Up North Trip 2009-Day 2, Thursday April 16, 2009

I know many places in the Mercer and Crawford County area to go for pictures so while I ate my dinner last night I decided where to start today. My decision was to start at the Erie National Wildlife Refuge(ENWR) in Crawford County, then go to Woodcock Creek Lake, next would be the state gamelands at Cambridge Springs and then to the Pymatuning area.

There was a heavy fog over the valley that the ENWR sits in this morning, I wasn’t able to see very much at the first two stops that I made in the refuge but my third stop was near the refuge office and I had some luck at the ponds there. I got some good shots of a Greater Yellow Legs which is a shore bird that spends much of his life in wetlands and near water. They are not an abundant nesting bird in Pennsylvania but they do migrate through PA towards their normal nesting grounds in Canada.





While I was still near the office, I got some shots of other species in the ponds and grasslands in the area. These included a Red-Winged Black Bird.



A Hen Wood Duck checking out a nest box.



The last species of note that I was able to get at the ENWR office area was a Pileated Woodpecker. These woodpeckers are nearly the size of a crow and are really something to see in the wild.



I had no luck at Woodcock Creek Lake like I had this day http://padigiscoper.blogspot.com/2009/01/crawford-county-11-11-2008.html
So I moved on to the gamelands at Cambridge Springs in Northern Crawford County.

The gamelands area at Cambridge Springs is a relatively large wetland area managed by the PA Game Commission as a resting place for migrating waterfowl. I parked the truck and meandered through the area. I knew there were several ponds well into the gamelands so I made my way there. I was able to get shots of Green and Blue Wing Teal and Ring Neck ducks. I also saw some Pintails, turkey vultures and two bald eagles.





I left Cambridge Springs and drove to the Pymatuning area to see what I could find there. Near the spillway, I found some painted turtles sunning themselves on logs in a pond. For some reason I can never pass up a chance to take pictures of turtles.



I also took some pictures of Ring-Billed Gulls that you will almost always find around the Spillway here. I’ve taken pictures of this species of gull before but not with the new scope so I took the opportunity to take some good shots.



From the spillway, I went to the Nature Center that is run by the PA Fish/Game Commission. Here I was able to get shots of Tree Swallows, Purple Martins and a Brown-Headed Cowbird. I also saw another three bald eagles soaring over the water in the preserve near the nature center.



It was now late afternoon so I turned towards the camp to see what I could find on my way back there.

I was nearing the Lake Wilhelm area when I spotted some buffleheads in a pond near the road. I pulled over to try for some shots of these diving ducks. This is yet another more rare species for this area and they re great to take pictures of when you find them, especially if the light hits them right, the males head will almost glow with iridescent colors. Unfortunately, I didn’t get that effect on my pictures today.



My next stop was the same place as my first stop yesterday; the pond with the Osprey nest near the Lake Wilhelm Marina. One of the adult ospreys was in the nest this afternoon and I also saw two Great Blue Herons building two different nests near the back of the pond.

That’s my adventure for the day, tomorrow, for my last day of my trip for this spring; I would have a guest along for the ride. Stay tuned to see what happened.

Up North Trip 2009-Day 1, Wednesday, April 15, 2009

I had the vacation time and the spring migration was in full swing so I took a few days and spent them “Up North”, in the swamps and wetlands of Mercer and Crawford Counties. This year was a little different though, I had monthly maintenance to do at work which couldn’t be done until Wednesday morning and I had to be back home for orientation for my new part-time job on Saturday morning. I would have much time to play and explore so I had to make the best of the time that I had. I was in the office before 1 am this morning, yes 1 AM!!! I got my maintenance done plus fixed an emergency problem that kept me there for an extra hour. I was back home and napping by 11:15am. By 12:45pm I was awake and packing the truck. I arrived at the camp of a sportsman’s club that I belong to that is near Lake Wilhelm by 2 pm. By 3:30 pm, I had the truck unloaded, camp set-up, the water heater going and the furnace fired up. I grabbed the camera equipment and went on my way.



The first stop was near the Lake Wilhelm marina where there was an Osprey nest last year. Well, as I found out later, the nest from last year was blown over in a storm but the ospreys moved the nest closer to the edge of the pond than it was last year. I was able to get some outstanding shots for both members of the pair. Just with that, the 10 hours of work earlier that day was worth it.



I left the osprey nest and drove north to see what I could find around the village of Custards in Crawford County which sits near the edge of the Geneva Swamp. If you drive North on I-79, the Geneva Swamp is the wetlands area that you pass over just south of Meadville. I didn’t have a canoe or boat to enable me to go deep into the marsh so I had to depend on my feet and truck to get me where I needed to go. I didn’t need much of either today though, I pulled over on the causeway near Custards and started scanning the wetlands with my Alpen Teton binos. In no time at all I spotted a small group of Blue Wing Teal. I’ve never been able to get close enough to this species for decent shots before and here they were less than 30 yards from me. I used the truck as cover so that I didn’t spook them too badly. I snapped several pictures before they made their way deeper into the cover of the wetlands and out of my vision.



