Rock, was five hours.

Note: at the bottom of the posting, there is a video of two athletic team members scrambling down the rocks at Mary's Rock.

Getting ready to depart Pinnacles Picnic Ground

Starting up the trail; the Pinnacle is ahead.
Taking a well deserved break

First challenging rock on the Pinnacle

Destination is Marys Rock, a "blip" on the peak in middle of picture.

An American Redstart stayed long enough to have its picture taken.

Byrd's Nest #3 Shelter, for A-Trail through hikers

The destination is in sight

Time for lunch on Marys Rock

Interesting plant growth in the crevices

I wonder how steep it is, over the side...

Very steep!

Magnificent view

Time to return

Departing Marys Rock

Interesting rock outcropping

Nice view

New Market Gap in the Massanutten Mountain, to the west.

One of many deer seen near the picnic ground

Rock scramble by Jim and Stephenie

Occoquan Bay NWR Woodbridge, Va. March 22+23, 2009

2009-04-04T20:22:00.014-04:00

I arrived at Occoquan Bay a little before noon--and observed the place just bursting with activity. I didn't know that osprey had already migrated up from way south--they were flying around, sitting in trees, and managing their nests. And, a hawk put on a performance for me, just 3 and then 10 feet away. I was so taken back by all of what I saw, I used the OB NWR bird list to identify all of the birds I saw. The appears below; the pictures follow.

I had so much fun that I took my wife down there Monday morning, just after sun rise. That is when we observed the snow geese flying overhead, plus the smaller hawk just outside the NRW's gate.

Seen at Occoquan Bay NWR

Snow Geese, flying in formation overhead.
Mallards
Double-crested Cormorant
Black-crowned Night-Heron (lurking in marsh grass; I startled it on foot)
Osprey, about a dozen and a half
Bald eagles (a pair flew right over my head)
Red Shouldered Hawk (put on a show for me)
Northern Flicker
Eastern Kingbird
Purple Martins (by their houses)
Chickadees
Carolina Wren
Eastern Bluebird--into their mating colors now
Northern Mockingbird
Cedar Waxwings [in a cedar tree!]
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Great Blue Heron [spooked it twice in two days in the marsh along the Driving Tour]
American Black Ducks [towards Belmont Bay]
Numerous turtles sunning themselves
Eastern Phoebe

In-bound Snow Geese, in formation

Almost overhead

Directly Overhead

Snow Geese just past overhead

Snow Geese Outbound

Snow Geese departing the area

One of many Osprey on a nest

A pair of Osprey on a nest
Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Phoebe
Cedar Waxwings, just after they left a cedar tree
Mature adult bald eagle

Great Blue Heron in a tree

Cormorants in Belmont Bay

This hawk startled me--just 3' away on the ground
It flew up into a nearby tree and put on a show
I got one more shot, a closeup, before it finally flew away
White Throated Sparrow enjoying a treat

Unknown sparrow-like bird

Turtle by the marsh on Driving Trail
Two turtles swimming in the marsh
Many turtles sunning themselves just past the butteryfly garden
Northern Cardinal
Interesting remnant of wood at the edge of a field
Smaller hawk seen just outside the entrance of the NRW

March 2009 Neighborhood Birds

2009-03-14T20:36:00.048-04:00

This is a collection of bird pictures taken in my backyard and around the neighborhood. You will see stills and a number of videos of birds--feeding, flying, and singing.

Red Cardinal looking for seed in the snow storm

Red Robin perched in the tree--third wave of robins this season

White Breasted Nuthatch after grabbing some seed

Chickadee in the tree

Red Bellied Woodpecker on tree

A Great Blue Heron is stalking fish in my backdoor neighbors fish pond
A broad winged hawk seen on my morning walk. It flew into my next door neighbor's yard after I left it here (a half block away)
Another view of the hawk

A Red Cardinal decided to perch on my TV antenna twice in a few minutes, singing his heart out.

Tree frogs singing--no motion.

Downy Woodpecker eating some suet.

Downy woodpecker on a limb.

Cardinal enjoying some suet!

Goldfinch feeding.

October 17 2008--Western Maryland Railroad Steam Engine Ride Cumberland, Md.

2009-03-01T21:04:00.018-05:00

The town of Cumberland in western Maryland has both rail and water systems. Cumberland was the western terminus of the C &O Canal--which began in Washington DC. The C&O Canal was supposed to continue to the Ohio River, but the railroad arrived and overtook the canal business, stopping its growth. This steam engine train ran further west to Frostburg, Md., where the engine uncoupled and was turned around on a turntable, just long enough to rotate the train and point it back to Cumberland. Videos of the steam engine on the turntable are at the end of the blog. My mom and two sisters and I started from Springfield on a bus, travelled to Cumberland, toured the town, rode the train to Frostburg, had lunch in the train station, and returned to tour more of Cumberland before returning to Springfield.

