I photograph a lot of birds and most of them can fly. But not all birds can. Take for instance this rooster I saw while we were visiting the Upper Schuylkill Valley park last weekend.
A few weeks ago I shared some pictures of our pear tree with you. Well actually the flowers on the pear tree. This afternoon while in our back yard I saw that the flowers were replaced with pears. Lots of pears.
This one is high up and away from the ground. The ones closer to the ground are being eaten by our groundhogs. But that's okay because we never use all of them anyway. This way there is less waste. And now...
I would like to share another photo from our trip to the Upper Schuylkill Valley Park yesterday afternoon. Check out these turtles from one of the indoor exhibits.
One of my favorite things to do is visit new places and of course document them with my camera. As time goes on though it gets tougher and tougher to do that in our immediate area. But once in a while we find a place that has been overlooked and today we did just that. There is a County Park in the Phoenixville area called Upper Schuylkill Valley Park that is adjacent to the Schuylkill River. Like a lot of parks there is a picnic area and walking trails but there is also what I believe to be a reserve for local wildlife. It's actually pretty cool. Naturally I shot lots of photos, mostly of the resident animals. But today I would like to share this with you.
Anyone know what it is? I don't. Maybe it had flowers at one time? It's pretty cool though and there is a lot of them on one of the trails. Oh, I also shot some film today and this plant was one of the subjects. When I get the prints back I'll post the results.
This morning before we set out for the day Kim and I spent a little time in the Garden cafe admiring the birds. I noticed one in particular that was hanging around a lot. A young female cardinal. The cardinals usually get spooked real easy by people but this girl didn't seem to mind us. Of course I didn't have a camera with me. But when we got home later in the day I saw her again and was able to grab a camera and get several pictures of her. Here is one of them.
About a week ago I purchased a new camera. Well, actually a "new to me" old camera. A film camera in fact. The short story is that I was in need of a new lens for my DSLR and the camera I purchased has a compatible one that will hold me over until I get something a little better. But with the bonus of the whole camera with it. Fast forward to this week and I decided to get some film and shoot a roll or two and see what I come up with. Right now I am about half way through the first roll and expect to finish it tomorrow. As soon as I do I will get it developed and share some of the results here. For today though I'd like to share this squirrel with you.
This is one of the young squirrels and it seems that he is getting used to me and much more trusting. Of course he also expects peanuts. A lot of peanuts! That's okay though, I've got him covered :) I would also like to share a short video with you. This is my first hummingbird video of the season. It's not the best quality because I shot it through a glass door.
Working in the garden this afternoon I noticed our hydrangea is finally starting to bloom. Last year we got exactly one flower but this year it looks like we will get a lot.
We get a lot of customers here at the Cafe and most of them are birds. But we get lot's of ground critters too. Mostly squirrels. Recently however we have had a new regular. Oh he's been around before but now he is here almost every day.
He's still a bit skittish but is getting used to us. Though I doubt he will be as trusting as the squirrels.
Most of my day was spent doing some very needed yard work but I did spend a little time at the Cafe. I picked up a used camera yesterday that had a lens that fits my DSLR and I wanted to test it out. It seems okay but it's just a fill in until I pick up a new one. For now it will work though. And on that note I would like to show you one of the photos I shot with it.
Believe it or not this is a common occurrence around here. But rest assured we are very careful and make sure none of our furry friends are near our cars when we drive them. This guy ended up there when a bunch of birds took off in unison and scared him. So I guess he fled to "safety". But soon after he was back to eating.
Today I would like to share another shot from yesterday afternoon at the Cafe. This guy hung around for a while and at one point kind of made eye contact with my camera lens. I am not kidding, he stared at it for a few minutes.
What an afternoon I had at the Cafe! Truthfully I had no intention of shooting today but as I happened to glance out of our kitchen window I saw that we finally have a hummingbird at our feeder. So in hopes of photographing our newest guest I headed out with camera in hand to see what I could get. Well I didn't get any hummingbird shots but I did get a lot of good stuff. So much in fact that I didn't know what to share with you today. But after going through the three hundred or so frames I shot I finally decided to show you this.
Though we have a lot of cardinals this year it is still rare that I get a chance for a good shot of one. Especially a female. This isn't my best work but I was shooting handheld so overall I am pleased with it.
Earlier today I was going over some photos I shot while we were in Atlantic City a couple weeks back. Doing so I found one that I meant to share but never got around to it. Until now that is. Check it out.
This was on the Absecon Inlet and that is Brigantine across the water. And now...
Yesterday I posted a photo of the first bird I have seen at the new feeder. Well there have been many since so let me show you this finch that has also taken a liking to the Cafe expansion.
It is said that patience is a virtue. And sometimes it is even rewarded. And that's just what happened today. On Saturday I once again expanded the Cafe by adding another new feeder and was kind of frustrated when none of the many birds present would give it a try. Then yesterday I noticed the food had been disturbed. I didn't see anyone using it but obviously they were. Then this afternoon I actually saw some birds eating from it. So I set up my camera and grabbed a bunch of shots. Today I would like to share this one with you.
A Red Winged Blackbird. Every once in awhile I'll see one or two but we don't really get a lot of them. I think it's pretty cool that it is the first bird I photographed at the new feeder.
So what's a goat to do on a very hot and humid Saturday? Lounge around I suppose.
At least that's what these guys were doing when we visited them at Nor View Farm in King of Prussia. Nor View is probably the last large piece of open space in this town and I hope it stays that way. The world has enough shopping centers. And now...
Today went just like most Saturdays. Filled with our weekly shopping trips and grabbing a bite or two to eat. And at one of our shopping destinations I found a really cool new addition for the Cafe. Of course I'm talking about a new bird feeder. So when we got home I made a point to hang it and fill it up for our feathered guests. And then I tried my best to grab a shot of it being broken in but not one bird landed on it. But that's okay because I'm sure they will take to it before too long. So in lieu of sharing a photo of the new feeder I have this for you today.
I was able to spend a little bit of time in the cafe this afternoon with my camera and as I was stalking some birds this little guy came along for a drink of water.
He's drinking from an old bird bath that I put on the ground just for squirrels. There are some leaves in it but the water is clean. And the squirrel didn't seem to mind.
Yesterday I had planned to get some yard work done but mother nature had other ideas. We had a series of very heavy rain storms all chock full of high winds and some thunder and lightening thrown in for good measure. Today however was a lot better. And when I got home I went right to work in the yard and got a lot done. Of course that included sprucing up the Cafe. When all was said and done I took some time to shoot some frames and was very pleased to capture this scene.
One of our guests drying off after enjoying a nice cool drink of water.
Today's photo is a glimpse of what once was and what can be.
This part of the Atlantic City Boardwalk has been is disrepair for a very long time. And when Super Storm Sandy moved through in 2012 it was completely decimated. These concrete pillars are all that is left. Well the pillars and some boards here and there. But there is promise that rebuilding is going to take place and restore this section to it's former glory. But with the cities financial woes I don't know how fast that promise will be delivered. I just hope it is sooner than later.
While shooting at Gardner's Basin in Atlantic City the other day I came across this scene and for some reason I felt compelled to photograph it. The boat tie down in particular. Sometimes the ordinary can be quite interesting.
