Lifer: Northern Waterthrush

Our area has been sweltering under the heatwave that has enveloped much of the central and eastern United States.  I have focused much of my wildlife photography over the past week upon one particular spot along a local creek where deer frequently cross.  While focused upon obtaining "deer in the water" shots; other wildlife opportunities do arise as did this encounter with a waterthrush.

Actually, I was unaware that any waterthrush's inhabited our area until one day in April when my wife and I accompanied our niece Amy and her husband on a walk through a wildflower reserve.  Amy heard a bird calling and identified it as a Louisiana Waterthrush and soon we spotted it bobbing along a bubbling stream.  This remained my only encounter with waterthrush's until yesterday morning as I sat at the creek crossing when two birds lit along the creek and began hunting the shoreline.  At first I thought, Louisiana waterthrush, but upon researching the waterthrush I found that our area is in the range of the northern varity as well.  I think that what I have here is a northern; based upon the description.  If anyone has reason to disagree I would certainly appreciate your input in a comment. 

I was simply amazed by the number of insects, worms, etc. that these birds caught in a short amount of time.  As they searched among the rocks only a few moments passed between each catch.  Once I saw a bird with a small crayfish in its beak; however this activity was taking place in a dark shaded area.  Under those conditions my autofocus was giving me fits and no photos of the birds with a catch made the grade to be published here.  However, when one bird hopped into a shaft of sunlight everything worked perfectly.

While the waterthrushs are members of the warbler family their gait and feeding habits are much like those of the spotted sandpiper; bobbing continously while foraging near the water's edge.

Middle Creek Snows

Morning lift off at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area

Willard and I arrived at Middle Creek just before dawn Tuesday morning in time to witness the massive numbers of snow geese taking off from the lake as they moved to feeding areas.  Sunrise is normally a quiet time of day but at Middle Creek this time of year the babble of tens of thousands of geese rises to a roar.

A telephoto shot captures their silhouettes against the colorful predawn sky

At a location between the lake and a field where the snows were landing to feed we were able to capture passing shots of the high flying birds.

This group of snows appear to have synchronized their wing beats, creating an unusual image.

Snow geese begin arriving at Middle Creek each winter during the late winter thaw resting on the large shallow water lake and feeding in the agricultural fields in the surrounding area.  At times the population has been estimated to reach 120,000 or more birds.  The current estimate puts the count at 50,000 plus birds but numbers can change rapidly as only the geese know when they will begin moving farther north to their Arctic breeding grounds.

Open Water

The warmer weather we experienced this past week is making short work of the ice covering our waters.  Checking on a local lake today I found that the ice now only covered a portion of it at either end.  Small waves crashing along the lake shore presented an opportunity to play with close-up action shooting.  I used a Canon 24-105mm lens set at 105mm to capture this series of images using different shutter speeds.  The first image was shot at 1/1250 sec.

1/800 sec.

1/6400 sec.

After a winter of snow and ice its nice to see the spring thaw arriving early this year.  Soon I'll be wanting to put the boat on the water but with the lake currently drawn down about eight feet launching may not be possible until repair work is completed and the lake allowed to refill some.  After leaving the lake I headed to a local wetland to find that last week's ice is now gone.  The wetland was bustling with waterfowl activity but photos from that part of my day must wait for a later post.

Waterfall

105mm, ISO 100, F32, 5sec

While driving a snow covered back road a tiny stream rimmed in ice caught my attention. Thinking that perhaps I could do something creative with it I attached a Tiffen 0.9 neutral density filter to the lens, grabbed the tripod and waded through the snow to the little brook.
105mm, ISO 100, F32, 5sec.

I am one who is always ready for spring, just as soon as the holidays are past, but this year I have resolved to enjoy winter and to celebrate its unique beauty.

Living Waters

Water rushes over miniature water fall on its journey from the clouds to the ocean in its endless cycle of supporting life.

Photographing the tiny rivulet I thought about how this water fell from the clouds onto Scrub Ridge Mountain a few days ago. Seeping into the ground it resurfaced in a wet-spring and traveled downhill to this point. Its journey will take it to Licking Creek, then to the Potomac River, on to the Chesapeake Bay and finally into the Atlantic Ocean if it makes it that far. Along the way Hagerstown and Frederick Maryland, Washington DC and others will be drawing upon its life giving flow. Finally at some point it will once again rise to the clouds where the cycle will begin all over again.