Mule drawn barge used on the canalCumberland Train Station Old Factory in Town Steam Engine arriving at Train Station TTTravellers boarding the train

Departing the Train Station

Making progress up the Helmstettler Curve View from postal car

Engineer showing all steam and whistles

Locomotive on the turntable

Turntable in progress, counter-clockwise

Upcoming Octoberfest Event--sounds good to me

Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge Wood Marsh Trail February 7 2009

2009-02-14T21:26:00.005-05:00

The Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge is located on the Mason Neck peninsula between Gunston Hall and the Mason Neck State Park. The Wood Marsh is one of two major trails leading to the marshy area and home of the bald eagles. The other trail is the Great Marsh Trail.

My friend Ken and I walked about 3/4 of a mile from the parking lot to the end of the Wood Marsh Trail. We were pleasantly surprised to find a very new covered shelter at the end, replete with benches and a rail to set cameras and binoculars on.

This trip was an experiment for me. Except for the first and last picture, I took all pictures using my Canon XSi's manually focused Live View mode, coupled to a Canon 300mm L IS lens, magnified by a Kenko 2x teleconverter, most taken on a tripod. Even the "action" shots were taken in manual Live View mode.

An interesting evergreen emerging from the leaves.

This was one of a pair of Eastern Bluebirds staying close to the shelter. This is the state an adult is in before they change to the classic blud color.

In a tree at the far edge of the marsh perched three bald eagles: two immature and one adult. Several immature eagles flew around the marsh and overhead while we were there.

After we had been at the shelter for a while, white swams began arriving--noisily!

Two more caught in flight.

Also present in the marsh were a large number of American Black Ducks. They are in the foreground here.
After the bald eagles flew away, a great blue heron began to stalk for fish.
Later we walked to Raccoon Creek beyond the Wood Marsh and found a great blue heron up in a tree!

Interior view of the shelter looking out into the marsh; Ken and I have our cameras set up.

February 2009 Backyard Birds

2009-02-14T20:54:00.008-05:00

I have managed to take some pictures of birds in my backyard--and the house next door. The Spring Migration has already begun. I have seen robins passing through, along with red winged and tri-colored black birds. For the years 2006 and prior, I saw cedar wax wings for about day and a half in late December. In 2007 and 2008, I didn't see them. And then just last week, I DID see cedar wax wings eating tree buds, in the same adjacent yard as the robins were visiting. Perhaps they have changed their migration timing? The pictures were taken with a Canon G7, not the best camera for long shots--only has 6x optical zoom. However, it is better than nothing and does have a good digital zoom. This is a Carolina Wren, just outside my kitchen window. It often visits my kitchen window sunflower seed feeder. This pileated woodpecker usually visits my tree and suet feeder once a winter. It worked its way down the tree and then look in the tree roots and bark for food.

One morning, when it was very cold, this red-shouldered hawk [first time visitor ever] perched in my tree just above big forsythia thicket. After about five minutes just sitting and observing, it dropped dramatically to the thicket, but was unable to snatch a bird, so it flew off.

A few of the approximately 18 cedar waxwings next door--with robins on the ground (no picture)

This is one of about 10 red and tricolored winged blackbirds on my rail having some seed. All of the others flew off when I got my camera to the back door window. The black birds have been in the neighborhood for about 5 days.

Dec 30, 2008 Catching a sunset on Skyline Drive--Naked Creek Overlook

2009-01-18T22:53:00.010-05:00

My wife and I had so much fun the previous day (the 29th) that we returned to Skyline Drive on the 30th to watch the sunset (Skyline Drive rangers permitting) and hopefully catch the lineup of Venus, the Moon, Jupiter, and Mercury.

A year ago, we had attempted catching a sunset on the north end of Skyline Drive. However, we had done no planning: our overlook of choice had a nice view of the Massanutten but with a mountain blocking the view to the southwest--the direction of the sunset. So, we did some planning.

First, I fired up my Starry Night software and determined that the sun would be setting along with the planets and moon setting later from the south west. Then we got out a 3-D rendering of Skyline Drive--along with the printed map--and looked for locations and overlooks that appeared to be facing the south west. And, we determined to arrive at our viewing destination at least an hour prior to sunset.

We chose to go south from Panorama (Thornton Gap). Jewell Hollow Overlook was a possibility, but we chose to go further south. Stony Man Overlook was our primary choice. Alas, when we got there, it was completely closed for re-construction. Spitler Knoll was blocked by a mountain, so we kept going south, past Skyland and Big Meadows. Finally, at MP 53, we came upon Naked Creek Overlook, with an unobstructed view to the southwest--pay dirt!

We parked our RV and set up our chairs and tripods. A turkey down at the edge of the field greeted us with his calls. Several people drove through this overlook and asked what was going on--at least one person decided to stay and watch the sunset.

The sky was unusually clear--a cold front had come through on the previous day. As a consequence, we could see 50 miles to the horizon, with a view of the Cowpasture and Bullpasture mountains outside of Monterey, Va., along US Rt#250 west of Staunton.

