Solitary Sandpipers

Several Summers past, I ventured to the Eastern Shores of Maryland in search of saltwater marshes and beaches that stretch as far as the eye could see. A stop at Assateague National Seashore to photograph the wild ponies that make the island their home was on my itinerary. Rest assured I snapped my fair share of wild pony images, however, I also captured countless images of birds. There were birds everywhere from Assateague Island to Chincoteague Island. These I believe are Solitary Sandpipers resting on the water's edge on Assateague late in the day. As I stood to capture this image, I was surrounded by salt marshes and water as far as the eye could see. It was heaven. ENJOY!

Ode to Spring

Winter harkens the darkest of days, with bitter cold and snow filled skies.

As Winter days bring sleet and ice, we dream of a warmer season.

A season filled with sunny days and warm wispy breezes.

Of misty raindrops that water each flower petal nurturing new life.

Of bright yellow Daffodils and pink and white Dogwoods in bloom.

We dream of Spring.

I captured this image on a warm Summer's day as I drove through West Virginia on my way home to Kentucky from a trip to the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Virginia. A field of Poppy flowers greeted me at a visitor center there. The sun was shrouded by clouds, but the pinks, lavenders and yellows of the Poppies were so beautiful. ENJOY!

Beaches and Shores

It is a little known fact that I must have a lake, an ocean, a seashore, a riverbed, or if all else fails, just a pond nearby to make all things right in my world. Water is one of the many driving forces that nurtures my world. Add to that a forest or a woods or a grassy plain, or even a mountaintop overlook, and my world is so much more. The many elements that make up our world also enrich our lives in ways we never imagined.

Oftentimes, I view photographs such as those like Jean's from the quaint island of New Zealand, or Barb from the snow covered Rockies in Colorado, or Frank from 'across the pond' in England, or Steve from the windswept coasts in New England, and I wonder just what it would be like to live in one of those beautiful places.

Then I remember a thought shared years ago, that I am sharing my world and its many experiences, through the images I capture. And that makes 'your' world so much more. I gathered a few of my favorite images I have captured over the years to share with you today. Images such as these from the Eastern Shore of Virginia, the shores and the bays of Lake Michigan, and Nantucket Island off Cape Cod, to share with you today. ENJOY!

Linking to Skywatch Friday and Foodie Friday and Everything Else

Vintage America

Lately, I have been posting my fair share of birds and waterfowl images. But last week I got to thinking about all of the wonderful places I have traveled over the past few years. There is rarely a place we travel daily or on a vacation that we don't find some historical artifact in some form or fashion.

Without the rustic, vintage, historical . . . without the rusted, aged, weathered . . . without these artifacts or historical places throughout America, my world would be far less interesting. On every occasion, no matter whether it is a day trip, a weekend or a longer journey, history surrounds us, and fortunately, I have embraced the vintage and historical factions in my travels. Throughout the states of Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, Michigan, Massachusetts and Virginia, I captured these images whether it be Spring, Summer, Winter or Fall. ENJOY!

Linking to Wednesday Around The World

Colorful Chincoteague

I have shared various images from my trip to Chincoteague of all types of Egrets and many types of Herons, various sizes and shapes of Gulls, even a photo of a strange looking bird called an Oystercatcher. And, of yes, let's not forget the Ponies. Brown, black, checkerboard, tan. Well here's an image I like to call Colorful Chincoteague. Scrounging around in my archives I found these photographs I had taken on my trip to Virginia's Eastern Shore in mid July, in the throws of a heat wave no less, to visit Chincoteague Island and the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. On my first day out, after trekking to the wildlife refuge, I drove back across the short bridge to the main island and headed for the road that ran parallel to the bay on the north side of the island. One of the first things I noticed and stopped to photograph was an old fishing shack which had a nice array of crab traps stacked up outside right off the porch.

As I made my way back to the road that lead to the wildlife refuge and my hotel, I noticed this sailboat. The guy at the helm was readying to bring down the sails so I grabbed a quick pic before he did. Not far from the sailboat hanging off the side of the dock was this life preserver shrouded in rope. Who could resist such an image. A few days later, I found myself on the east side of the island right the bay cuts through and, more notably, where the Ponies make their way across the water for the Pony Penning every year. As I drove the road traversing the bay, I looked over to see this large group of kayaks sitting idle. What a colorful array. It's been a mainly 'single digit' temperature day here in the Bluegrass State. If you go outside, your breath travels through the air leaving you to wonder if it just might freeze mid air. My God is this what the Upper Midwest has been dealing with all these years? Not to mention the Canadians. I feel for all of you. ENJOY!

