Mother Osprey caries a fish back to her nest. From my trip to the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in Oceanville, NJ back on 7-18-2009.

For more information on Osprey, visit the Cornelll Lab Of Ornithology.

For more information on the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, visit their web site at www.fws.gov/northeast/forsythe/.

Several background texture layers purchased from Distressed Textures were blended in to set the mood.

A corn crib barn stands out in a Northumberland County corn field. Taken back on 4-2-2010 during a Covered Bridge trip through the Pennsylvania counties of Northumberland and Union.

I shot this as five bracketed RAW frames at 1/3rd stop increments handheld and then combined them into an HDR with Photomatix Pro. Textures applied from the commercial texture packs purchased from Flypaper Textures and Distressed Textures.

Update on my leg for those that have asked – Just got back from the Surgeon. He says after eight weeks, there isn’t enough healing so I have to wait at least another month. Because of some other long term health issues I have, the bone isn’t healing as fast as it should. Looking at the X-Ray, realistically I would guess that I may be able to walk and drive again sometime in the Winter. My entire Summer has evaporated. [insert very, very bad words here]

Another shot from my Eagle archives from 11-08-2009 on the Susquehanna River in Maryland.

For more information on Bald Eagles, visit the Cornelll Lab Of Ornithology.

Original

This is a shot taken from the modern highway bridge that Pumping Station Road uses to cross Marsh Creek about 400 feet downstream from Saucks Covered Bridge.n This is from my last trip to the Gettysburg area back on 3-18-2010. The water was so still on this afternoon. No ducks in the area, no kids throwing stones, just a perfect reflection of the covered bridge.

A bronze plaque located near the bridge states: “In 1938, the Pennsylvania Highway Department determined that the Sachs Bridge was the most historic covered bridge in the state”. It makes those claims for good reason. The bridge was used for the movement of both Confederate and Union troops during the Civil War battle at nearby Gettysburg in 1863. The bridge, which has also been known as “Sachs Bridge”, was built in 1854 by David Spooner and runs 100 feet across the Marsh Creek in Cumberland Township, PA. In 1996 the bridge was lifted off its foundation and carried a short distance downstream. Repairs were made on the bridge in 1997. The bridge was closed to traffic in 1968 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. It is said to be a hot spot for ghost hunters seeking contact with the souls of three people who were allegedly hanged at one end of the bridge.

The Gettysburg Battlefield Preservation Association, who owns the bridge, really has done a remarkable job at landscaping and upkeep in the bridge area.

I shot this as seven bracketed RAW frames at 1/3rd stop increments and then combined them into an HDR with Photomatix Pro and finally, tone mapped that image.

Original

After an afternoon storm passed through the Oley Valley, the sun made a return and bathed this Hoch Road farm in golden light before setting. I shot this last year on 7-29-2009 and had posted a different shot of this farm previously but I wanted to do a version that was a little less heavy handed on the processing and a little different crop.
Original

I shot this barn along route 60 in Crawley, West Virginia during my rainy weekend trip back on 10-17-2009. I had previously posted a version of this but I wanted a textured version with a painterly look to it because I think the fall colors and the overcast nature of the image works better as painterly. So here it is.

I applied several textures purchased as part of the new Summer Painterly Texture Pack at Flypaper Textures.

Black-necked Stilt searchng for a meal in the Shearness Pool at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge outside of Smyrna, DE back on 8-16-2009.

For more information on the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, visit their web site athttp://www.fws.gov/northeast/bombayhook/.

For more information on Black-necked Stilts visit the Cornelll Lab Of Ornithology.

One of three ducklings that mysteriously showed up at my Parent’s back yard pond this past weekend. This one was paddling feverishly trying to avoid the Koi who were just trying to be friends to their new feathered guests.

I wish I could remember where this farm was located. It was somewhere after the Sam Wagner covered bridge but I have not been able to locate it on any of the satellite maps. From my 4-2-2010 trip through Northumberland and Union Counties covered bridge excursion.

I shot this as seven hand held bracketed RAW frames at .7th stop increments and then combined them into an HDR with Photomatix Pro and finally, tone mapped that image.

Three Mallard Ducklings try to hop up on the Lilly Pads in order to avoid the nipping of their heals by the Koi fish down below.