Skyline Drive closes at 5pm from late November through the 3rd of January each year, to protect the visitors from deer hunters. Local sunset was 5:02pm, so we pushed our time at the overlook. At 5:45pm a ranger drove by, said beautiful sight, and then stated that we needed to pack up and head down the Drive--the Thornton Gap entrance was closed, so we would have to head down to Rt#33 Swift Run Gap to leave the park. However, we did get to see the three planets and Moon.

While driving south, we encountered over a dozen deer, who were surprised to see us. We had also seen a hawk fly in front of our rig during day light hours.

Setting up--it was sunny, in the 20's, with a moderate breeze.

"Classic" view of the Blue Ridge Mountain--ridge after ridge after ridge...

The show has begun

The sun is low, with the Massanutten Mountain in the foreground. The Shenandoah Mountains are on the horizon, on the other side of the Valley.

Still lower

Lower, with yellow light emanating from behind the far mountains

Cowpasture and Bullpasture Mountains, near Monterey, Va.

Venus and the Moon

Jupiter with Mercury below and to the left

Grand finale! Venus, the Moon, Jupiter, and Mercury, from top to bottom

Dec 29, 2008: Meems Bottom Bridge, Va. and Night Sky on Skyline Drive

2009-01-18T19:53:00.006-05:00

My wife and I decided to visit the Shenandoah Valley on our break between Christmas and New Years. A favorite place of ours is the only covered bridge in the northern part of the state--all others are either west of Blacksburg, Va., or down in Floyd County, east of Christiansburg, Va.

Meems Bottom Bridge is located about a tenth of a mile off of Rt#11, located between Mt. Jackson and New Market. The bridge crosses the north fork of the Shenandoah River.

After our picture taking at the bridge, we visited a restaurant I have been visiting for over 30 years, the Southern Kitchen in New Market--famous for its peanut soup. Then, in a change to dead-heading back up I-81 to I-66 east, we decided to take Rt#211 east over the Massanutten Mountain, through Luray, up over Skyline Drive at Panorama [Thornton Gap], and then into Sperryville to Warrenton to home.

We stopped at the crest on Skyline Drive and took two pictures of the skyline--revealing Venus, the moon, and Jupiter to the west [Mercury had just set] and Orion's Belt to the east. An incredible view of the Milky Way overhead was seen--something I had not seen in 30 years.

Meems Bottom Bridge

Inside View of the Bridge

Lane looking east from the bridge opening

A fun time available near by

New Market Gap in the Massanutten Mountain

View of the Shenandoah River, just up-river from Bridge

Southern Kitchen, about four blocks south of intersection of Rt#211 and Rt#11

Looking west from Panorama on Skyline Drive (Thornton Gap). Venus, the Moon, and Jupiter visible--Mercury has just set below Jupiter

The Orion Constellation, looking to the East

Cherry Blossoms and Tidal Basin, Washington, DC, March 28, 2008

2008-04-04T20:44:00.029-04:00

I was able to drive down to the Tidal Basin on Friday, the 28th of March. I arrived around 8:15am and parked at Memorial Lot B, visible from the I-395 northbound HOV lanes, down and to the right.

This was the view of the sky en-route to the Tidal Basin. For this trip, it was cloudy most of the time as well as windy. Occasionally, the sun came out and illuminated the blooming cherry blossoms.

This is map of the whole Tidal Basin. I decided to take a different approach to walking and taking pictures: walk the whole Tidal Basin in a counter-clockwise fashion. I also took in a lot of the unusual objects along the way.

The TV crew from Channel 9 took some footage for later broadcast.

The Washington Monument, with a reflection in the Basin.

A nice reflection, with the Monument and Cherry Blossoms over the water.

Close-up of a set of blossoms
I like the combination of the calm Tidal Basin, Washington Monument, and the drooping Cherry Blossoms
Looking toward some federal office buildings
Another view of the Washington Monument

Jefferson Memorial in the background

View from about half way around the Tidal Basin
The Jefferson Memorial again.
Looking back at the Jefferson Memorial

Gorgeous view from over half the way around the Tidal Basin

Cherry Blossoms and buds

Sunlight brightening a set of blossoms

A rogue blossom growing out of a break in the bark

Sweeping view of the Tidal Basin

A near and far view of the Cherry Blossoms

Even the older, gnarled trees are blooming

The paddle boats are ready for use on the Tidal Basin

For the first time, I got to see the WW-II Memorial

A view of the Washington Monument from near the FDR Memorial

From near the FDR Memorial

This view is taken from the bridge across the Tidal Basin entrance from the George Mason Memorial

Waterfall from the FDR Memorial

A second waterfall at FDR

A view of a Japanese stone object at the entrance to the FDR Memorial

Another unknown object half way around the Tidal Basin

This is an unusual object seen on the stone bridge to the Tidal Basin

The Stone Bridge also had some openings to the Tidal Basin

Looking out along the Potomac River, heading back to the parking area

At the base of the parking lot, there was a "Cuban Friendship Urn", noting the Maine Battleship disaster in Havana harbor

December 29, 2007 Skyline Drive North--Sunset Chasing

2008-03-14T19:37:00.007-04:00

The purpose of this trip was to drive up to Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National Park and watch and take pictures of a sunset. We chose the Northern section, beginning at Thornton Gap and driving north. At this time of year, we are very close to the winter solstice, so sunsets come very early--~5pm or earlier, depending on access to the horizon.

