Reflections of Summer: Painted Turtle

As the boat slid quietly into a small cove I spied this pretty Painted Turtle basking on a log. The lighting was good and I easily maneuvered into the best position for this reflection shot.

Many of the wildlife subjects I shoot are wary and difficult to photograph but that is not the case with the Painted Turtles. As long as one doesn’t make sudden movements or approach inside of their comfort zone these turtles are content to be the subject of many a blog post.

A Pretty Bird: Cedar Waxwing

There are so many beautiful birds that I hesitate to say which is the prettiest. Of course such a statement would only be that of my own personal opinion so with that in mind I can only state that in my opinion the Cedar Waxwing is high on my list.

My closest encounter with the Cedar Waxwings this year occurred on a day when our cherries were ripe. As I stood under the tree picking cherries, a pair of Cedar Waxwings busied themselves picking in the tree top. I could not begrudge the birds the fruit for many years ago the tree was planted by a bird and grew up wild in what was then a fence row. When I cleared the fencerow to make way for my humble abode over thirty years ago, I allowed the tree to stand. Since moving here the birds and I share the tasty cherries when they ripen each season.

The birds always get the lions share but that is as it should be, for without their ancestors the cherry tree would not exist.

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.

Hightailing it out of Here

If you never knew where the term “hightailing” came from,

well now you do

As my wife and I were riding my dad’s JD Gator along the hay field featured in my previous post with the dragon fly; a lone doe flushed from the high grass and made her escape across the field.
I’m sure she has a fawn or fawns stashed nearby but not wanting to disturb them we continued on our way with this image as a reminder of our close encounter

Killdeer: Our most common Plover

Named for its call, the Killdeer is commonly seen in meadows, pastures, and golf courses over most of North America. This Killdeer was unconcerned about my presence while hunting worms in the soggy pasture.

Killdeer have drawn my attention from an early age. I well remember being enthralled with them from an early age. As a boy, I enjoyed watching them run about the pastures, always able to maintain a healthy distance between themselves and an inquisitive little boy.

When viewed up close their brilliant markings are striking but at a little distance those same sharply contrasting colors serve as excellent camouflage

Hummer with a ‘Tude

When my wife viewed this image for the first time she exclaimed “that hummer has a ‘tude”.

I must agree with her, this Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird does not appear to appreciate being the subject of a Country Capture!

Sunday Afternoon Action

While sitting on our deck and chatting with Chad by phone, I noticed a Mocking Bird fly down from our roof top and flare near the ground. After it had exhibited this behavior a number of times I thought this may be a perfect opportunity to capture it in flight. Retreating into our home as we ended our conversation I grabbed the Canon 30D with the 100-400mm lens.

Once the bird had my full attention, I soon found out what all of the fuss was about. A black snake was trying to cross our lawn only to be driven back in the high grass by the feisty Mocking Bird. As I photographed the scene the bird dive-bombed the snake numerous times being careful each time to peck at its tail. Not once did it approach the snake’s head.

I have seen Mocking Birds harass cats like this many times but, this is the first time I ever witnessed one taking on a snake. The encounter ended with the snake finally returning to the high grass and the Mocking Bird taking up station on our TV antennae where she could command a full view of the area.

Dinner Guest: Red-tailed Hawk

While my wife & I dined on our deck this evening I noticed two raptors in the sky. One was quite high wheeling in circles with the other much lower approaching directly towards our home. As the nearer bird passed overhead, I realized that it was a mature Bald Eagle. What an inopportune time for my camera to be in the house!

Hoping for another fly-over I retrieved my camera in time for the other bird, a Red-tailed hawk to pass by. This evening proved to be a painful reminder to never leave the camera behind.

In Flight: Great Blue Heron

To the small fish, the Great Blue Heron is public enemy number one. This ranking also holds true for the fish farmer, who raises his fish in shallow ponds.

For the wildlife photographer the Great Blue Heron bird is a study in both awkwardness and grace.

For more Camera Critters vist please visit Misty

Fishing: Great Blue Heron Style

While fishing on the nearby lake Memorial Day morning, I noticed a Great Blue Heron standing along the shore. As I began my approach it flew south along the lake shore and disappeared into a small cove. This time I was able to approach to within about fifty yards before leaving cover and as usual, I set the trolling motor at its very slowest speed. To slow my approach even more I would bump the switch on and off giving it only enough power for steerage. Finally I ran up against a submerged stump and just sat quietly waiting and watching from about thirty yards away.

