First Palm Warbler of the Season. Woot, Woot!!

I was sitting on a log in the woods and far in the distance I saw this little bird.  When I looked a little closer, I realized it was one of maybe three palm warblers playing and eating in the woods. Beautiful perch.
 

Solar Eclipse in Valley Forge

Such a fun day today.  I went with my friend Alison and her sister Leslie to see the eclipse in Valley Forge.  We had no expectations, but it was a spectacular sight none-the-less.  There were lots of people there, lots of kids, lots of dogs, lots of sunglasses.  A really fun wonderful day for Valley Forge.  In the sky there were a lot of clouds. We would get little stretches of great sitings of the eclipse and then all would disappear back under the clouds.  I had no filter for my camera and was scared to death if I took a picture and might ruin the sensor.  Well the clouds became my filter and I got a couple good shots.  That's Alison checking out the sun through her eclipse glasses.  Could not have been more fun.

Coyote in Valley Forge!!

 What a day!!  I had first come across a fox with a vole in his mouth.  As I raised my camera to take his picture he disappeared into the brush.  I walked another minute or two, turned around and there was the coyote.  The coyote walked calmly into the bush and out ran three deer who posed for me on the top of the ridge.  Got to love a day like that.

The Bugs are Back!!

I was in the woods off of Ship Road searching for anything that moved and this wonderful little bug came up for air after emerging from inside a forsythia blossom.  He was so covered with pollen that I cannot even identify what he is.
 

And this is a click beetle on a buttercup in Valley Forge today.  Oh, how I love the bugs!!

Staring at the Great Blue Heron

I found this guy or gal along with maybe a dozen more great blue heron in their own little rookery right off of Route 202.  They were building their nests and making baby blue heron.  Incredible sight to see.  Just takes ten minutes to get there.  Such a treasure. But they are high up and well hidden by the tree branches except every once in a while.

Dawn on a Foggy Morning in Tanzania

 

Playing in Black and White

The Wink

Me and My Shadow

Lion in the Rain

 

Giraffes in Hi Key

The Wood Frogs Have Arrived

I was walking the path through the woods off of Ship Road near our house today and I could hear the wood frogs calling.  They have a cackling sound - sort of like chickens in the yard.  I slowly made my way through the thick brush to a vernal pool where there must have been at least 100 frogs all doing their wonderful mating dance.  They stopped cackling when they sensed I was there.  I circled the pool to get in the right light and settled down along the pool.  Nobody said a word.  No sound at all.  So I decided to play the sound of wood frogs on my cell phone.  It took a few minutes but the frogs listened and got comfortable and before I knew it, they were all cackling away again.  The boys blowing up their air sacks and chasing the girls around the pool.  Here is a beautiful male floating on the pool - in the first photo he has not blown up his air sacks.  In the second one - he's blown up.

 

I'm Back from Tanzania with Lots of Baby Pictures!!!

As I write this we are having a wild, wild blizzard outside our window in Charlestown Meadows.  Yowza!!  I've just returned from a magnificent trip to Tanzania with Todd Gustafson and friends.  It was the birthing season and the baby wildebeests and zebras and gazelles and giraffes were being born at every turn in front of our very eyes.  I have hundreds and hundreds of photographs to go through, but here are a few just to get started.

Sunrise on the Serengeti

The Sunbird

Baby Lions Loving Their Mom

Mom and Brand New Baby Grant's Gazelle

Brand New Baby Giraffe

Breakfast in the Field

Brand New Baby Wildebeest

 

Elephants of the Tarangire

I declare you the Winner!

Todd Gustafson had heard there were two cheetahs (mother and cub) hunting.  We got to their location and stopped to photograph them when the cub ran towards us, jumped on board, walked across the side and plopped down on the roof.  After initial shock, I took a selfie.  A few minutes later the cheetah and his mom took off like a shot and grabbed a baby gazelle. 

Lots of Paws

Lots of Zebras

Spotted Eagle Owl

Mr. Corey Bustard, all dressed up and ready for Love

Mrs. Cardinal Steals the Show

 

It's Freezing but the Short Eared Owls Don't Care

It's the coldest its been in years, or at least it feels like it.  Tom and I are having our kitchen redone from top to bottom, but why the heck are we doing this in JANUARY!!!  It will get done. In the meantime, I went with my friend Alison to Mercer Meadows in New Jersey and as the snow began to fall we captured the most beautiful short eared owls and a few magnificent harrier hawks at dusk. Click on photos to really see those eyes!!

 

Don't Mess With Me