Autumn on the Water

Today I took the opportunity to spend the morning fishing Raystown Lake in neighboring Huntingdon County.  The crisp air, colorful foliage and blue water made for an unbeatable day!

Raystown Lake

Since the Pa Fish and Boat Commission drained our local Meadow Grounds Lake in the spring of 2013 I have been forced to travel elsewhere for boating/photography and fishing.  The Meadow Grounds offered good fishing, excellent wildlife photography, and convenience as was a short 15 miles from home.  With it gone I began to travel to the next nearest lake, Raystown Lake, in neighboring Huntingdon County.  No more can I hook up the boat and take a quick run to the lake for Raystown is fifty miles one way.  The fishing at Raystown is different then the Meadow Grounds with more species to target however it falls short with the wildlife photography.

Raystown is a much busier lake and where the MGL was electric motor only, Raystown is unlimited horsepower and heavily used by pleasure boaters.  The waterfowl that I have encountered there is typically much more wary of boats, seldom allowing a close approach.  Large waves from the wakes of speeding boats can be unsettling if not down right dangerous while trying to photograph wildlife.

With that said, there are still occasions where keeping the camera handy on Raystown pays off.

The following are a few images captured while fishing Raystown Lake.

I was surprised to encounter this swimming squirrel a long way from shore one recent morning.  If memory serves me well this was the only time I have ever observed a squirrel swimming. 

A Great Blue Heron stalks the shallows

And lastly, a pied-billed grebe swims away through the fog.  This is the first p-b grebe I have spotted since the spring migration.

On the Water: Raystown Lake

Yesterday, as I read today's weather forecast calling for mild temps reaching a high of nearly 60, I decided to burn a vacation day and spend today on the water.  Arriving at the James Creek boat ramp before sunrise I found the lake enveloped in a thick bank of fog.  It wasn't until after 9:00 am that the fog lifted enough to see the sun.

After the fog burned away I was motoring slowly along the shoreline with the electric motor when I spotted a little Pied-billed Grebe.  Scooping up the Canon 60D with the Canon 100-400 lens I slowly eased the boat towards the grebe.  While pied-billed grebes are normally more tolerant of humans than most of the duck species this particular bird was far more tolerant than most.

Not only did this little bird allow me to approach but it resumed fishing and rewarded me with a shot of it surfacing with a minnow grasp in its bill.  A few minutes later it again surfaced only a couple of feet from the boat with a tiny bluegill but none of the shots were sharp enough to be usable.

As the grebe swam about I was able to capture a number of reflection shots with this being one of the best of the series.

Appearing to stand up in the water, the little grebe shook its body apparently to dislodge water that had become trapped under its feathers.

Pied-billed Grebe shaking off.

Freshly fluffed the grebe swam towards the waters edge and dived; in search of fish.  Satisfied with the grebe photo-shoot I took the hint putting the camera down and picking up the rod.

On the Water: The Last of Summer

As I left a Raystown Lake dock early Saturday morning I could hear the honking of geese over the idling of my outboard motor.  I had the Canon 100-400 L attached to the 6D and by hand holding it at 100mm, ISO 1000 was able to capture the scene as the flock passed overhead.

There seemed to be boats everywhere.  Later I learned that there were four tournaments underway in the area.  With summer rapidly winding down the some of the foliage is already beginning to change color. 

At one point I spotted this lone fisherman motoring at a moderate speed with the front mount trolling motor down.  I wonder if he was just wanting to go slow or if he was worrying about why his boat was not cruising normally.
 

 

It has been my experience that wildlife photos are difficult to come by on this lake.  There is plenty of diverse habitats to attract a variety of water loving birds and animals.  However it seems that most wildlife either avoid the area or remain hidden because of the high level of human disturbance.

 

Even the Great Blue Herons are quick to flush and seldom allow an approach to within good telephoto lens range.  For some reason this particular bird did allow me to approach it using both the electric motor and the outboard, both a slow speed.

 

This day was probably my last summer day on the water as I have different plans for the upcoming weekend.  While it is still summer it certainly didn't feel like it with the morning temperature in the mid 40's nor did it look like summer with the autumn colors beginning to show.

 

As I look at the calendar I see that soon autumn will begin and once again it will be time for my annual trip to the Pennsylvania elk range. 

Raystown in the Fog

I awoke Saturday morning to a chilly 49 degrees at my house.  With plans to spend the morning on Raystown Lake I expected the warm lake to be blanketed in fog.  Arriving at the lake at sunup I was not disappointed. 

 

From the number of fishing boats hugging the shoreline it appeared that a bass tournament was underway.  Personally I never fish tournaments for I find no need to compete or gamble to make my time outdoors fulfilling.

 

 

Regardless of whether one was fishing for fun, competing in a tournament, or out photographing the scenery it was a beautiful morning on the water.

 

 

With the last wisp of fog dissipating, the lake, bathed in early morning sunlight, was stunningly beautiful under a crisp clear sky.  

Raystown Lake Morning

 

 

Towing the boat to Raystown Lake early Saturday morning I arrived to find the lake shrouded in fog. 

 

 

 

When the fog lifted I noticed this cobweb on a shoreline bush.  With the sun behind it the intricate water-beaded pattern sparkled

Since Raystown Lake is an unlimited horsepower lake the boat wakes can make it difficult to fish open water from a small boat.  To help alleviate this problem I spend much of my time in no-wake zones.  While fishing in the no-wake zones helps considerably, not everyone's definition of no-wake is the same.

 

Most of the waterbirds I encountered spooked well out of camera range.  This double-crested cormorant was an exception and allowed me to approach.

 

Double-crested Cormorant taking off.

 

As noon approached recreational boaters cranked up the horsepower kicking up the waves.  With the boat wakes rocking and rolling it was time for me and my little tin boat to head for home.

 

Another First: White-winged Scoters

 

With the draining of the Meadow Grounds Lake continuing now into its seventh week the water level had fallen too far for launching trailer boats.  With the Meadow Grounds now out of play Saturday morning found me launching on Raystown Lake in neighboring Huntingdon County. 

 

With the lake being 26 miles long with 118 miles of shoreline waterfowl and waterbirds have a lot of territory to hide out in.  While mallards and Canada's were frequently spotted throughout the day the only other species of ducks that I was able to identify were these white-winged scoters.

 

Scoters are considered salt-water ducks however are sometimes spotted on lakes in our region during the migrations.  While I had previously photographed a surf scoter at the Meadow Grounds a few years ago this encounter was my first with the white-winged scoter.

 

As the pair flys away their namesake white wing patches are prominately displayed.