The Heron watched me intently once I broke cover but then found the small fish in the shallow water to be of more interest. Slowly ever so slowly she stalked her prey until with a lighting fast strike she deftly caught a small bluegill.

Spotted Sandpiper

During my early morning outing, I noticed a flock of Spotted Sandpipers running about on the earthen breastwall of the dam. Upon my approach all but two flew to a shaded area so I concentrated my attention upon the remaining birds. I adjusted my trolling motor to its slowest setting and over the next one-half hour worked these birds until they allowed me to maneuver to within a few yards.

By the conclusion of this session I had shot over one hundred images. As these birds move quickly, many were poorly posed and some blurred. After heavy deletion, I still had thirty eight images that made the grade. Of the image, this one which caught the bird with wings momentarily lifted while posed by the waters edge and it’s reflection visible in the water, stood out above all of the rest

For more Camera Critters visit Misty

Early Morning Osprey

Today’s early morning encounter with an osprey produced this image plus my new header.

While I was photographing a Spotted Sandpiper, I noticed an Osprey perched on a dead snag in a nearby cove. Once finished with the sandpiper I maneuvered the boat behind cover and approached the Osprey to within about fifty yards before exposing myself. As the Osprey flew past I framed and shot frantically.

As is always the case in these fast action episodes I was left to wonder as to whether I was successful until I was able to view the results on the computer.

Black-billed Cuckoo

Yesterday, as I washed the lunch dishes I watched a Northern “Baltimore” Oriole fly into a wooded ravine across the hollow behind my home. This evening, with the intention of trying to relocate the Oriole, I walked into the area, set up my folding chair and sat a spell. I was fortunate in that I was able to observe the female Oriole busily engaged in nest building while the male stood guard; but that is a story for another post.

As I was returning home a jay sized bird flitted through the underbrush and landed where I was able to capture this image. I couldn’t identify the bird so upon loading the images on the computer I referred to Audubon’s field guide.

I learned that this bird, the Black-billed Cuckoo is quite reclusive, spending most of it time in the thick underbrush and is rarely seen. The favored food of the Black-billed Cuckoo is hairy caterpillars with the gypsy moth listed along with tent caterpillars. The gypsy moth outbreak underway this year will keep these birds well fed over the coming weeks.

Too Close for Comfort; Belted Kingfisher

Seeing that another fisherman (woman) was present, I laid down my rod and began to seriously pursue this female Belted Kingfisher. She would sit on a branch and watch me intently as I slowly motored her way. Her tolerance level was just a little too far for my 400mm lens but after a number of tries she allowed me to ease within reasonable range.

Soon she tired of the game and dropped off her branch just as the shutter fell for the umpteenth time giving me this lovely unplanned “action” capture.

Red-Breasted Merganser

As any regular visitor to Country Captures knows, I have been having a great time this spring photo-hunting waterfowl. I have become particularly focused on capturing wildlife action photos. I consider this photograph of a Red-Breasted Merganser to be among my top shots of the spring.

I have carried a keen interest in wildlife since my boyhood days and it has not dimmed one bit as the years pass. Early on my interest centered on hunting and fishing as this was the only way I knew to interact with these interesting creatures. As I matured my interest in wildlife drew me into the field of wildlife conservation where I served as a Pa. Deputy Wildlife Conservation Officer for twenty three years.

Hunting presents a set of challenges that the hunter must overcome to become successful. The challenges begin with locating suitable habitat and locating the query to the end game of firing a well placed shot to bring the hunt to a successful conclusion.

I do continue to hunt for the table a little each year but now the camera has replaced the deadly weapons for the vast majority of my wildlife interaction. I find the challenges of wildlife photography are even more difficult than that of conventional hunting. Photography negates a few of the challenges that face the hunter as there are no set hunting seasons or bag limits to contend with. Also we can photograph where animals are to some degree acclimated to people; areas such as National Parks and nature reserves.

The photographer faces additional challenges such as amount of light, lighting angles, subject positioning, motion, and suitable backgrounds to mention a few.

I find a close encounter with wildlife that results in a successful image capture every bit as exhilarating and satisfying as any encounter in my younger years and much more so than bagging any animal does today.