While I was taking the pictures of the blue wing teal, I noticed a shadow of a large bird on the ground near me. It was late in the afternoon, the sun was in the west and I was facing east so I knew that whatever it was was above and behind me. I turned quickly and was lucky enough to see a Bald Eagle flying not more than 20 feet over my head!!! Of all of my adventures in the woods, waters, swamps and forests in my life, this was one of the most spectacular! A wild, formerly endangered, now threatened species within spitting distance. Sorry no pictures of this guy though.

It was getting late in the day, so I packed up the equipment and drove south towards the camp. I made one stop in the wetlands that are part of a gamelands on the north-western tip of Lake Wilhelm. I saw a pair of Hooded Mergansers here and another Bald Eagle but wasn’t able to get pictures of either.

My last stop for the day was on a causeway of Lake Wilhelm between my previous stop and I-79. I saw 8 different Ospreys here and also 4 Gadwall ducks.

I had enough for one day. I was hungry, it was nearly 6:30 and I had been awake for over 18 hours already. Tomorrow was another day and I would be able to spend all of tomorrow out and about. Stay tuned.

North Park, Sunday, April 12, 2009

It’s Easter Sunday, 2009. Two years ago I started what has become a tradition for me; to head to North Park at dawn to see what kind of pictures that I could get. This morning wasn’t very productive but it was still interesting none the less.

It’s turkey mating season and before I even got to Marshall Lake, I saw some strutting tom turkeys. I grabbed the camera and made the best stalk that I could. Turkeys have great eyesight and these were in the open so I didn’t have much of a chance of getting very close. After using terrain to may advantage and crawling slowly over 50 yards, I was able to get within 110 yards of the turkeys. The only problem was the turkeys were constantly in motion and would turn towards me for a good picture. Oh well, these things happen.



After the turkeys went back into the woods, I went over to the island on Marshall Lake to see what I could find. I saw a Red- Breasted Merganser that again wouldn’t cooperate and pose for me. I also found there a Pied-Bill Grebe that is another more rare species for this area. I got more shots of wood ducks and even a few inanimate pictures too.



Easter Frost

North Park, Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

Well mom got her hip transplant this morning. The hospital where she had the surgery is just a few minutes from North Park. She told us that there was no reason for us to stay around the hospital during the surgery. My brother lives maybe 10 minutes away and my sister maybe 15 minutes. She told me to bring my camera along and go to north Park instead of sitting around. Being the good son that I am I had to do what mom said. My sister and one of my brothers, stayed at the hospital, my second brother went back to his house to take care of a few things and I went to Marshall Lake at North Park.

I didn’t want to be gone from the hospital very long no matter what mom said but I had a lot of targets in the hour that I spent at North Park this morning. The first chance I had was of a Northern Cardinal that was perched in a tree near where I parked.



My next opportunity came with a pair of Hooded Mergansers that didn’t want to stay still to have their picture taken. The pictures of them are a little too blurred for my tastes unfortunately.



I even snapped a few shots of some Mallards and a Canada Goose that were resting on a log across the lake from me.



I also got a few shots of a Common Grackle, a European Starling and some House Sparrows that were looking for nesting sites.

The highlight of my morning however happened when I was driving back to the hospital. I was still in North Park, just past the Boat house when I saw a Snow Goose. I parked, grabbed the camera and got some quick pictures of this guy. Snow geese are very rare for this area. They pass north of here on their migration and they use Middle Creek WMA near Harrisburg as a migration staging area.



Well after this, mom’s hip transplant went superbly. She was in good spirits but was sore which was to be expected.

Update, July 18, 2009: Mom says that her hip makes her feel like she is 10 years younger. She has mobility that she never thought that she would have again.

Route 28 Corridor, Harmarville and Deer Lakes Park, Saturday, March 21, 2009

The morning dawned chilly, clear and crisp so I loaded up the camera equipment for a quick run North on Route 28. The red-tailed hawks are near the middle of their pair bonding and mating season and I usually see several along this stretch of Route 28. I also hoped to stop at a pond behind a shopping center in Harmarville and Deer Lakes park to see if the swan was still there.

Driving North on Route 28 this morning I didn’t see many good signs until I neared RIDC Park which is an industrial park that straddles both sides of the highway. When I neared the off ramp for the industrial park, I spotted a hawk perched atop a lamp pole. I nearly wrecked the truck getting to the side of the road just to take pictures of this guy.



I was only able to snap about 30 pictures of the hawk before he flew off but the morning was only starting. I tossed the tripod into the truck to make my way to Harmarville.