We discovered that Skyline Drive closes at 5pm, and everyone is expected to be off [or at least heading to an exit] the Drive due to rampant deer hunting around the Park. However, the rangers want visitors to take sunset pictures, so we were OK.

Unfortunately, we didn't gauge our time and locations well. In hindsight, Pass Mountain overlook would have a great place to observe--but we kept going. Around Jeremy's Run Overlook, the sun was getting low, but the sun was dropping behind a mountain at the end of the Overlook. So, we continued on towards Gooney River Overlook--our final place to take pictures. After Jeremy's Run, we found the not yet set as we descended to Gooney River.

Finally, I experimented with the black and white settings for several locations--and I like the effects,

Pass Mountain Overlook, looking west to New Market Gap (left of center)

Pass Mountain
Just north of Pass Mountain
Continuing north from Pass Mountain
On or about Jeremy's Run Overlook
Looking into valley below, towards Signal Knob

Jeremy's Run
Nice sun burst developing

Valley below, again

Dramatic Front coming through

Finally, Gooney Run Overlook

Dramatic in B& W

Valley in the foreground

Looking west

Some red appearing in the sky

Huntley Meadows Park, Fairfax County, Va December 31 2007

2008-03-10T12:29:00.030-04:00

This trip to Huntley Meadows Park, off of Lockheed Blvd and Rt#1 in Fairfax County. This was New Years' Day Eve, from noon to mid-afternoon.

This was an experiment for me, using my Canon Rebel XTi with a Canon 300mm lens and a TC II doubler. Using the doubler drove me into a totally manual mode--no autofocus or automated means to capture birds in flight. All pictures were taken with this arrangement.

In-coming Canadian Goose

Some form of a sparrow.

Close-up of another sparrow

I like this reflection

Interesting reflection of some reeds

Canadian Goose

Male and female Lesser Scaup

Mallard splashing himself

Two ducks I could not identify--even in Sibley's. I could not find any ducks with that 'stripe' on the neck

Two turtles sunning themselves in an 'un-official' part of the park

I'm not sure what this is--but I liked the look of it

This is my favorite picture from the set--a reflection of a walk-way barrier. My wife Madonna introduced me to finding reflections in the water of Huntley Meadows (from previous visits)

Close-up of a cattail top

Seed Pod

Close-up of a berry

Interesting plant growing up by the walk way

My second favorite picture from the set--a cattail reflected in the water (with with wind stirring up the water)

January 12, 2008 Birdwatching in Alexandria

2008-02-23T21:22:00.006-05:00

In following sightings in the Va Audubon Society listserv, I came across two places identified as being in Alexandria: Lake Cook and Ben Brenmar Park. So, I searched on these on Yahoo Maps and found them. My wife decided to find these two places and see what was present. Then we headed on to Gravelly Point, located immediately north of Reagan National Airport on the GW Parkway.

Lake Cook is on Eisenhower Avenue, between S Van Dorn Street and the Eisenhower Connector off of the Beltway. Lake Cook, identified as being an "Urban Lake", is next to the Great Wave Park and the water slide. This lake feeds Cameron Run. Turn left just into a small lot next to a set of townhouses.

Ben Brenmar Park is located just off of Duke Street, east of Landmark Mall [several miles]. Turn right at the sign for Ben Brenmar. This park is located on part of the old Cameron Station Army facility. The park has a nice place to park or sit on benches and watch the wildlife.

The pictures taken at Ben Brenmar were actually from an arched bridge over Holmes Run. Holmes Run begins on the west side of Annandale Road, between Annandale and Falls Church.

Finally, Gravelly Point can only be accessed from the North-bound lanes of the GW Parkway; I access it from the ramp to Reagan National from Crystal City.

Two pairs of Mallards at Lake Cook

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron at Holmes Run (Ben Brenmar Park)

A pair of Mallards feeding
Two common mergansers
A pigeon at Gravelly Point
Ducks and Gulls at Gravelly Point

Two Musicians sitting on the dock at Gravelly Point

In-bound aircraft at Reagan National, landing gear down

Aircraft taking off, landing gear partially retracted
Fuselage of an American Airline
Jet Intake of an American Airline airliner

January 24, 2008, Eagle Watching at Pohick Bay Regional Park, Lorton, Va.

2008-02-18T19:48:00.009-05:00

I chose to go early on a Thursday before work, hoping to take advantage of the
cold weather and see the eagles seen from Accotink Bay 4 days before [previous post].

I was shooting with my Canon Rebel XTi and a Canon 300 f/4 IS lense and TC-II doubler--hand held. The back-lighting against the 5 eagles seen from the small
boat put-in was poor. And, when I got closer than a certain range, the nearest
eagles would fly back a ways.