2013 Birds in Review

Looking back at 2013, I noticed that waterfowl and wading birds were dominate features in my photography. Investing in a longer lens helped to contribute to that, not to mention my trip to the Eastern Shore, where I photographed not only birds, but also the wild ponies. Reminiscing about all of the trips I have taken was fun. Places you might have found me were Goose Pond FWA, Mustatatuck NWR and Ewings Bottoms, all in southern Indiana. I also traveled to the Bluegrass Scenic Byway, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Chincoteague NWR, Chincoteague Island and Assateague National Seashore. Closer to home I visited Cave Hill Cemetery, the Anchorage Trail, Iroquois Park and Cherokee Park, all inside Louisville's city limits. I cherish every moment spent in nature as each one was precious and having the opportunity to photograph beautiful birds, wildlife and the landscape, I feel privileged.



Amazingly, I recounted the states I have traveled through and there were quite a few. Aside from Kentucky, I visited Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland and Georgia. That's a lot of traveling when you didn't even hop a single plane. The highlight was the Eastern Shore and discovering a birder's paradise. The image I share today features a few of my favorite bird photos taken this year. From left to right . . . a Glaucous Gull (I think), a pair of Sandhill Cranes in flight, Green Heron, Cattle Egret, Kildeer, Great White Egret, Neo Tropic Cormorant (very rare to see one in Indiana, but it was at Goose Pond), Yellowlegs (Common or Greater, not sure), Little Blue Heron in flight, Tri Colored Heron, Laughing Gull, American Oystercatcher, Mallard Duck pair, Great Blue Heron lifting off and a Herring Gull. Whew! What a year. There are eight life birds in the image that I got to add to my Life Bird List. 2013 was a good year all things considered and I had lots of fun in my travels, but I can't wait to see what the New Year will bring. Have a safe and Happy New Year's Eve. I'll see you next year. ENJOY!

Shorebirds, Chincoteague NWR

Let me preface this post by saying, "Identifying shorebirds is not as easy as it sounds." There are Dunlins, Sandpipers, Godwits, Sanderlins, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, etc. etc. etc. OMG! So in an effort not to drive myself completely mad, I'm sticking with the 'shorebirds' heading before I take the plunge and tell you what species I 'think' these two lovely little birds are.

Spending time on Chinocoteague National Wildlife Refuge this Summer photographing the multitude of large wading birds was such a great time, in spite of the heat wave. As I drove the main route through the refuge, I would get close to the beaches and in turn the shallow waters where the smaller shorebirds were wading about poking their bills in the water. I snapped several images not really making much of an effort. They were pretty far out in the shallow water so I didn't expect to be able to crop any of the images and use them. However, there were a few that I felt were good enough to post. Keep in mind this image is heavily cropped. Now back to identifying these birds, I believe these are Lesser Yellowlegs as is evidenced by their yellow legs and feet and their long bills. There are Greater Yellowlegs that look similar, but their bills are longer and minutely turned up at the tip. Of all of the information I read about shorebirds and how to identify them, these were the main features that stuck with me regarding these two species. Regardless of whether my I.D. is correct or not, I love these little guys and their speckled bodies and especially their long snouts. Hope you are having a great weekend. It's still chilly here, but a warm up is coming. ENJOY!


PHOTOGRAPHER'S NOTE: I had a very scary header planned for Halloween week, but opted for a less scary one. I hope you like it.

Beautiful Great White Egrets

Have a Wonderful Weekend All. ENJOY!

Lighthouse, Chincoteague NWR

There's beauty everywhere on the island which plays host to Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. There's Egrets and Herons and Chincoteague Ponies. There's beautiful beaches with creamy white sand. There's emerald green lagoons filled with huge wading birds. There's azure blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean surrounding you.

And then . . . there's this beautiful lighthouse. This lighthouse with its red and white stripes. This lighthouse that braves Fall's fierce hurricanes, Winter's blustery storms, Summers heat and humidity, and then revels in Spring's balmy days. With its new coat of paint the Lighthouse on Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge stands in testament that time really does stand still. And everyone on Chincoteague couldn't be happier as they marvel in its new found beauty.

I didn't want to photograph the lighthouse up close, but rather off in the distance with perhaps the bay in the foreground. And what was so unexpected were the beautiful subjects in the foreground. The Egrets and shore birds were busily searching for dinner as I captured this image. Priceless to me. ENJOY!

Little Blue Heron, Chincoteague NWR

As the warm light of the day faded away, I continued to photograph this Little Blue Heron looking for a catch in the waters around Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge back in July when I visited there.


It is amazing just how light can change the look and feel of a subject. In these images this Little Blue Heron is so dark he almost doesn't even appear to be a Little Blue Heron.

