nature

All posts tagged nature

Blue Hen Falls at last

Posted by Photonstopper on September 2, 2015
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Photo: Blue Hen Falls of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. August 2015. Photo by James Guilford.

Blue Hen Falls, August 2015

A Favorite Spot for local photographers is Blue Hen Falls in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. I’d never been there so I checked it out Monday afternoon. I found an open parking spot in the three-car lot (more space across the road) and made the all-downhill, 1/6-mile hike to the falls observation spot. The view from the park bench was all right but, of course, I couldn’t stop there. As have many folks before me, even a few just before I arrived, I found my way down to the rocky riverbed and set up shop. With little recent rain, the falls were down to a trickle but fallen rocks, green mosses and trees, and subdued light made for a restful scene.

Herons of green and blue

Posted by Photonstopper on August 17, 2015
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Photo: Green Heron (Butorides virescens) Watching the Water Below. Photo by James Guilford.

Green Heron (Butorides virescens) Watching the Water Below

I spent some quiet time along the Ohio & Erie Canal in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park late Sunday morning watching the herons. I was surprised at how many Green Herons I spotted — at least four — and how close I was able to approach two of them. The first of the greens was perched on the trunk of a tree that had long ago fallen into the canal. From the wooden perch the smallish bird watched for prey, preened, and even messed with a twig it picked off the trunk! A little farther down the canal I watched a Great Blue Heron as it struck a typically statuesque pose studying the water for signs of fish. After a while the blue struck and caught a small, wriggling fish. I shot a good number of photos whilst standing or sitting and watching the green and blue herons but the best part was just quietly being there.

Photo:Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) with Fish. Photo by James Guilford.

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) with Fish

What you lookin’ at?

Posted by Photonstopper on August 10, 2015
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Photo: Juvenile Northern Cardinal. Photo by James Guilford.

“What you lookin’ at?” – Juvenile Northern Cardinal

This disheveled-looking creature is a young male Northern Cardinal. I was waiting for a chickadee to show up on a sign post beside a trail in the Summit Metro Parks’ F.A. Seiberling Nature Realm. I heard a light rustling of wings nearby and to my left. What should I see but a bright red cardinal perched on branches only a yard away! I slowly turned and aimed my lens at the bird as he looked around, then preened, and looked around some more, allowing me an extended photographic opportunity before he apparently figured I had no food for him and he flitted off into the brush! This is my favorite shot of the bunch … the youngster briefly interrupted his preening to, it seemed, look right at me. The chickadee? Yes, it showed up too!

Photo: Black Capped Chickadee. Photo by James Guilford.

Trail Post Chickadee

Great Egret walking

Posted by Photonstopper on July 25, 2015
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Photo: Great Egret walking on fallen tree trunk. Photo by James Guilford.

Great Egret Walking

We made a quick visit to the Old Woman Creek State Nature Preserve in Huron. Watching for bird activity at the estuary we were treated to sights of a Great Egret fishing from the trunk of a fallen tree. The big bird, one of five we could see from our vantage, caught only a few small fish before taking flight; this shot was made only a few moments before takeoff. As you can see in this tightly-cropped image, the egret had been banded. From the Ohio Division of Natural Resources website: “Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve is part of a network of 28 coastal reserves connected nationally through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to address state and regional coastal management needs through research, education, and stewardship. The National Estuarine Research Reserve System uses its network of living laboratories to help understand and find solutions to crucial issues facing America’s coastal communities.”

Heron headshot

Posted by Photonstopper on July 5, 2015
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Photo: Close-up of a Great Blue Heron. Photo by James Guilford.

Great Blue Heron Up Close

Today was a very active day in the wetlands of the Sandy Ridge Reservation, Lorain County Metro Parks. There was a large number of Great Egrets present, sometimes chasing each other, squabbling over fishing rights or something. The big white birds perched and waded everywhere providing photo-ops galore! I spotted a little Kingfisher but, sadly, did not get a useable photograph. A Whitetail doe and her fawn crossed our path in the woods. Tree swallows were everywhere, as were dragonflies. A few Great Blue Herons were also present and one, in particular, behaved in a very unusual way; the tall wader seemed to prefer walking on the crushed gravel pathway provided for human hikers. What is more, the heron allowed me to get closer than I ever have to such a bird… so close I felt like I could have grabbed it! Instead, I used my big 400mm (~600mm sensor equiv.) telephoto lens to capture a “heron headshot” such as I’ve never gotten. The photo shown above is uncropped! Yeah, an active day alright!

Photo: Great Blue Heron takes a leg in its beak. Photo by James Guilford.

A Little Cleanup

Mine!

Posted by Photonstopper on May 9, 2015
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Photo: Male Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus. Photo by James Guilford.

Male Red-winged Blackbird – Agelaius phoeniceus

It’s nesting time and the Red-winged Blackbirds raucously declare the boundaries of their territories! Whether perched upon a tree, a reed, or chasing trespassers, red-wings are an aggressive and busy lot. This one was spotted at the Sandy Ridge Reservation of Lorain Metroparks, North Ridgeville, Ohio.