Category: Wildlife

The cavity in this tree is a perfect spot for a Great Horned Owl to nest.  The coloring of her feathers blends in so well with the tree that she is hardly noticeable.  Hopefully she is sitting on eggs that will hatch this Spring…time will tell!

There were several Eastern Bluebirds flitting around the trees near the Lake at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area when I last visited.  They were quite a distance away and nestled among the branches of the leafless trees.  It was hard not to notice their brown/orange breast and vivid blue head, back and tail feathers.  This was my first time ever photographing an Eastern Bluebird and though the setting wasn’t anywhere near ideal, it was fun to try and keep up with them as they moved throughout the brush.

Just for a change of pace I tried slowing down the shutter speed for a few images when the snow geese were flying yesterday.  This shot is at 1/25th of a second instead of my usual 1/800th or 1/1000th.  By blurring the moving geese it almost gives the feeling that they are flying in slow motion.  Zoom in for a closer look!

One of my 2017 bucket list items was to visit Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area for sunrise during the snow goose migration.  I can now cross that item off of my list!  The snow geese roost on the lake at night and then fly off at sunrise to go out to nearby fields to feed during the day.  It was cold (26 degrees) and dark at 6:00 AM when I arrived at the park.  Thankfully, there were plenty of other photographers there as we waited for the sun to rise over the lake.  The colors were beautiful and the geese did not disappoint.  Don Jacobs from WNEP in Wilkes-Barre was there, too, with a crew doing some filming for his show, Pennsylvania Outdoor Life.

=

These snow geese are more than ready for their close up.  It’s as if they knew that I was photographing them because they seem to be looking right at the camera!  They just took off from the lake and I love that the water droplets are visible.  I thought that these 3 images combined would make a nice triptych.