Nature
Ice and Snow can be Beautiful too, a Late Winter Walk in the Lehigh River Gorge.
I enjoyed the beauty of the tropics this past week during my visit to Belize and, will admit, I wasn’t looking forward to returning to the record breaking cold in my hometown in Northeastern Pennsylvania. I was planning to just do some walking in town today since I had a lot of unpacking and chores…
Read MoreThere’s no place to go, with all of the Snow.
Was a lot milder today in Northeastern Pennsylvania but still a lot of snow cover on the ground. We got another three inches yesterday and there were some higher drifts making walking anywhere in the woods very difficult. I really get cabin fever this time of year since I can’t just roam where ever feel…
Read MoreThere's no place to go, with all of the Snow.
Lamanai, Belize getting there, a wonderful drive and boat ride up the New River. February 15 2015.
Can’t believe it’s already a week since I visited the Mayan ruins at Lamanai. Couldn’t upload a lot of photos in Belize so wanted to share them, and a little bit of my adventure to this ancient site. Lamanai means “submerged crocodile’ in Mayan and an appropriate name for this site located on a lagoon…
Read MoreIt’s Dinner Time in the Backyard.
I am very fortunate to be able to come home from work and watch the many critters who visit my yard for some corn or bird seed. In the Summer it is mainly the various species of birds at he feeder, a few squirrels, turkeys, rabbits or the annoying bear. Not many deer visit in…
Read MoreIt's Dinner Time in the Backyard.
The Belize Zoo, a model for preservation and conservation, and a wonderful place to visit with the animals of Belize.
I will never forget my first visit to a zoo, it was in Philadelphia and I was around six years old. I was absolutely mesmerized by the wonderful creatures in front of me. Elephants, snakes, monkeys, birds …..it was a magical experience, igniting my life long love of animals and nature. I have visited, and…
Read MoreDinosaurs are Cool. And there are a lot of their bones, and other cool stuff at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia.
It seems like only yesterday that I got my first book on dinosaurs. It was a How and Why Wonder Book. I was in first grade and I was fascinated. Back then all we had were the basics. The Brontosaurus, the Tyrannosaurus, the Stegosaurus. and a few others. I was so excited seeing them when my dad took me to…
Read MoreBack to Belize and my visit to the Community Baboon Sanctuary.
It was two weeks ago today that I visited the famous Community Baboon Sanctuary located in the rural Belize River valley. The sanctuary protects Howler Monkeys, an endangered species , which are locally known as baboons. The 20 square mile sanctuary protects the monkeys environment. Local farmers agreed to protect the monkeys and the trees…
Read MoreDinner time in the backyard.
Back Down to the Lehigh, Still Frozen But Signs of Spring.
Got a little warmer today, and sure felt Spring in the air but still a lot of snow out there and not many options on hiking in the woods. Once again I headed down to the Lehigh Gorge to take advantage of the trails made by the snowmobilers. The river is still mainly frozen and…
Read MoreThey Say Beauty Is In the Eye Of Beholder, What Do You Think, Is This Turkey Beautiful Or Ugly?
About a month ago, a flock of gobblers, male turkeys, chased off the hens that had been wintering in my back yard and have been visiting ever since. Like the deer, they have their feeding hierarchy with the bigger, older birds eating first. I threw out some sunflower seeds yesterday afternoon and was able to…
Read MoreBlack-collared hawk Crooked Tree Belize
Don’t want to put our local turkeys on the spot but I like this magnificent bird, a black-collared hawk .I photographed this one in Belize and I think it has the wild turkey beat in appearance. Here is a link to some more photographs of this beautiful bird. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/photographs-2/belize-february-2015/nggallery/belize-2015/black-collared-hawk belize#gallery/5489f221decc881b58f85fc6be80668e/850
Read MoreSorry Couldn’t Find A Robin to Photograph Yet, But Still Plenty of Feathered Activity in My Backyard.
