It feels like the season is a bit late this year. However, the early bulbs and the forsythia are finally making an effort.
Below are some early Spring scenes from around Valley Forge.
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Spring is Trying to “Spring”
Snowdrops, The Willows in Radnor Daffodils and forsythia, Berwyn A lovely horse boarding farm on Yellow Springs Road. The Pawling Farm, part of Valley Forge National Historical Park -
A Wintery Lock 60
The Schuylkill River once had a navigation along its length. A few structures associated with this waterway remain – including Lock 60 at Mont Clare, Montgomery County. I visited on Valentine’s Day as part of a trip along the River to look for waterfowl. A few areas of the River that were free of ice had groups of ducks, including Hooded and Common Mergansers, Goldeneye, Mallard, Greater Scaup, Ring-necked, Bufflehead and a rarity – the Tufted Duck.
Lock 60 is a fully restored, working lock on the Schuylkill Canal, originally built as part of the Schuylkill Navigation system. The lock is demonstrated for groups and during special events by the Schuylkill Canal Association. This lock, one of 71 originally built on the canal, was constructed in the 1820s and was originally part of the Oakes Reach. The site includes the original Locktender’s house as well as canal information and interpretation. The house is open by appointment and during special events.
The lock gates Some views of the lockkeeper’s house.
The Locktender’s House 
Some looks along the Canal and the River – sadly no ducks were present here, as both areas were covered in ice.
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A Lucky Birding Day
This winter has been particularly harsh, with prolonged periods of below average temperatures that have kept me trapped at home when the snow fails to melt around my car. I did, however, manage to travel to a farming area in northwestern Chester County to do some birding on New Year’s weekend.
This area is known for attracting winter migrant species that prefer open habitats, such as horned larks, Lapland longspurs, and snow buntings. I have had lucky seeing the horned larks before. This time, I saw the flocks of birds but had difficulty making out individuals with my binoculars or camera. However, a popular bird sound id app did pick up all of the species above, including the snow bunting and longspur. To access this site, one has to try to pull off by the side of the road and sit an wait. There was one other car during the time I was there. The locals must think we are crazy.
In terms of pictures, I had to content myself with scenes of the local area.
Gee, this farm looks familiar. 
Cows sheltering in the woods. 
I made my way home via Marsh Creek State Park. Alas, the gull photos I took there were too distant and blurry.
A pensive scene on an overcast day. -
On Little Pine Creek
My Autumn destination this October was Little Pine State Park in northern Lycoming County. The 2,158-acre Little park is surrounded by a beautiful mountain section of Tiadaghton State Forest . The 45-acre Little Pine Lake, hiking trails, campground, and nesting bald eagles are prime features of the park, along with nearby access to Pine Creek.
During 1933, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built Camp S-129-PA and a small picnic area along Little Pine Creek. During 1937, the camp was closed and the property turned over to the Bureau of State Parks. When the park opened, it used many of the CCC buildings. In 1950, a dual-purpose flood control/recreation dam was constructed. The park remained a picnic area until the campground, beach, and swimming area were constructed in 1958. In 1972, Hurricane Agnes flooded and destroyed many park facilities, including all but a few remnants of the former CCC facilities. Hurricane Agnes was the only time water went over the spillway. In 1975-76, federal disaster aid helped build a new beach house, office, maintenance area, and a new campground with modern restrooms. As part of the “Growing Greener” initiative, several major improvements began in 2002, including, enlarging and modernizing the park office and putting showers in the campground.
Below are photos of the lake and day use area.
A gaggle of geese. 
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A Park and a Historic Church
The Willows Park Preserve in northwestern Delaware Country has been a popular spot for birding, fishing, picnicking and walking for decades. Built in 1910, the Willows Mansion is surrounded by 47.5 acres of public park with water, meadow, woodland and garden views. Closed for nearly a decade, the deteriorating mansion sits idle while park life carries on. However, efforts to restore the Mansion are ongoing. It was once a very popular wedding reception venue.
The pond, fed by Little Darby Creek, is popular with fisherman. The stream is stocked. 
Who you looking at? 
Some interesting tiles on the bridge over Little Darby. 
He’s behind me, right? Parent Robin pursued by begging fledgling. 
A good look at a fledgling robin. 
Looks like a female red-winged blackbird. I made another stop that day at St. Davids Church, which lies mostly within Radnor Township, Delaware County. The parish is more than 300 years old. Toward the close of the seventeenth century, a hardy group of Welsh colonists settled in an area which became known as Radnor. In 1704, a 100-signature petition for Welsh prayer books and a Bible, but more particularly for a Welsh-speaking missionary, was dispatched to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in London. Ten years later, in return for this long-awaited recognition, the settlers “heartily engaged themselves to build a handsome stone church,” to be named after the Patron Saint of Wales. The cornerstone was laid on May 9, 1715.