Lately I have noticed that I have been focusing almost exclusively on wildlife and doing so have not been noticing some of the natural beauty around me. While taking an evening stroll my wife pointed out the beauty of this tiny waterfall while I had my attention riveted on the birds flitting about the undergrowth.

This shot was made with the 100-400mm lens at 400mm, F5.6, 1\8 sec. from the prone position with the camera rested over the camera bag. The green colorcast was created by allowing two out of focus leaves to hang near the front lens element.

Peaceful Morning

The US 522 bridge lies shrouded in the morning fog as the Potomac River glides quietly beneath its strong girders.

A motel at the north end of the bridge became the site of a “hostage” situation a few weeks ago. Police were notified that a wanted man and his pregnant girlfriend had checked in at the motel. Upon officer’s arrival the criminal informed police that he was armed and that he was holding his girlfriend hostage.

For two days this bridge between Maryland and West Virginia was closed forcing people to detour 70 miles out of their way. One health care worker was reported to have swum the river rather than make the long drive around.

The situation was finally resolved peacefully only to find that the “hostage” was in fact a willing collaborator and that the couple was unarmed the entire time.

Wild Ride

Two boys enjoying a Wet and Wild ride

As the lazy days of summer draw to a close; many families took advantage of our beautiful Labor Day weekend to spend a day on the water. I captured this image at Bald Eagle State Park during a day trip my wife and I took to picturesque Bellefonte Pennsylvania.

Barb of Discover Pa blogs a photo-or-more each day from this beautiful town. Barb's blog is one of my wife’s favorites. After having followed Barb’s blog for quite some time my wife came to the conclusion that Bellefonte, with its great Victorian architecture, was a “must see”.


I captured many beautiful images of Bellefonte during our visit but I am not planning on posting any here. Bellefonte is Barb’s town, so if you haven’t seen it yet, just pop over and give our friend a visit at Discoverpa.

Idyllic days of Summer

A Whitetail Doe wades the creek on a warm June evening

Summer is a time of plenty for the whitetail deer. Food is plentiful, with cover seldom more than a few jumps away. The rigors of the winter, the rut, and hunting seasons are all in the past with blood sucking insects now being the major annoyance.

This doe seemed to be enjoying her stroll through the cool waters. Like the doe I too enjoy a refreshing wade on a hot summers evening.

Hiding, but not Hidden

While taking my evening stroll, this Leopard Frog alarmed by my presence, jumped into a small brook. Apparently believing himself hidden he remained motionless while I captured this image from a few inches away.

Retired

The salt marsh at Oyster Va. contains a treasure trove for the photographer. This boat along with the one displayed in my earlier post “Sunken” are located near the road there along with another smaller but no less photogenic boat.

This marsh is located at the end of the small harbor. Possibly hurricanes and storm surges are responsible for depositing these boats in their final resting places.

Billie Crystal

The name of this boat caught my attention,
as well as the fact that it is now a floating hayfield.

Photo taken at Oyster Va

Shipwrecked

While vacationing on Virginia’s beautiful Eastern Shore I noticed this old boat lying in a salt marsh. I passed on photographing her in the harsh light of noon and returned later to capture her in the warm low angle light of evening.

I consider this the best image I captured on our trip. Not only was I captivated by the beauty of the scene but it also appropriately illustrates what was truly a Murphy’s Law vacation. I once believed that problems came in threes, on this vacation it certainly did, twice over. The final straw caused us to return home two days early but that must wait for a later post.

Summer Fun in the Sun

I spent Saturday on beautiful Foster Joseph Sayers Lake in Center County Pa. My primary objective was fishing for the prolific crappie for which this lake is locally famous.
Being a shutter-bug I could not pass up the opportunity to capture “action shots” presented by the many recreational boats speeding across the lake’s smooth waters. As so often happens when shooting action the two boats passing in this photo was purely coincidental.

Foster Joseph Sayers Lake is a 1730 acre flood control lake completed by the US Army Corps of Engineers in 1969. It is named after a World War II Private First Class from this area who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroic action on November 12th 1944 near Thionville, France.

The lake is surrounded by the 5,900 acre Bald Eagle State Park and provides many recreational opportunities including hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, swimming, boating, and biking, along with wildlife watching.

Aitch, the village that Was

I’ll see you in “H”

What would normally be considered a rude comment has a different meaning in the Raystown Lake area of Pennsylvania. Aitch (pronounced H) once was a village but now is a launching area. This photo was taken in the early morning before the crowd of boats and jet skis arrived. The village of Aitch lies under the water of this small cove.