At the point where I went back to my car to change from a totally manual mode
[with TC x2] to autofocus and auto-tracking with the TC x 1.4 device, all of
the eagles began flying towards me. I wasn't prepared for them and didn't get
any overhead shots. The reason they all flew at once was an Everglades style
propellor driven (swamp) boat with a bunch of hunters returning from Ft Belvoir...the
boat was very loud.

Fortunately, I did get to see a great blue heron fly by, skimming the water.

Not the handsomest adult bald eagle

Airborne adult against the washed out sky

Adult flying majestically overhead

Five immature and adult bald eagles in a large tree by the small-boat put-in
Obliging great blue heron

Canadian geese by main pier
Canadian geese underway

January 20 2008 Eagle Watching at Accotink Bay

2008-02-02T20:57:00.000-05:00

Accotink Bay is an outstanding location to view adult and immature bald eagles in the winter. Accontink Bay is best accessed from the Archery Range on Ft Belvoir.

We arrived at the Archery Range in the early afternoon and were immediately welcomed by an immature bald eagle flying right above us. We observed a total of approximately 15 adult and immature bald eagles--most in Accotink Bay, and 4 - 5 across the way at Pohick Bay (small boat put-in at Pohick Bay Regional Park).

The eagles were particularly active--the morning temperature was in the teens.
We shot most of our pictures through the front window of the Honda Element--whose curvature presented some problems in focusing. I used my Canon Rebel XTi with a 2x TC and a 300mm IS lense. Use of the 2x TC made my camera operate in a strict manual mode--even the AF points would not light. It is hard to manually focus and track a moving overhead eagle. Thus, not all of the pictures below are crisp--but I wanted to show some of the content anyway.

Eagle on a water object. A second eagle leaving the water.

Five eagles in a tree across the way from the Archery Range.

Eagle snatching a fish out of the water

Common merganser

Eagle soaring above

Three eagles soaring above

Unknown Duck--note ring at base of bill

Another unidentified duck
Soaring immature bald eagle

Glorious immature bald eagle straight overhead

Same immature bald eagle soaring above

Sea gull in the nearby mud flats

Nov 7 and 10: Neighborhood Walk, Tree colors and Birds

2007-11-24T18:29:00.001-05:00

On a rare work-day morning, I didn't have any early morning meetings to attend, so I chose to take a leisurely stroll around the neighborhood. My goal was to enjoy the colors of the trees and see what birds were out and about. On a second morning, it was a Saturday, and I took some pictures of birds in the backyard. We've gained a new bird, a single red-breasted nuthatch, and the slate colored dark eyed juncos have arrived for the winter.

Mockingbird perched atop a spruce in the side yard.
Dogwood out front

Looking down the street
Another Dogwood

At the end of the street

A Red Rose still in bloom
A Red Bellied Woodpecker in a neighbor's tree

Close-up of the Red Bellied Woodpecker

An unusual small, green tree
A blue-gray nuthatch on a neighbor's tree

Ornamental winter cabbage

Gorgeous red flowers in the Colonel's wife's garden
A vireo decides to have a sunflower seed

In my back yard, a downey woodpecker
The same downey woodpecker watching over his shoulder to another feeder

A quick-flying Carolina Chickadee
A new visitor to the backyard: a RED Breasted Nuthatch--1st time ever visit
This little bird moves very quickly--grabs its seed and flies off!
One of four slate colored dark eyed juncos that has arrived for the winter
A goldfinch who has enjoyed his thistle seed just a little too much

A female Northern Cardinal getting a sunflower seed
A male Northern Cardinal
Grasses in front of the local library
Morning sunlight on a backyard tree

Nov 17 2007 Appalachian Trail Washington Monument State Park Northwards

2007-11-24T16:03:00.000-05:00

My sister Amy and I have been planning a hike on the A-Trail for some time, and it finally occurred. We drove across the Potomac River at Brunswick and headed up to Boonsboro, Md., going along Highway 67. This part of the drive was highlighted by the mountains to the east, whose view started out red at the base and turned progressively more orange then yellow at the crest.

Our destination, just east of Boonsboro, was the Washington Monument State Park--a location that my Dad and I and friends had backpacked along over 30 years ago.

The weather was typical November: in the 40's, moderate breeze, and partly cloudy. We hiked about 7.5 miles; out destination was Greenbrier State Park, a man-made lake from CCC days. We ate our lunch there under a gazebo.

This monument was the country's first for George Washington--1827.

Trailhead Marker:
John at Trailhead. Shortly afterwards, we heard and then saw a pileated woodpecker fly overhead.
Amy on the Trail:

Rock outcroppings near the Monument
Gorgeous colors!
Several ferns growing by the trail
An odd colorful leaf just attached (by the wind?)
More brilliant colors

Unusual bug casings and carcass
Field of ferns prior to Greenbrier State Park

Lake at Greenbrier State Park. We ate our lunch under the cover of the Gazebo.
Views from the sides of the Gazebo:

Bufflehead Ducks at a distance
Above the lake appeared some rocky cliffs

View of the beach front

Canadian Goose prints disappearing into the water
We found this sign at the closed rest room very helpful; the porta-potty was not visible from here. We had to walk over a slight rise [to the north] to find the porta-potty.
View from the porta-potty.