He was busy fishing and only looked up once. Not sure if he was looking at me or not but I doubt it. He probably saw something in the water that I couldn't see. I saw a beautiful Little Blue Heron on Assateague which I posted earlier in the summer and then I posted another image of a Little Blue Heron on the bay side off of Chincoteague Island itself, and now here's a photograph from late day off Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. So needless to say, Little Blue Herons were plentiful around the Eastern Shore when I was visiting there in July. I hope to get back there again some day, but until then memories and these images will have to sustain me. Hope your weekend is going great. ENJOY!

Photographing Great White Egrets

As you surely know by now, I spent some time on the Eastern Shore of Virginia earlier in the Summer and while there I captured many, many images of large wading birds and shore birds at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. Here's a few varying poses of the Great White Egrets I took one afternoon as I drove along the main road which runs parallel to the lagoon. I was truly amazed to find so many of them at one time in one area. Obviously, the lagoon is a popular place to hunt for a meal.

There was a Great White Egret in the dried brush . . .

A Great White Egret in the lagoon . . .

A Great White Egret hiding in the bushes . . .

And a Great White Egret perched on a large downed tree. On this particular afternoon the sun was in full force, so many of the images didn't show quite as much detail in the feathers as I would like, but I was happy nonetheless with what I captured. ENJOY!

Tri Colored Heron in Blue Lagoon

Every now and then a photograph captures your heart and sweeps you away. In the case of these images, the blue lagoon and the greens of the marsh reeds do just that. The last warm light of the day brought out the blues in this lagoon that runs parallel to the main road in Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.

The beautiful colors of the lagoon were the perfect setting for this Tri Colored Heron on the hunt for a meal. He was especially active moving about in the lagoon. First one direction, then back the other way. My guess is he hadn't had a meal in a while.

My hesitation to bring you more images of wading birds and Chincoteague photos was outweighed by the gorgeous colors I kept coming back to in these images. And well, when you're tired of seeing my Chincoteague images, I know you'll cry uncle.

Sadly, I did not get out this weekend. I have several thoughts on a trip I'd like to take soon. The destination eludes me though. I would like to get back to southern Illinois to the Cache River system and visit two national wildlife refuges situated just north there. The migrating Warblers are passing through Magee Marsh on Lake Erie in northern Ohio in the next few weeks, heading south for the Winter, and I would love to get some photos of them. Then there's Hocking Hills in south central Ohio. I want to try my hand at Cedar Falls again, and perhaps this time, I could get a usable photo of the waterfall at Ash Cave too. I can't let Summer slip away without attempting one of these expeditions. It's the timing that's been off lately. There are subtle signs of Fall visible here in the Bluegrass State. The weather has finally cooled way down especially in the evenings. Hope your week is off to a good start as mine has started out great. ENJOY!

Wild Ponies of Chincoteague

Every day in the early evening the Wild Ponies of Chincoteague would gather in the wildlife refuge way out in this field. The field is to the right as you drive past the Welcome Center along the main road that traverses the refuge. The Ponies would play and romp and run around and munch on the grasses for hours. I count about 26 horses just in this one image alone. And swarming all around the Ponies were lots of birds, no doubt eating the insects that were biting the Ponies.

Lucky for me I had bought that longer zoom lens prior to leaving on this trip especially when I saw how far out the Ponies were from the road. The younger Ponies would play and frolic and run around their mothers and the rest of the herd. It was a treat to watch them.

Some day I would love to go back to Chincoteague. But if I never get back there, I can say I saw a great deal of what Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and Chincoteague Island has to offer. Wading birds, shore birds, the bay, the beach, the lagoon, the saltwater marshes, the Ponies. It is a magical place.

I'm hoping to get outdoors this weekend and get some new images. Of what, I'm not sure yet, but the desire is there so we'll see. ENJOY!

IN MEMORY
I've not forgotten what this day means to every American. My thoughts all day off and on have shifted somehow toward the memories from 9/11/01. Oh, how I wished this day was not in my memory. But as it is and we cannot go back . . . to all of those whose loved ones were lost and those who were directly affected by the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the flight in Pennsylvania that crashed, and to all Americans who watched on that fateful day, I pray. I remember . . .

Laughing Gull, Chincoteague Island, VA

As I drove out onto the causeway that leads from Chincoteague Island to the mainland in Virginia in search of well, birds, I stopped and snapped a few photos of this Laughing Gull sitting on a stump among the saltwater reeds.

The Laughing Gull species name is Cachinnans which comes from Latin and means to laugh heartily. Linguists believe that the word came about because it sounds like laughing. These birds are typically found along the Eastern Seaboard. I only saw a few of these at Chincoteague and they were mostly along the causeway and not so much on the beach.