I was sitting in the sun room that overlooks my parents backyard pond on Sunday afternoon and all of a sudden we noticed a Mallard Hen and her three ducklings jump into the pond. It’s a little late in the year for a fresh batch of Ducklings but here was this Hen taking her kids on what looked to be a training session. She led them to one side of the pond and then the other, guiding them as they went along. She would show them how to put their heads under the water to eat pond plants and the ducklings would make a motion like they wanted to do it but never really bought into the idea after the Koi started following them and nipping on their little webbed feet. The Koi are harmless but those ducklings wanted no part of their new neighbors.

We think the hen is “Hilda” who along with “Arthur” the Drake, spent the better part of the Spring flying from Fleetwood Park into my Parent’s yard each day. They would then proceed to spend a few hours in a neighbor’s yard eating bird seed that was knocked out of his feeders by the local Cardinals. When they were done with seed, they would come back to my Parent’s yard and spend some quality time eating my Mom’s pond plants until she would come running outside and yell at them. It’s a nice surprise to have Ducklings around in late July and only a few feet from the windows.

“Sometimes I do get to places just when God’s ready to have somebody click the shutter.” — Ansel Adams

Sunrise over the marsh near the Gull Pond at Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in Oceanville, NJ. Shot back on 7-3-2009 as seven bracketed exposures and merged to HDR and tone mapped in Photomatix, converted to black and white using Adobe Lightroom 3 today 7-18-2010. I had posted a color version of this last year but I think I prefer the black and white version more because of the amount of natural contrast in the scene.

For more information on the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, visit their web site atwww.fws.gov/northeast/forsythe/.

“If you’ve never experienced the joy of accomplishing more than you can imagine, plant a garden.” ~Robert Brault

A stone lantern highlights this section of the gardens at the Shofuso Japanese House in Fairmont Park Philadelphia. The Shofuso Japanese house and gardens were built in 1958 in 16th century style. Shofuso is located on the grounds of the Horticultural Center in the West Philadelphia section of Fairmount Park. The perfectly proportioned architecture of the main structure and adjoining tea house is enhanced by an ornamental garden and picturesque pond. Tours of the house are available and periodically there are special events offered including tea ceremonies, bonsai plant showings and more. Finding a cultural nugget like this so close to the city of Philadelphia is very unique and special and definitely needs to be checked out if you are looking for something a little different. There is an almost unlimited amount of composition opportunity within a small area at Shofuso.

For more information on visiting Shofuso, check out www.shofuso.com/.

I shot this as seven RAW bracketed exposures (hand held) at 1/3 stop variance and then combined the exposures into an HDR and tone mapped using Photomatix Pro.

This Bucks County bridge was built in 1873. It utilizes a Town Truss design and has a span of 110 feet and a weight limit of three tons. The bridge has also been known as “Slifer’s Bridge”. Built of hemlock, it crosses Durham Creek, which was once known as “Cook’s Creek”. It is owned and maintained by Bucks county and is open to daily vehicular traffic. The bridge is in excellent shape. Unfortunately, this bridge has been the target of several failed arson attempts in recent years, most recently in 2004 and 2007. What makes these people want to destroy historic treasures like this is beyond comprehension. The bridge is surrounded by some really beautiful farms that also offer some great landscape photo ops.

For more information on the Bridges of Bucks County, visit the Bucks County Covered Bridge Society.

I shot this as five bracketed RAW frames at 1/3rd stop variance and then combined them into an HDR and toned mapped them with Photomatix Pro. From my trip through Bucks County on 5-30-2009.

This is a derivative work based upon a Great Egret shot I took at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge back on 8-16-2009 and the following elements.

A Creative Commons photo from Flickr user “Steve Took it” formed the basis of the background.
Several background texture layers purchased from Distressed Textures were blended in order to try and capture that morning break mood. The final work is being released under a Creative Commons license as a derivative work.

For more information on the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, visit their web site athttp://www.fws.gov/northeast/bombayhook/.

For more information on Great Egrets, visit the Cornelll Lab Of Ornithology.

This is a Common Grackle, sometimes called a Purple Grackle, probably the most abundant bird found in our town. He was bathing in the waterfall that leads down to my parents backyard pond.

The other day, I was watching a Mourning Dove bathing in this same spot when a Grackle landed on the top level of the waterfall and comically lost its footing and barrel rolled half way down the falls. He jumped onto the rocks and looked at the Mourning Dove as if it say “I meant to do that !” I feel somewhat better now, knowing that I am not the only one with a challenged footing on waterfalls. LOL

For more information about Common Grackles, visit this page at the Cornell Lab Of Ornithology.