An unusual sight: Witch Hazel blooming in November. In Springfield, we see it bloom in March, after the Skunk Cabbage blooms.

Brilliant autumnal foliage!
At the end of the hike, we climbed a darkened stone stair case to the top of the monument and were rewarded with this view, looking down towards Boonsboro and Sharpsburg/Antietam to the left.

John at top of the observatory
Our next hike will either start at Greenbrier Park and head towards Annapolis Rock [about 3 miles away] or start at Gathland State Park and head south towards Weverton Cliffs just above Harpers Ferry.

October 29--Skyline Drive North, Front Royal to Sperryville via Panorama

2007-10-27T19:56:00.000-04:00

This trip began at the northern end of Skyline Drive, Rt#340 just south of Front Royal. We were hoping to see some of the expected brilliant fall covers and also find some small red leaves for my wife's crafts. We expected to see the types of trees and colors change as we climbed in altitude from the entrance, around 1700' to over 3000' at the peak of this section.

Then we were going to continue on to Thornton Gap, Rt#211 interchange, and possibly on towards Skyland and Big Meadows. And then finally continue down the eastern slope of the Blue Ridge down towards the crafts and produce village of Sperryville.

There was supposed to be a chance of rain and thunderstorms over the course of the afternoon.

View of the Massanutten Mountain to the west, and Signal Knob at its northern end.

Colors as we move south

Moody view of the Massanutten Mountain

The best overlook appeared to be Gooney Run Overlook, approaching mile marker 8. At this overlook, we observed a falcon riding the thermals. Following its departure from the visible area, we then had the opportunity to watch a red-tailed hawk flying leisurely above, coming to a stationary position in several instances.

(View from SW to NW)

As we rose in altitude, the rain quickly turned to fog--where we observed a number of yellow-slickered bicyclists riding towards Front Royal. The fog became so thick that the white and yellow lines almost disappeared, and cars from the other direction abruptly appeared out of the fog.

After approximately 6 miles of hard fog driving, we drove out of the fog around Mathews Arm campground. We decided to take a rest at Elkwallow Wayside. The next stop was Pass Mountain Overlook. Pass Mountain is associated with Pass Run, which runs down the western side of the Blue Ridge, down to the town of Kimball on US Rt#40, where the Country Waye RV resort is located--cited in an earlier blog entry.

Pass Mountain Overlook

Looking west to Rt#211 west, Luray, and Massanutten Gap

When we arrived at Thornton Gap, we noted that fog was starting back up, continuing as you proceeded south, past Mary's Rock. So we chose to head down Rt#211 to Sperryville.

Departing Skyline Drive at Rt#211, Thornton Gap/Panorama

Driving down Rt#211 towards Sperryville

Leaving Shenandoah National Park

Sperryville was in full activity--with crafts, apples [including my all time favorite the Stayman], honey, cider, hams, and other specialty items available for sale.

School is out at Rappahannock High School

Continuing east on Rt#211

Blue Ridge Parkway NC + Grayson Highlands State Park VA: Sept 27- 29 2007

2007-10-07T21:30:00.000-04:00

This trip took us to a number of places--it was a good trip. Locales visited included Rural Retreat Lake, Rural Retreat, Va.; the Blue Ridge Parkway (the 40 northern most miles in NC); and Fall Festival at the Grayson Highlands State Park, just 5 miles above the Va-NC border.

Rural Retreat is located approximately 5 miles east of I-81, south of Wytheville and and north of Marion. This little town is known for being the place that Mountain Dew was concocted at the local drug store.

The water level at the lake was quite low, and I would not recommend camping at this lake, even though it did have RV hookups.

However, this site is listed as being the Va Birding and Wildlife Trail location, and we did see some unusual birds and wildlife here. First, we saw and heard a number of killdeer. And, a bittern [type of heron] plus a form of grebe. To top it off, we witnessed a beaver swimming across the water, leaving a nice "vee" behind him. And, there were the usual number of ducks and geese.

From Rural Retreat, we continued south on US Rt#11, determined to locate the Appalachian Trail crossing. While there are no signs identifying this momentous spot, we determined that the actual crossing occurs just south of the Mountain Empire Airport, at the Rt# 683 crossing from I-81--and where the middle fork of the South Holston River is, right by a redwood stained exterior restaurant. This locale would be northern Atkins.

On the next day, Friday, we drove across Rt#16 from Marion, past Sugar Grove and into Vollney. From there, we headed down into NC, crossing both the north and south forks of the New River. My wife drove us to a place she visited as a child: Shatley Springs, a family-style eating establishment. All you can eat, country cooking. Then, we passed by Jefferson and joined the Blue Ridge Parkway at the Northwest Corner Trading Post and proceeded north.
Memorable spots included the Devil's Garden overlook, a place we had caught a sun rise several years ago--with wild boars rooting around in the nearby woods! The Doughton Park area was also impressive. Pilot Mountain can be seen off in the distance.