I was hoping, with the warm temperatures and rapidly melting snow, to spot a robin today. I thought I heard one singing in the distance on my walk this morning. I took my camera and set out to find one after work but no luck today. My dad and my brothers Mike and Joe would…
Read MoreSorry Couldn't Find A Robin to Photograph Yet, But Still Plenty of Feathered Activity in My Backyard.
It’s Time For Spring!!!
It’s that time again. I have enjoyed this MGM cartoon for many years. So appropriate when that same battle with old man Winter is going on here in the northern climes. Great cartoon and worth watching if you haven’t seen it before, or re-watching if you did. And I’m not saying who wins the battle,…
Read MoreIt's Time For Spring!!!
One Good Thing About Clear Cold Nights, There Always Will Be Stars.
It’s clear and cold out there, and the quarter moon won’t be rising until after midnight, Perfect conditions to check out the stars. The photo shows the eastern sky with the planet Jupiter being the brightest object. The two stars in the upper left are Castor and Pollux from the constellation Gemini. Aldebaran is to…
Read MoreBirds of Belize.
I finally got around to putting together an album of all of the different species of birds I photographed on my recent trip to Belize. Here is the link to the album. It can also be found on my Belize photograph page.https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/photographs-2/belize-february-2015/nggallery/belize-2015/birds-of-belize-february-13-20-2015#gallery/1b3db4187a3c1ae17741376927f6e2f7/1020. I tried to name the ones I could identify and guessed at others.…
Read MoreA Walk on the Railroad Tracks, It's Still Winter Out Here.
A Walk on the Railroad Tracks, It’s Still Winter Out Here.
We had a bitterly cold and snowy Winter here in Northeastern Pennsylvania. I was glad for the return of the sunshine and warmer temperatures this past week. A lot of snow melted on the streets, sidewalks and yards. Well I decided to hike out the railroad tracks near my house and found that there sure is…
Read MoreMiddle Creek, A Great Place To Watch Migrating Waterfowl, Even When the Lakes Are Frozen.
It’s that time of year when all of nature, we humans included, start anticipating the arrival of Spring. In the bird kingdom, a lot of the migratory waterfowl species start heading north. And for countless years canadian and snow geese, tundra swans and many species of ducks would stop at Middle Creek in southeastern Pennsylvania.…
Read MoreRobins, Welcome Back!!! We Sure Missed You.
They are late this year. They weren’t braving that deep snow cover and cold temperatures. I’ve been out looking for them for a over week now and I knew as soon as I began my walk this morning they were back. I heard that beautiful song in the morning twilight and knew I would spot…
Read MoreBirds In My Backyard
Although a lot of snow melted this past week, there is still a pretty deep snow pack in the woods so I wasn’t going out hiking this afternoon. Decided to just sit and relax and watch my feathered friends show up for dinner. I love watching birds at my feeders. Cardinals, downy woodpeckers, house finches,…
Read MoreThe Return of The Turkey Hens.
Another Sign Of Spring, The Sun Moving into the Northern Sky.
Here in my backyard in Northeastern Pennsylvania, seeing the sunset is another sure sign Spring is just about here. My house is located on a ridge that runs east to west and my house is on the northern side of the ridge. So, shortly after the autumnal equinox, the first day of fall, I can…
Read MoreMore Backyard Visitors.
Not being a cold weather person, I waited a long time for the arrival of Spring and was very disappointed when it arrived with four inches of snow here in Northeastern Pennsylvania. But it still did arrive and so did the robins and geese. There still is not a lot of plant growth because of the deep…
Read MoreDeer Watching Last Night In My Backyard, A Very Relaxing Passtime.
Is It Really Spring? Sure Doesn't Look That Way Down Here. .
Is It Really Spring? Sure Doesn’t Look That Way Down Here. .
Wasn’t the way I had been planning to spend the first full day of Spring down at the Lehigh River Gorge. Looked more like a walk in the middle of January on my hike today. . But that is what we expect here in the mountains of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The unexpected. Some years the trees…
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