With the coming of the Revolution in the colonies, a rapidly swelling wave of resentment against the Church of England arose among the patriots of the congregation. A leader of this opposition was Anthony Wayne, later appointed major general of the American forces, who is buried in St. David’s historic churchyard. The church building provided shelter for soldiers of both sides.
A view of the original church. 
The churchyard is a tranquil place. 
Some lovely color on these trees in late Spring. 
As an old church, there are some interesting mausoleums. 
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Photography Close to Home
So do these photos look unusable to you? (rhetorical question) I recently got a mirror lens – the Tamron 55BB 500mm F8 – to be exact. Many dislike mirror lenses because they can be finicky to work with due to the fixed F8 focal ratio, shallow depth of field, and long focal length. All of which makes getting focus and capturing sharp images challenging. These lenses also have very distinctive bokeh due to the obstruction from the secondary mirror. Can you see the “donuts” in these photos.
Here are some photos of the local goldfinches. 
A female house sparrow for good measure. 
I quite like these photos. They remind me of old film photographs. As you can probably tell from this blog, I am not one who is too fussed about “tack sharp” as a photographer. If a photo is acceptably in focus, I’m good. I do have to say that this lens does really need daylight. Low light would require a tripod and long exposure times to compensate for the F8 aperture.
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The Glamour Birds of Bombay Hook – A Bonus Labor Day Post
I made a rare summer visit to Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge (near Smyrna, Delaware) due to the increased number of interesting species found there in prior days. I didn’t manage to find all of them, but the trip didn’t disappoint.
Of particular interest were the Curlew Sandpiper, Glossy Ibis, Sandhill Crane, Black Swan, and Roseate Spoonbill, as well as the host of other birds that visit the Refuge or call it home. Large numbers of American Avocet, Semipalmated and Black Bellied Plover, Mute Swans, Great and Snowy Egrets, Great Blue Herons and a variety of sandpipers and other shorebirds were present.
With many summer wildflowers in bloom, the Refuge was looking lovely. Sadly, the Purple Martin colony seems to have mostly dispersed. I also missed the Black Swan, Spoonbill, and Curlew Sandpiper but was still happy with my day.
Three of the four of Glossy Ibis I saw. One of my favorite birds, up close there is a dazzling array of iridescent plumage. 
A Great Egret and Great Blue Heron seem offended by each other, 
I was thrilled to see this juvenile Yellow Crowned Night Heron – a long time nemesis bird and a lifer. 
A convention of Great Egrets in this tree. 
Lots of American Avocet were present. 
Fantastic views of a pair of Sandhill Crane. 
If the bird life disappoints, you can always just enjoy the view.
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It’s a Wilder Life
Powdermill Nature Reserve is an environmental research center that is operated by the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.
Established in 1956, Powdermill serves as a field station for long-term studies of natural populations, and now forms the core of the museum’s Center for Biodiversity and Ecosystems. The reserve encompasses 928.17 hectares, which includes forests, fields, developed land, and ponds and streams.It is located in the Laurel Highlands, near Rector, Pennsylvania and is well known for its avian research. The Center is one of the longest continually-running bird banding stations in the United States. I had visited on a previous trip, which you can read about here.
Outside the Nature Center. 
There are lots of interesting exhibits inside. Check out this bluegill. 
Looks like a juvenile Cooper’s Hawk. 
A Ruffed Grouse, the state bird. This corn snake is another resident. 
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A Favorite Location
One of my favorite day trips is to Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area, a near 6,000 acre tract managed by the Pennsylvania Game Commission primarily for waterfowl, grassland nesting birds, and wetland dependent species. The facility hosts an interactive visitor center, seasonal wildlife driving tour, and over twenty miles of hiking trails. There are other recreational activities available such as wildlife viewing, boating, special hunts, and picnicking. Middle Creek is one of just six Globally Important Bird Areas in the state and straddles Lancaster and Lebanon counties.
I particularly like the view of these hills from the wildlife driving tour road.
This tree swallow doesn’t seem to like me. 
It was fun to see this rabbit near the road. 
It was even better when a friend joined. 
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It’s a Wild, Wild Life
Pictured below are the regular visitors to my cabin at Linn Run State Park. I also heard a lot of birdsong around th cabin in mid May, and the surrounding park and forest has an abundance of wildlife. The bird watching on the trip was a success, chalking up a few more birds for my life list and registering a large number of species (for me at least).
This chipmunk has found a mouthful of something. 
Robins are abundant near the cabin (and everywhere else). 
Wildflowers were plentiful in May. 
The undercut below these trees would make a good hole for trout. The water is quite swift here, however.