An day drive around the lovely Kimberton area of Chester County. As they say, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”
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Rambling Around Kimberton
An old ruin along a creek, near the Kennedy Covered Bridge The “Historical” Seven Star Inn A couple of hooved friends on a warm winter’s day …. They are everywhere this time of year. Really nice barn Struble Lake in northwestern Chester County – definitely not in Kimberton. -
A Very Grassy Land
Below are a few photographs of a favorite corner of northwestern Chester County. I go here in hopes of finding some grassland species of birds that sometimes frequent farmers fields. So far I have just found horned larks, but there have been snow buntings, eastern meadowlarks and others spotted in the area, so you never know ….
I have better luck with ponies and goats. 
One of the many beautiful farms. 
I love the trees around this farmstead. 
A subject you may have seen here before … 
and another view. 
Another impressive farm. -
Some Horses and a Vulture Convention
A trip tp eastern Lancaster County provided a look at the following scenes:
A group of vultures found something dead and furry by the side of the road. There was one black vulture and several turkey vultures.
Who’s the other guy? 
When I circled back around, the turkey vultures had decided to show off the interloper. More vultures were in the air. There were also plenty of horses enjoying their Sunday off. I think almost everyone likes horses.
A peaceful browse. 
Now I don’t know know what this one is trying to say, but he doesn’t seem happy with me. 
Some more horses off in the distance. 
A bonus shot of an Amish buggy. -
It’s Very Early Fall in Lancaster County
An unusually bright and sunny day greeted me in late September in Lancaster county. The sky was so blue and the white so white that it almost hurts my eyes. I’m not used to this here in Pennsylvania. As it was a Sunday, the buggy traffic was out in force, and the field horses were grazing in the fields.
Buggies are upcoming in the next episode!
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A Buggy-Baloo
Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area in Lebanon and Lancaster Counties is great spot for bird watching or just enjoying a great day out. On my recent trip, I saw nearly 30 species of birds. I also passed dozens of horse drawn buggies on the way there and back. In one parking lot, I came across the following interesting sight:
Parking Overflow … 
I see you. 
Enjoying some rest and fresh grass. 
The back end of these horses. 
The front end these buggies. 
Brilliant Spring wildflowers. -
A Better Day for Photography than Birds
A trip to the Octoraro Lake area for some birding did not produce what I had hoped for on the bird front. I saw some ducks and great blue herons and managed to take some of the worst bird photos I have ever attempted. I did better with photos of the surrounding countryside.
One of the spectacular farms of the area. 
I usually avoid shooting abandoned buildings, but this is part of a working farm. 
Enjoying lunch on a sunny day … 
This was the fastest moving Amish buggy I have ever encountered. 
While this one was trying to avoid traffic on my way home. Finally, a shot from northwestern Chester Country, because I like it and don’t have another post to put it in.
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Horned Larks and Goodbye to Winter
Disclaimer: There are no pictures of horned larks in this post
The grapevine (okay, Ebird) continued to carry news of horned larks, Lapland longspurs, and snow buntings in farmers’ fields in northwestern Chester County near Honeybrook. As mentioned in my previous post, I had visited this area over the Winter in connection with a trip to try to find a snowy owl that had briefly been seen nearby. On the first try, I had no luck. This time around I spotted horned larks in small flocks, which is a new species for my life list. This is a very picturesque area with lovely farms that merited more photos.
This young farmer was fertilizing his fields for Spring.
Here’s a better look.
Cattle feeding and soaking up the sun.
Two Amish schoolhouses are close to each other in this area.
Some looks at the farms and fields.
The plastic tubes are there to protect the young trees as they grow along this riparian boundary. The tubes will biodegrade over time.
Pennsylvania “standing stones.”
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Lots of animals, but not what I was looking for …
This Winter I traveled to northwestern Chester County in search of a snowy owl and some horned larks. I didn’t find either. However, I did find some pretty farms, interesting buildings and charismatic farm animals along the way.
Mom and baby? 
The stare down. 
“Get off our lawn!” 
What do you think is down this road? -
A Drive Through Clinton County
Here are some shots from southern Clinton County. Most were taken on my drive from the Lock Haven area to Logan Mills this past fall.
One of the more creative uses of hay bales that I’ve seen. 
Horses enjoying the fall air. 
There were some lovely trees along the way …. 
This must have been a lovely home at one time. This next stop, made before my drive south, was bittersweet. I visited the Woolrich factory store at its original location several times when I was younger. This store is just not the same, although I am glad to see there is still a presence in the town of Woolrich. The business was bought out my an Italian company which had been a minority investor. They still manufacure items under the Woolrich brand, but it is now made in Italy since local maufacturing has been shut down. The new stuff is very nice but is expensive, as the present owners are trying to position Woolrich as a luxury brand. Woolrich made good quality products at fair prices, but a luxury brand it was not. The new direction doesn’t seem to be in keeping with the heritage of the brand. While I was at the store, I managed to buy one of the last made in the USA pieces.