To me he looks like he is sporting a tuxedo. Or something. He's just cool looking I think with his dark head and dark upper body. I hope you had a great weekend. Mine has been spent nursing a sinus infection. This week it continues to be in the 90's, but next weekend, the weather cools off and is sunny. I'm looking forward to that. ENJOY!

Mirror Image, Great White Egret

Just a quick post today. I captured this image of this Great White Egret one evening during that 'golden' hour at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.

Every time I see this image as I scan my archives the first thing that strikes me is his almost perfect reflection in the water of the lagoon. And the second thing that strikes me . . . is his slightly inquisitive or perhaps apprehensive stance as he peers down into the water. It is priceless. ENJOY!

Birdapalooza!

One evening while staying on Chincoteague Island back in July, I drove part of the way across the causeway to see if there was any bird activity along the bay road late that day. I hit the jackpot as you can see in these images! There were too many birds to count, but no doubt as you can see, a signicant number of wading birds hanging out in the low lying marsh area

Most of the birds were Snowy Egrets, but this first image which I cropped very very heavily, shows two White Ibis foraging for a meal. Yes, I got to add another bird to my Life List. The Ibis has a long curved bill and while it is a wading bird found in the Deep South, they also forage for insects on lawns.

And luckily there were also several Glossy Ibis foraging in the marsh. Another Life List bird I added. The Glossy Ibis, again with a curved bill, sports dark coloring, and is only found along the Atlantic Coast. There were tons of Snowy Egrets hanging about with the Ibis, as well as a Laughing Gull which you'll find in the top of this image. I have better Laughing Gull images I'll post another day.

I didn't see any Great White Egrets hanging out in this crowd or any Herons of any type which was odd. Mostly just Snowy Egrets and there were numerous ones sporting breeding plumage. So cool looking seeing their billowy feathers standing straight up on their heads. I was amazed at the sheer number of birds in close proximity, but also how well they seemed to co-habitat with each other. The best I can surmise is Snowy Egrets and Ibis get along great together. I have no idea what drew them all to gather in this area that evening. Nevertheless, it was a sight. We've turned the corner toward the weekend. It's supposed to be nice this weekend and I would love to get out and take in some scenery, maybe even a hike. Do you have big plans for this weekend? And hey, the next weekend is Labor Day. I love three day weekends so much I've already decided to make it a four day weekend. ENJOY!

Little Blue Heron, Chincoteague Island, Virginia

Of all of the birds I added to my Life List from the Eastern Shore, this is one of my favorites I captured in this 'Birder's Paradise'. This Little Blue Heron has such soft blues in his feathers, but I especially love the cool blues of his head. This wading bird actually is born solid 'white'. As a juvenile he begins to turn blotchy blues all over his body and finally into adulthood turns this beautiful array of blues. The degrees of blue color that make up this gorgeous smaller species of Heron was captured, unbeknownst to me, on my first day out on the western bay side of Chincoteague Island along the shore.

After capturing several images of a Heron the second day out over on the wildlife refuge, I had decided that was going to be the closest I could get to what I learned after looking at those images closely was a Little Blue Heron. I didn't realize that the day before these images, which I thought was a Tricolored Heron, was actually a Little Blue Heron.

If you read my blog, you know I'm not a birding expert. It wasn't until today after heavily cropping these images that I realized the true identify of this bird. After I cropped one of the images really close to see if there was anything in this little guy's mouth, I got to looking at his color, and that's when I realized he was a Little Blue Heron. I had thought he was a Tricolored Heron, but nope, he wasn't. Aside from cropping to see what was up with his bill, his colors intrigued me as they were a little bluer than the Tricolored Heron I saw that day over on the refuge. My new philosophy after this trip . . . take a good long close up look before making the final decision on the species of bird. Nonetheless, he's beautiful. Don't you agree? ENJOY!


PHOTOGRAPHER'S NOTE: I'm on deadline this week with the magazine, so for the first time I am 'scheduling' a post to view the following day after I wrote it. I've never done this before, but will be excited to see if all goes well. Okay, it's the little things in life that really make me happy!

American Oystercatcher, Chincoteague Island, Virginia

While on my Eastern Shore excursion in July, I made the acquaintance of the American Oystercatcher and happily added this gorgeous bird to my Bird Life List. Yippee! Let me just say, they are one cool looking bird! Their long red bills are so bright, not to mention perfect for prying open bivales such as mussels and clams which is their primary diet. Apparently, I got very lucky, as the waters off the coast of the Eastern Shore are the American Oystercatcher's summer breeding grounds. In winter the Oystercatcher is found along the coast of Florida and the Caribbean. The remainder of the year, you can find the Oystercatcher along the southwest and southeast coasts of the United States, as well as South America. Apparently, there's a Black Oystercatcher that can be found mainly around Baja California also.

