Tree Trunk

Wisteria

New Jersey Flowers

More photos from Thursday's Cape May trip, more specifically these are from Higbee Beach WMA.  This is my last week of job training so hopefully I'll have a regular schedule next week.  And hopefully that will mean more time to do my real work- you know...wandering around and making stuff.

Clapper Rail

Higbee Beach WMA

This might have been my favorite hike of the day on Thursday.  It's also the one I complained about the most.  I think at one point I told Kim she could go first and if the bees didn't kill her I'd follow.  Those beautiful flowering trees (Beach Plum, I think) were attracting a gazillion bees.  I swear I'm not exaggerating.  But the beautiful terrain was well worth the effort.

State Flower of Virgina

The dogwoods are stunning this year.  I have a fondness for the tree possibly because of it's relation to my home state of Virginia.  Virginia being my first and last childhood state.  And, in a good year, they can really knock you over with their simple, stately beauty. 

Prairie Warbler

After a surprisingly poor showing at Cape May Point State Park we gave up and drove over to Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area.  I'm glad we did because I got these shots of a Prairie Warbler-possibly my best ever warbler shots.  We had a number of other fun sitings, got a ton of sun, and stayed out all day.  I'm exhausted!

Wood Duck

I'm still in the process of trying to organize my activities around my new part time job.  There's an if A then B, if C then D, type of flow chart to go with it.  I'm thinking of expanding to a magnetic something or another to keep it all straight.  (You could insert laugh track here if I wasn't actually ever so serious...lol.  I do love my graphic representations of activities.  In my 20's I was really into circle graphs.  Sadly no evidence remains.)  But the upshot this week has been studio time without walking time.  That all changes tomorrow when I'll spend the day in Cape May hopefully seeing gobs of warblers.   And hopefully a Friday walk is in my future as well.  The Wood Ducks are getting a bit friendlier.  And wouldn't it be nice to get just a little bit closer.

Pink

It's been kind of an odd spring and I haven't felt inspired to go out of my way to photograph the flowering trees.  But the few I've come in contact with I have, of course, photographed.  This beautiful tree is at the beginning of the trails at Heinz, my go to place for exercise and wildlife. 

Notes

It's a grey, rainy day today so it's good that I'll be indoors all day training for my new part time job.  We went out yesterday for a late afternoon walk hoping to see some owl activity.  It must have been nap time because we didn't see anything at either nest.  So instead here's an image from a few days ago at Hildacy Farm Perserve.

A Walk

Blossoms

Horses

I encountered these fine fellows on my walk around Hildacy Farm Preserve the other day.  It was cold and dreary but the horses seemed happy.

Wren

In between looks at the owls I've seen a few other birds including this House Wren.  It was quite windy on my last walk and colder than one would like in April, but it's always good to be outdoors. 

Just Can't Get Enough

In an amazing stroke of luck there are two nests this year.  These images are in chronological order so they tell a bit of a story.  This nest is behind septa tracks, protected by a fence, and pretty high up.  You can see when I arrived they took a look but then went right back to eating something that was already in the nest when I got there.  After a while mom (or dad??) flew off and returned to settle next to the nest with a nice big rabbit.  She sat there for a bit with it on the branch while the chicks moved as far right in the nest as they could.  Then she flew off with the rabbit for a bit, but not for too long.  She came back to the nest and everyone resumed happily eating.  These guys seem to be getting lots of good food. 

Adorable

I love the way he looks like he's riding in his own little wooden boat.  This nest is pretty close to the trail so these images are fully cropped but are also my closest Great-horned Owl photos.

Great-horned Owl

My early experiences at Heinz included a Great-horned Owl.  I've been waiting ever since to see a nest with chicks again.  This is my lucky year so you can expect to see more photos.

Spring

I finally got my new 300mm lens but it was too dark and rainy to get any good bird shots.  The good news is that it works and I should be back in business, so to speak.  In the mean time, some flowers.

Trash

When I was in grad school my friend Misty kept shaking her head at the way Philadelphians throw their trash around.  Apparently they don't do that in San Diego.  Sigh.  Seems like a lot of trash flows through Darby Creek each year.  When the tide is low it gets hung up here and there, like these cups and bottles.  And you can usually find bits of plastic and paper snagged in the roots and branches of the trees that overhang the bank. 

Waiting

The warblers are arriving and I'm still waiting for the broken lens B&H sent me to be exchanged for a functioning one.  I am not a fan of their exchange policy.  Seems obvious to me now that it would have been better to just send it back and order the lens from someone else.  They seem to feel no pressure to hurry it up.  A three day wait (after they get the one I sent back) before they replace defective merchandise.  ARGH.  I called today to state my point of view, essentially that I paid for the lens and have gotten nothing but aggravation and lost shooting days.  Alas, the representative was not moved.  Keeping my fingers crossed that it actually goes out tomorrow.  But I am customer unsatisfied.  In the mean time I've been doing what I can with the short lens.