We reached Low Gap, and left the Parkway to follow a highway into Galax. In driving through Galax [south to north], we were able to see the downtown area, including the Rex Theater [bluegrass music every weekend] and Felts Park, home of the Old Time Fiddler's Convention. From this point, we picked up US Rt#58 heading west towards Grayson Highlands Park. We arrived at the Park around check-in, 4:30pm.

In the morning of the next day, we drove from our campsite down to the picnic area, location of the fall festival. We choose our second row seats to the sound stage [30 feet?] and looked at various vendor stands. Across the way, old time crafts were being practiced, including the making of Molasses from sugar cane grown from nearby Sugar Grove, apple butter making from local apples, and Appalachian style iron rendering. Several pictures from the iron rendering are below.

The first bluegrass group was named "True Grass". Pictures and two video (movie) clips are presented below. You need Windows Media Player to view/listen to them. These clips were taken with my Canon S3 IS camera. Cloggers appeared on the dance stage throughout the day.

Unknown group:

True Grass:

Crafts Area:

Long Line for the BBQ Chicken Dinner

In the afternoon we were charmed by local guitar player and instrument maker Wayne Henderson of Mouth of Wilson, Va. Wayne and his group played a number of old time songs replete with humorous commentary. The pictures of him and his group plus a single video are presented below.

Wayne holds his own festival in June at Grayson Highlands: the Wayne Henderson Festival and Guitar Championship.

Wayne Henderson Band

Wayne Henderson

The Park Superintendent:

For details on all of the events at Grayson Highlands State Park, the friends of Grayson Highlands maintain a very niche web site: http://www.graysonfriends.org/

True Grass_1

Wayne Henderson

True Grass_2

Accotink Bay Wildlife Refuge 1 Sept 2007

2007-09-02T20:22:00.000-04:00

Accotink Bay Wildlife Refuge is the downstream component of the Accotink Creek. The refuge is on the grounds of Ft Belvoir, Va., accessible from the Tully Gate on US Rt#1.

This refuge is best known for viewing bald eagles from the lower Wildlife Refuge point of the Archery Range during the dead of winter. In January of this year, we observed three full sized bald eagles and three immature bald eagles flying between tree tops and holes in the ice.

I walked about 8 miles of trails. I viewed great white egrets flying around [pictures below] and many types of butterflies [also below]. I was unable to capture pictures of the dragon and damselflies, however.

Trails on the west side of the creek tended to be less maintained and marked. I found the southern part of the Accotink Creek Trail to be impassible--totally overgrown with brambles and wild grape leaves. The Great Blue Heron Trail, though covered in waist high grasses and shoulder high brambles, brought many good pictures and a raised blind.

The McCarty Loop Trail and the Cemetery Loop trails just dissipated; I ended up instead in the W-1, W-6, and W-7 hunting range areas of the base.

The Bay and the Upper Creek would be quite interesting to view from a canoe or a kayak.

This is a butterfly I have not seen before.

Geese flying overhead.

This swallowtail butterfly just landed at my feet.

This was one of at least a dozen spider webs I encountered on the trail.

Lunar Eclipse 28 August 2007

2007-09-02T20:05:00.000-04:00

The Lunar Eclipse began just before 5am EDT on Tuesday, the 28th of August .
Clouds broke about this time. I was set up across the street from the
Pohick Regional Library, where I had a good SW view of the horizon.

I had a tripod-mounted Canon S3 IS with a x1.5 teleconverter. Metering
was set for 'spot' instead of evaluative--ISO was 100, shooting shutter
priority. I used a manual shutter release.

Last picture was taken 5:46am EDT.

Elk Garden to Whitetop Mntn, Va.: A - Trail

2007-06-30T20:07:00.000-04:00

On the 9th of June, we traveled from the town of Marion, Va. where we were visiting my wife's father, to the Elk Garden section of the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area. We drove down Rt#11 [Lee Highway] to Chilhowie, passing by the famous Dip Dog stand and passing through Seven Mile Ford, which crosses the Middle Fork of the South Holston River. Chilhowie proclaims itself to be the Gateway to Mt Rogers (5,729') , and it is also the primary means to drive to Saltville, Salt Capital of the Confederacy and site of a pre-historic archeological dig. For information on Mt Rogers: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Rogers

We drove east on the Highway 107, which quickly turns into Whitetop Road. Whitetop Road wanders though some gorgeous bottom land before heading up to Whitetop Mountain—the second highest point in Virginia (5,520'), and the highest to drive to. The first stop was a newly constructed overlook. This overlook is identified as a Va. Birding and Wildlife Trail site, at a point where the Iron Mountain Trail goes to Skull Gap. The day was hazy, with a threat of rain in the air For more information on Whitetop Mountain: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/whitetop_Mountain After leaving the overlook, we continued on to the Elk Garden, a trailhead for the Appalachian Trail situated on the Smyth – Grayson County Line. Elevation here is about 4600'. Heading in the direction of the grasses and horse trail will take you through Deep Gap to Mt. Rogers, about 4 miles one way. We chose to head in the other direction on the A-Trail, heading to Whitetop Mountain (a place we have driven to in the past). This is 3 miles one way, before walking towards the summit. One can continue along Whitetop Mountain Road to a national forest road to the summit of Whitetop Mountain. Whitetop Mountain Road continues south and ends at Rt 58, west of Damascus.