This was one colorful little bird scurrying about amongst the remains of oyster shells on the western side of Chincoteague Island. I only saw a few Oystercatchers in this one location on the island. I love their long red bills and their yellow eyes with the red rings around them.

As you drive out past Tom's Cove on Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, at one point the road is closed with signs posted due to nesting birds in the area. I wonder if one of those nesting birds could be the American Oystercatcher. They normally build their nests up high on sandy spits or in lowland areas where there is good cover. The area closed past Tom's Cove was covered in higher sand dunes definitely a great breeding area for the Oystercatcher. I wonder have you seen the Oystercatcher in your travels? Our weather here has been unseasonably cool with an abundance of rainfall, not the typical Kentucky August weather of hot, humid and dry to the point of drought. ENJOY!

Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday

Boardwalk on Chincoteague

The marshes in and around Chincoteague Island and also on the refuge were absolutely beautiful. When I originally planned my trip, I hadn't really taken the marshes into consideration as something I would fall in love with. But the tall reeds and the day's light casting shadows on the waters around the island was irresistible.

As I drove around the parameter of the island, I discovered a band of Chincoteague Ponies on the northwest side of the island. They were the only Ponies I saw that weren't in the refuge. I also discovered this gorgeous marsh near the Ponies that at certain times of day, especially near the evening light, was gorgeous. This particular marsh kept drawing me back to this area as much as the Ponies. On one of the drives I noticed this boardwalk extending across the marsh. I took a day to think about how best to photograph it. I decided that I wanted the viewer to feel themselves walking across this old boardwalk as though they were right there with me. So I walked out a short distance on the boardwalk and then snapped away. The feeling was magical with the marsh and the tall reeds on either side of me. I love this perspective. Every time I see this image I feel as though I'm right there walking across that boardwalk.

I have taken trips before with high hopes and at times been somewhat disappointed, but on this trip I wasn't quite sure what to expect and was totally amazed at the grandeur of nature all around me. The one feeling that keeps resonating with me throughout this whole trip and even after every time I open my software and make my way through each day's images is just how wild this place is. Here the birds, the ponies, the water, the marshes, the island, the beaches, the shore. It's all totally wild and each day it is left to its own devices. Should you ever find yourself on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, I would advise a stop on beautiful Chincoteague Island. Hopefully, if I travel to the Eastern Shore again, it won't be 105 degree heat index and me constantly wanting to 'get back in the car' into the comforts of my air conditioning. I would have loved to spend more time out in the 'wilds' of Chincoteague. Hope you have a fantastic weekend. ENJOY!

Snowy Egret, Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, VA

It is an under statement to say I was in sheer heaven photographing all of the different birds at Chincoteague earlier this summer. It truly was a paradise that if given the chance I would love to visit again during a migration period. Considering how many birds there were during the slow summer months could only mean it has to be way out there in the numbers during migration. One bird I hadn't had the pleasure of making my acquaintance prior to this trip was the Snowy Egret.

As I researched Egrets to identify this particular bird, I discovered the Snowy Egret is one of the most familiar of the smaller Herons and recently staged a comeback after legislation was passed in the early 1900's and hunting these beautiful birds was outlawed. Their distinguishing features are their long black bills, long black legs and more noticeably their bright yellow feet. I found this Egret amusing to watch as he seemed to crouch his head and neck down towards his body and waded about in the water as though planning a sneak attack on his next catch of the day.

These wading birds are more active than the Great White Egret. Perhaps its their smaller size that allows them to move about in open waters easier than their larger cousins. During mating season, the male Snowy Egret adorns long delicate plumes on their heads, neck and back. I witnessed these plumes over in the bay between the mainland and Chincoteague Island where the Egrets gathered in larger numbers later in the day. I'll post an image I captured of them and the Ibises in another post. As I learned about the history of the Snowy Egret, I discovered why I hadn't noticed these birds sooner. They are mostly coastal inhabitants and I don't get to the coast all that often. These Egrets will migrate south into Central Mexico and the Caribbean in September. But don't worry, they migrate back north into coastal North America in March and April so that we can enjoy them during the warmer months. We've had a gorgeous week for the most part here in the Ohio River Valley which is totally unlike August for us. Normally, August is hot, humid and midway through it, we tend to call it the Dog Days of Summer. But that phrase doesn't really apply this week. ENJOY!