The 8,000+ acre Raystown Lake, created by the US Army Corps of Engineers as a flood control project in the 1970’s displaced many families. What once was a rural agricultural valley is now a playground for people from all walks of life.

Bridge Abutment

An old bridge abutment now provides structure for fish.

Raystown Lake, Huntingdon Co. Pennsylvania

Rain Drops

Water droplets frequently transform a scene from commonplace to extraordinary

Chesapeake Dawn, another Fishing Year Begins

Today I met the dawn on the Chesapeake Bay. With the large storm that has wrecked so much havoc in Texas and Oklahoma bearing down upon us I expected a spectacular sunrise this morning. As sunrise neared the horizon began to display beautiful colors but alas the atmospheric conditions were not as perfect as I had hoped for. The beautiful colors dissipated before the sun could peak through.

Each year my friend Paul and I book a pre-season catch & release charter with Captain Hank Devito. We began booking Captain Hank in 1999 in an attempt to learn the techniques and tactics necessary to successfully peruse the Chesapeake’s premier game fish, the Striped Bass. Hank is a unique captain who willingly shares his vast fishing knowledge. Over the years this charter has became our spring tradition and a much anticipated visit with a good friend.

Red Breasted Mergansers

I encountered this busy flock of red breasted mergansers hens while checking out a lake for its boat docks and possible fishing potential. Although they would not allow me to approach as closely as I would have liked they did afford the opportunity for a few photographs while foraging their way along the shoreline. With the thermometer holding in the low twenties Fahrenheit and a stiff west wind neither the ducks or I was inclined to stay in one place for long!

A Narrow Escape

The creek nearly claimed another life Friday. Underestimating the power of the creek nearly cost our neighbor his life




Granddad told the story of the death of Elsie Fike. The tragedy happened on a hot summer day many years ago at this very same creek fording. Elsie and her husband had dealt with a neighbor for the breeding of their mare. The mare had recently delivered so Elsie, with her horse and buggy went to the neighbor’s farm to settled their account. A thundershower passed through upstream while she was away. On her return the creek fording was flooded but she attempted to cross. Elsie along with her mare and buggy were swept away. A search party of neighbors was gathered and her body was found downstream. The mare was found standing on the creek bank about a half mile downstream. As my brother and I were growing up this story was told to us many many times in hopes of instilling in us due respect for the power of the creek.




Friday, for whatever reason with the creek at flood stage, our neighbor drove his truck straight into the raging torrent. He said he had no idea that it was so deep. Once the truck stopped he found he could not open the driver’s door. His decided to escape via the window. Not wanting to go out headfirst into the water he instead went feet first. He found this was not an easy maneuver at his age and the truck cab was filling quickly. He recounted that his escape took him about twenty minutes and the cab was full of water by that time. His window of opportunity was quite narrow. The water was very cold, only a couple of degrees above freezing and hyperthermia will incapacitate us in a few minutes at these temperatures. After wriggling out of the truck he made his way to shore and headed to his home about three quarters of a mile away. Never once during his escape did he think to try the passenger door. The current was pressing against the drivers door effectively blocking it from opening, the downstream passenger’s door would have opened easily.





These photos were taken Saturday morning after the water had receded considerably.

Note the arrow pointing out the high water mark on the hood. The water was beginning to recede when the incident occurred making this the high-water point at which the vehicle came to rest.

Neighbors came to the rescue of the truck. A high lift belonging to the township road department operated by one of our supervisors aided in the removal.

With rear wheels lifted high the truck is pulled from the creek

The extremely fortunate victim surveys his truck

Note the high water mark on the steering

This is the same creek featured in my October 25th post “Autumn Creek and in the Walking on Water series posted this past February. Our society has built infrastructure to protect us from nature but when one travels the back roads they must be aware of the hazards present and give due respect to the powers of nature. Our neighbor’s moment of carelessness cost him his truck and very nearly cost him his life.

Walking on The Water Pt.3

Once a common sight, swinging bridges are now quite rare in our area. I remember a number of them from my childhood. Built and maintained by our township road crew they were a vital link to civilization for the families who lived where only a low water fording afforded vehicle access to their home. This bridge is private and was erected by its owner to afford him easy hunting access to his mountain land.

The stream is held in suspension awaiting warmer temperatures before gravity can again move it along on its endless journey

Beautiful icicles contrast nicely with the green fern in the background

Here even the fast moving riffle has frozen over, preserving the ripples on the water

This post concludes the Walking on the Water Series
I hope you have enjoyed it. Soon winter will be past and only the memories and photographs will endure to remind us that on some days even we can

Walk on Water