I took photos of the dog below on my travels through Chester County. Do you think this guy is real or some kind of doggy scarecrow? If not real, it’s a pretty convincing likeness. Comment below.
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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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The Groundhog Sticks Her Head Out of the Her Hole
It shouldn’t come as a surprise, that due the corona virus lock down, I haven’t been out much doing photography. I did manage to drive around my local community getting some photos of the spring flowers and flowering trees. I also checked up on two of my local state parks, which were well attended by people glad to get out of the house while maintaining a safe distance from others.
The local; cherry trees are in bloom. 
Tulips are always lovely. 
This pony at Ridley Creek State Park finds things greener on the other side of the fence. 
These horses aren’t bothered by Covid 19. 
I love this barn at Hope Springs Farm at Marsh Creek State Park. 
It has a great silo. 
The horses were enjoying a day in the pasture. 
Down at the West Launch a kayaker is getting ready to shove off. 
Someone else has a faster way to get around. Socially distant dispersed outdoor recreational fun was had by all.
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The Harbingers of Spring
Some people identify the American robin with the coming of Spring. For me, it’s the late winter passing of hordes of snow geese through Pennsylvania that foretells of Spring right around the corner. In late February, hundreds of thousands of snow geese can be present at the same time at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area in Lancaster and Lebanon Counties. I didn’t make it to Middle Creek this year, opting instead to view geese, along with some other rarer species, that had been reported at Woods Edge Park in Lancaster County.
You may remember Woods Edge Park as they place I went to view the black-bellied whistling duck. This time around, a pink-footed goose, Ross’s goose, cackling goose and Virginia rail had been reported at the pond in the park. These are all species I had never seen before. By the time I arrived the next Saturday, large numbers of snow geese were present. I was able to see the Ross’s goose and the cackling goose, but not the pink-footed or the rail. Still, two “lifers” in one day is pretty good.
There was a steady stream of birders through the park that day. None that I spoke to had success spotting the rare pink-footed goose. I did learn how to identify two other species of goose and something new about the snow goose.
This is a Ross’s goose. Note how it looks like a small snow goose with a shorter bill. 
Here’s a cackling goose. This one looks like a smaller Canada goose with shorter neck and bill. 
Some snow geese – the “blue morph” snow goose is in front. Behind is an adult white snow goose and a juvenile in the rear. I did not realize the blue morph existed. 
Are you talking about me? 
Lots ‘o geese. 
A partial view of the throng. A nice, short and sweet day out. This location seems pretty productive for birding despite its small size. I will probably be back again at some point.