Spring has Sprung

Just a week ago brown and gray were the predominate colors across the southern Pennsylvania landscape.  But the sustained unseasonably warm temperatures has hurried the season along.  Now the countryside looks like it normally does in mid to late April!

I focused my attention on wild turkeys the past two mornings.  This hen was my only reward with the gobblers staying hidden behind a screen of brush.

Spending mid-day Friday on a local lake I found that the species of waterfowl that I expected at this time of year were present.  My waterfowl sightings included lesser scaup, ring-necked duck, pied-billed grebe, mallard, wood duck, and horned grebe.  However the 80 degree temp's are far from the norm.  Here a horned grebe takes off when my boat drew too near for its comfort.

I was experimenting with handling the 600mm lens on board the boat during this outing.  Its sheer size and weight precludes hand-holding it for any period of time.  For these shots I was using a folded tripod as a monopod.  The pod made it easy to support the lens but the boat movement made focusing and shooting extremely difficult.  Even though the water was fairly calm the rocking of the waves played havoc with getting good shots.  I did find that keeping the boat under power smoothed out the motion somewhat.  Here two male and a female lesser scaup takes flight. 

A flock of forty or so ring-necked ducks were also present.  These migrants as well as other divers always stop in for the spring perch spawn.  I have seen no indication that the perch spawn has started but with the warm temps I expect it to begin any day.

Trees of all types are bursting into bloom.  These dogwood flowers are two to three weeks early.  Friday evening found me mowing the lawn; the first I have ever needed to mow in March!

Signs of Spring

Spring is still over a week away but the frogs seem to think that it is already here.  Walking around a couple of wetlands the past couple of days I noticed a number of frog egg masses attached to submerged vegetation; a sure sign that the early spring frog spawn has begun. 

A Moment for Flowers

What says Spring more than a the gorgeous bloom of the Flowering Quince

Arriving home this evening I was determined to make the best of the rare warm sunshine and get some spring cleanup done around our home.  As I graded our gravel driveway I noticed my wife shooting pictures of the project with her little Panasonic Lumix.  When I shut the tractor off to chat with her I noticed that our flowering quince has burst into full bloom today.  Of course I could have went to the house to retrieve a DSLR but with her little point & shoot so handy I set it on macro zoom to capture my first blossom of the year. 

And the Spring Migrations Begin..........

As winter recedes northward the spring migration of waterfowl follows.  Last weekend the wetland was covered in ice but now with the ice gone it is covered with migrating waterfowl.  What a difference one week can make!

Visiting the wetlands yesterday afternoon I was able to identify Canada Geese, Wood Ducks, Mallards, and Hooded Mergansers, pictured above.  From this assortment this hoodie male was the only one that I was able to catch off guard long enough to get good photos. 

This was my first wildlife shoot with a new Canon 60D.  I have been using a 30D for the past 3 1/2 years.  With over 200,000 shutter cycles and digital technology moving forward rapidly I decided it was time for an upgrade.  The only disappointment with the 60D so far is actually my fault.  I didn't research it well enough to realize that it used a different remote release than did my 30D.  I consider a remote an essential part of my wildlife photography equipment as simply touching the camera while on a tripod will introduce camera shake which in turn will keep the image from being as sharp as it could be. 

As I crouched behind the camera totally wrapped in camouflage and hidden in the brush surrounding the water the clicking of the shutter was what gave me away.  Cocking his head sideways to get a better view the male hooded merganser soon decided that other parts of the marsh were less crowded and swam away. 

The spring waterfowl migration has become one of my most anticipated annual events, a season that I look forward to with great anticipation, the same anticipation that a child may anticipate Christmas or a hunter anticipate deer season.  Now that "my" season has begun the challenge will be to find enough time to photograph the beautiful travelers as they pass through.

  

For more Critters of all Kinds

Visit Misty at her

Camera Critters Blog

Signs of the Season

While eating dinner this evening I noticed a grackle singing from the top of an oak tree, my first grackle for the season.  Deciding to take a short sundown stroll after the dishes were done I checked our flowerbeds and found the daffodils just beginning to poke their heads above the soil. 

As my wife and I strolled along we noticed two robins hunting worms along side of our garden, another first for the year.  The sunset this evening was one certainly worth savoring.

The honking of migrating Canada Geese drew our attention to the western sky.  The dark silhouettes moving rapidly across the colorful evening sky vividly tells the story of the changing of the seasons.  

   

Camera Critters: First Day of Spring

After what seemed to be a very long cold winter spring arrived almost as fast as if one had flipped a switch. While snow still covered much of the landscape last Friday, now it only lingers in a few spots. Yesterday I noticed my first blooming daffodils, what a pretty spot of color against the brown landscape!

Today I towed the boat to the nearby lake in hopes of encountering some of the migrating waterfowl now streaming through our area and I was not to be disappointed. During the morning I spotted three Red-breasted Merganser males, a pair of Hooded Mergansers, a flock of twenty or so Ring-necked ducks, a pair of Wood Ducks, two pair of Mallards, three Horned Grebes, a number of Canada Geese and one Lesser Scaup male.

I found this Lesser Scaup hanging out with the Ring-necked ducks but when they took flight he stayed behind. I was able to maneuver the boat to within close camera range as he swam the length of the lake.

Getting the boat too close for his comfort, the Scaup began pattering across the surface is a great spray of water

As those of you who have followed Country Captures for some time know, getting out on the water with the migrating waterfowl is one of my favorite photography pursuits.