When I arrived at the parking area near the pond, I immediately spotted the usual Canada Geese and Mallards as they were bumbling around the parking lot. I got out the equipment and walked towards the pond. When I was within view of the water I saw several Wood Ducks and one Green Wing Teal. This was my first chance to get shots of these critters with my new scope so I quickly set up and started shooting what turned out to be some of the best pictures that I’ve ever taken. Yes, I’m convinced that the new scope was worth every penny.





I continued to shoot the woodies and teal but didn’t even pass up some shots of the mallards that were there. Again, the mallard pictures turned out great.



The morning was marching along so I packed up for the drive to Deer Lakes Park to look for the Mute Swan that I saw there in January. When this species moves into an area, they are usually there for a long time so I felt good about finding him.



I wasn’t to be disappointed about finding the swan this morning either, he was there in all of his glory. I also spotted a hellacious hybrid duck that I first saw here last year. This guy associates with one of the normal, white farm ducks that lives on the lakes here. I believe that this duck is a hybrid between a white farm duck and a Mallard.



I stayed here for close to an hour before deciding that it was time for me to make my way home to get some work done. While driving south along Route 28, I was fortunate enough to find another Red Tail Hawk perched on a different light pole at the off ramp for RIDC Park. Yes, what I initially thought was going to be a light digiscoping day turned into a pretty successful event for me.

Moraine State Park and Lawrence County, March 15, 2009

Well I got some good news and some bad news this week.

The bad news: The Sportsman’s Warehouse is closing. I will be losing one of the most enjoyable jobs that I’ve ever had.

The good news: I purchased the Nikon ED50 Fieldscope that I have been using. I had over $800 in gift cards for Sportsman’s so I collected them all up and purchased the ED50 and a Remington 870 shotgun.

So after a very hectic week I drove north to Moraine State Park and Lawrence County for the morning. I was excited to have this new scope and really wanted to see what shots I could get today. My first stop at Moraine was the South Shore Day-use Area. Within minutes of pulling into a parking area, I got some great shots of Killdeer and a few coots.



Further up the cove of the day use area, I spotted some movement in the water. The movement turned out to be a large raft of mixed diving ducks. There were close to 100 in the group which was made up of Ringneck Ducks, Redheads, Greater and Lesser Scaup plus a few Ruddy Ducks.



From the South Shore area I moved on to the boat launch at McDaniel’s Road. Last year around this time I got shots of a pair of Osprey that were nesting less than 150 yards from the launch itself. What do you supposed greeted me when I pulled up today? A Bald Eagle!!!! He was just a handful of yards away from the nest that the osprey used last year, perched on a tree enjoying the morning sun. I’ve seen my share of bald eagles over the years but this was the first close enough for me to digiscope clearly.



The bald eagle wasn’t my only good fortune, while I was at that boat launch area, I also got some good shots of an eastern bluebird that was flying from nest box to nest box looking for love. This was the first chance that I’ve had to get bluebird pictures so with this plus the eagle, I was happy with my success for the day.



I left the state park and made my way to a few spots in Lawrence County that I’d heard about through the PA Birds mailing list. I’d never been in this area before so I had no idea what to expect, I was just out driving through the countryside to see what I could find. I eventually found a small pond with a small flock of Ringneck Ducks which I got some very good pictures of, better than most that I’ve gotten before this.

Bridgewater and North Park, March 7, 2009

I'm back from my hiatus. Yes, I haven't had much time to update this and I'm at least 12 posts behind so let's get started.

I’ve mentioned here before that there was a flock of Canvasbacks and Redheads at the mouth of the Beaver River for most of the winter. I still had the Nikon ED50 Fieldscope so I decided to take a little ride this morning to see if I could get some shots of them with this loaner scope.



When I got to the Bridgewater area I was surprised to find that there were quite a large number of Scaup, both Lesser and Greater, in the water as well. Most of the ducks were relatively close to shore so I did what I needed to do to get as close as possible to them. I’d take a few pictures then move a little closer, repeating as much as possible. In the end I got within 30 yards of the ducks on the river. That’s not very bad considering that these ducks are very wary.



While I was playing around with the ducks, I saw a Robin in a tree near me so I took a few pictures of him as well.



After about 2 hours of playing around here, I saw that it was time to move closer to home. I had to pick up my brother’s dog (Cousin Buddy the Chocolate Lab) around 11 am so that my brother and his family could go on vacation for a week. I drove to North Park to see what I could find there.

When I arrived at North Park I was surprised to find that there was still some ice left on the water of both lakes. I drove on to Marshall Lake which is one of my regular stops just to kill some time; I had a little over an hour left to play. I was quite pleased to get pictures of another Robin, an American Tree Sparrow and a Northern Mockingbird.