Visit Misty for more Camera Critters

An Image of an Awesome Morning

This past Friday evening I posted the Immature Bald Eagle that I had captured while fishing/photographing the morning of April 12th. On Saturday morning I again visited the nearby lake. Upon leaving the boat dock I headed across the lake towards the western shore. Soon I sighted a duck swimming and began my approach. After a few shots at long range the duck tired of the game and flew away. As I looked around I spotted some white in a treetop and immediately assumed it was one of the Ospreys that frequent the lake; how wrong I was! A moment later it took flight, an Adult Bald Eagle!

The eagle flew to the south end of the lake alighting in a tree top so I slowly eased my boat that way but while I was still 300-350 yards out it again took flight, flying back to the western shore and again perching in a tree. Again I gave slow pursuit. This time when the eagle flew another adult joined it flying north. As the morning progressed I did some fishing along with photographing waterfowl, including the Wood Duck on Saturday’s post. An hour or so later I rounded a small bend in the lake only to see the eagle pair takeoff again, this time alighting in a tree near the north end of the lake, a dead tree where the week before I had photographed an Osprey eating its catch.

Again I attempted to approach by motoring across the lake concealing myself from the eagles with the shoreline. This allowed me to approach to within about 200 yards. As I again came into view of the eagles I began firing and quickly they took flight.

The angle of lighting is not what I desired and the distance too far for a great image but to me this photograph represents the memories of an awesome morning spent with these beautiful raptors.

Wood Duck Drake

A pretty Wood Duck Drake standing guard on a fallen log

I first noticed the Wood Duck pair as I was fishing in a small cove off of the main body of the lake. The drake with his bright plumage stood out against the soft green & brown background, the hen with her drab brown colors blended in very well. Before I could approach within good camera range they began walking through the woods. I knew the land they were on was only a narrow strip with another cove only about twenty yards away. This situation gave me hope for here they were in the shadows but the next cove caught the morning sun very well. As the Woodies passed out of sight over the slight rise I turned the boat and headed for the next cove.

As I approached I kept the boat moving at the slowest speed my electric motor allows and stayed near the shore trying to stay out of sight until I was as close as possible. Rounding a little bend in the shoreline I spotted the Drake standing high upon this log. Below him sitting on the water was his mate. The drake watched me closely and began pacing the log as I drew nearer. Finally he and his mate grew weary of my company and winged away to a less crowded part of the lake.

Visit Misty to sign up for Camera Critters

First Photo Encounter, Immature Bald Eagle

During one of my morning boating excursions I had the good fortune to encounter an Immature Bald Eagle.

Bald Eagle sightings are becoming increasingly common in my area. As most know, the Bald Eagle fell prey to DDT poisoning. This along with the prevailing rural attitude of the past, many folks killed all predators on sight, including Eagles. During my growing up years, I never heard of anyone sighting an eagle.

From 1963 to 1980 there were only three known Eagle nest in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Game Commission began a reintroduction effort in 1983. Over the next seven years 88 Eagle chicks were removed from nest in Saskatchewan and placed in hacking towers here in the Keystone State. By 1996 twenty pairs were known to be nesting in the state.

Although I have sighted Bald Eagles a number of times over the last decade, this was the first time I had the opportunity to capture an image. On some issues I cannot agree with the Pennsylvania Game Commission but in the case of the Eagle I must applaud them for successfully returning this majestic bird to our skies.

Thank you PGC for a job well done!

Basking, Painted Turtles

Painted Turtles basking in the warm sunlight of a cool April day

I frequently see Painted Turtles exhibiting this behavior during sunny spring days. As turtles are cold blooded, they relish the warm rays of sunlight. When I first noticed this log it was covered with turtles basking in a line along its entire length. By the time I drew near enough for this shot, all had slipped quietly back into the water except for this pair.

A little research revealed that females are larger than males and that we are in the midst of their breeding season now. Most likely this is a guy and his favorite gal all snuggled up and quite hesitant to flee.

Lonely Little Ruddy Duck

I spied a lone Ruddy Duck male on the lake Friday morning. As I had never captured a good image of a Ruddy before I made an extra effort to approach him. I soon found this was no easy task for like a Grebe he would slip under the surface only to reappear quite some distance away.

I would have loved to have gotten closer but I am content with this image captured with the Canon 30D and a 100mm-400mm L lens.