Using a boat frequently allows me to get very close to waterfowl and sometimes it makes it possible to capture spectacular take-off images. Boating for waterfowl also allows me to combine photography with another of my favorite activities, fishing, and today was no exception. After the waterfowl action had died down for the morning I picked up the rod and caught a nice meal of spring bluegills. Boating, birds, fishing and beautiful warm weather; today certainly was the perfect First Day of Spring.

For more Critters of all Kinds

visit our friend Misty at her

Camera Critters Blog

Canada Geese: Defending Nesting Territory

When a second pair of Canada geese swam too close to the original pair the attack was sudden and violent. The male suddenly launched himself at the intruder.

The intruder wasted no time getting out of the way of the irate defender

With trouble past the gander returned to wooing his mate

Beginning: Spring Migrations

As temperatures begin to rise and the snow pack recedes, early signs of spring are beginning to appear. With our ponds, marshes and lakes still locked in ice I decided to check some local creeks for waterfowl this morning. After unsuccessfully check a few spots I spotted a pair of geese.

I have noticed over the past few days that the large wintering flocks are beginning to break up and finding geese on this creek indicates that they are beginning to move to their nesting sites.

This encounter with the geese soon took an unexpected turn giving me a honker photo shoot like I had never encountered before. Sorry, but you’ll have to check back later for the “action” shots!

Early this morning I passed an ice covered pond noticing a lone red-winged blackbird perched among the bull rushes, my first for this year. This was the same spot where I observed my first red-winged blackbird last year on February 21st. By this afternoon flocks of redwings were moving through our area on their journey northward.

During my time afield today I flushed a pair of ducks that I was unable to identify or photograph from along this creek. While walking along the water’s edge I heard the unmistakable staccato rattle call of the belted kingfisher, a few moments later it flew past, another first for the season.

The calendar indicates that spring is still two weeks away but nature is already heeding the call of a new season of renewal.

Spring Blooms

Colt’s Foot is now blooming every sunny day in my area. It is usually found along roadsides where open ground is shaded by deciduous trees during the summer months keeping competing plants and grasses at bay.
Colt’s Foot flowers close at night and during periods of cloudy weather. They only open during times of sunshine

The blooms on this ornamental shrub in my lawn only needs a few more warm days before they open completely. From the looks of the long range weather forecast it may have some time to wait.

Tagged

I was tagged by Fishing Guy

The game is to open the 4th folder and post the 4th photo. Well I got lucky. My 4th folder, the 4th photograph was this shot of a flock of Scaup in flight. This photograph was taken March 29, 2008 while the early spring migration of waterfowl was passing through my area.

Photographing these birds is only a spring game for at that time the lake is quiet except for a few fishermen. During the fall migration the waterfowl hunting seasons are in full swing with a number of hunters with decoy spreads working the lake shore.

With the cold weather we have been having lately I find myself beginning to yearn for the open water and the first flights of spring travelers stopping by.

Redbuds & Red Barn

It is that time of year again when new grass, new leaves, and Redbud blooms create a beautiful backdrop for a well cared for farm. The bright red paint with contrasting white trim reflects the owners love for the beauty of this picturesque farm in southern Fulton County.

Buzzing Around

A Male Carpenter Bee busily defends his Territory

Male Carpenter Bees are notorious for staking out a territory and chasing off all intruders. Any insect that enters will be rapidly pursued. Once the intruder has left the area the Carpenter Bee will return to hover, sometimes stopping in mid air watching for the next invader.

This Carpenter Bee was quite the busy boy when I photographed him. The wind was blowing briskly and flower petals from my cardinal bush were blowing through his territory. This little guy would mistake them for another insect, chasing them to the ground.

I was trying to get a head-on shot but with a thunder storm approaching, I had to cut my photo session short and be satisfied with what I had. This image was captured with the Canon 100mm-400mm L lens

Nothing says Spring Time any better than..........

Lilacs and Butterflies!

I cannot take credit for having expended a great deal of effort hunting the very illusive rare Yellow Swallowtail and finally in the nick of time capturing an image that will be remembered for all time :)

Actually I was doing some chores around the house when I noticed the butterfly visiting the lilac bush beside our driveway. I popped in the house and grabbed my Canon with the 100-400 L lens still attached from my morning shoot and pressed it into close-up duty.

This lens is capable of focusing at 1.8 meters while zoomed to 400mm. The posted image has not been cropped. I can see that with this level of performance I will be using this lens extensively for butterfly hunting once the little critters become more numerous.

Spring, New Life in Abundance

As spring comes to our area the annual life cycle begins anew. For the last few evenings I have heard the mating songs of the frogs and toads. This evening I visited a local wetland to check on the progress and found many egg masses deposited in the shallow water. Inside the gelatinous mass of each egg is a small black tadpole.

I take time to muse on what the future holds for the new life contained in these eggs. Life is delicate and uncertain at best and only a very few of the eggs will ever survive to become an adult. The spawn creates a feeding bonanza for water fowl. Ducks and Geese spend much of their day now searching the wetlands feeding on not only the spawn but also new vegetation. Soon the egg masses will hatch into tadpoles which will likewise be food for water fowl. Many of these wetlands may dry out before the tadpoles have grown legs and lungs, giving them the ability to escape the puddle where life began. Even then their life will be fraught with danger having little chance to survive until mating season next spring.

Small creatures such as these which are such an important part of the food chain reproduce in large volume. Although the chance of any one individual surviving to reproduce is slim it only takes a very small percentage to guarantee the future of the species.

Spring...8:07 PM

A Turkey Vulture glides gracefully in the strong March winds.

I always await the return of the vultures. Their graceful flight is one of the first signs the long winter is coming to an end.

New Grass

A spring seep provides warmth to give this grass an early start