The A-Trail toward Whitetop Mountain is well maintained, fairly level as it progresses along the ridge, and quite green and lush. Only when we got near Whitetop did we enter the alpine environment found at these high elevations. Some of the more interesting sights along way was the incidences of brown bracket lichen—particularly with moss growing out of it. I have only seen white bracket lichen in past hikes. From Whitetop Mountain, you can easily see into both North Carolina and Tennessee.

We walked about half of the way towards the summit and paused. On the way back down, we were able to see Wilburn Ridge, located on the A-Trail above Grayson Highlands State Park, on another path to the summit of Mt Rogers—from the other side.

For the next trip, we will hike from the Elk Garden to Mt Rogers.

Shenandoah Valley Trip Day 3

2007-06-16T19:04:00.001-04:00

Day 3 of the Shenandoah Valley Trip had several positive surprises! We continued down US Rt #11 from New Market into Harrisonburg. More interesting barns and buildings appeared.
Courtesy of the Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail Book (which may be ordered from the Virginia Game and Inland Fisheries Department http://www.dgif.state.va.us/vbwt/ for $8.50, or you can view sections on-line), we became aware of Lake Shenandoah just east of Harrisonburg—just off of US Rt #33. This delightful lake setting includes a place to launch canoes, kayaks, and small boats offered quite a variety of birds and ducks. Pictures of them may be seen below. We set up our chairs and sat there for several hours. An excerpt from the website describes the trail:

“From the Atlantic Ocean on Virginia's eastern border, to the towering Mt. Rogers at its southwest corner, the Commonwealth includes every bird and animal habitat that occurs naturally between Maine and Florida. The state also offers a long history, rich culture, and tradition of warm hospitality to welcome visitors.

Within Virginia's 43,000 square miles of diverse natural habitat, you can find some 400 species of birds, 250 species of fish, 150 species of terrestrial and marine animals, 150 species of amphibians and reptiles, and a wide variety of aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates. The Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail celebrates this diversity. In fact, it is the first statewide program of its kind in the United States. In Virginia, three phases of the trail link wildlife viewing sites throughout the state.”

After Lake Shenandoah, we headed further east on Rt #33 to Elkton, Va., just short of the entrance to Skyline Drive. From here, we proceeded up US Rt #340, the “other” Valley highway. From here to Luray, you are driving alongside the South Fork of the Shenandoah River—Skyline Drive on your right, and the Massanutten Mountain on your left. This is a beautiful drive—mountains on both sides of you.

Our destination was Luray, Va., home of the Luray Caverns and headquarters of the Shenandoah National Park. Luray is also home to a birding trail—the Luray-Hawksbill Greenway along Hawksbill Creek (which comes down from Skyline Drive).

We camped at another resort-style RV campground: Country Waye. [www.countrywaye.com ] It is well set up to handle large RV rigs and has spotless, impeccable restrooms and bathhouse. It is located just two miles north of Luray proper, just off of US Rt #340 by Kimball. The site is nestled in between Skyline Drive and the Massanutten Mountain—with a 270 degree view of the mountains. Kennedy Peak is prominent to the west. You may take Bixler’s Ferry Road out of Luray and onto the road to Camp Roosevelt in the George Washington National Forest to reach a trail head to Kennedy Peak, which has an observatory overlooking the valley below.

Shenandoah Valley Trip Day 2 Part Two

2007-06-16T15:19:00.000-04:00

For the second day and night, we ended up at the Endless Caverns and RV Resort, just south of New Market, Va. As an aside, a few miles north of New Market on Rt #11 you will find Meems Bottom Bridge, a lovely covered bridge over the North Fork of the Shendoah River. We have visited it several times in the past; the winter trip (icy) provided the best picture taking.

Endless Caverns provides very luxurious RV camping spots; with both back-in and pull through sites easily accomodating the largest class A and 5th wheel rigs. Water, 50/30/20amp electricity, and sewer are standard. We were high enough up on the western slope of the Massanutten Mountain to breath mountain air (instead of valley air)--it was quite clean.

We caught a spectacular sunset--the parking lot to the Caverns faces westward across the valley. The Caverns access and walkways were constructed when stone was quite fashionable--as shown below. Finally, for those that remember, the Civil Defense Air Raid Shelter sign on the old entrance to the Cavernts. I really liked the covered stone walkway.