Finally! A Barn Swallow that was willing to sit still for some photos! Usually they’re flying around so fast I can barely get them in focus with the binoculars :)

I think this one is a juvenille, because I saw his Momma (or possibly his Poppa) giving him something to eat. Maybe that’s why he was sitting there… so he could get a nice meal…

These photos were taken on the perimeter of the pond at Norristown Farm Park. There were lots of these little guys flying all around the fields and the pond that day. The tree he is perching on is right next to the one with the baby Green Herons and their nest.

Oops! I think he saw me. I’d better get out of here!!! :)

On Wednesday, Adriane and I went to Norristown Farm Park to see if there was any activity at the pond. The last time we were there we saw a Great Egret as well as a couple of Belted Kingfishers, so we thought we might come across something. But we certainly didn’t expect to see this:

Two baby Green Herons in their nest! We almost didn’t see them because of the great cover that the tree provided, but their slight movements caught my eye. I was very surprised (and quite pleased) that the camera was able to focus on them rather than on the leaves in front of them (which is what usually happens!) :)

They were almost too cute for words, all fuzzy around the edges with tangerine colored beaks and bright green legs (except for the knees, which were also tangerine colored).

There were also two adult Green Herons hanging around the pond that day. I’m assuming that those were the parents. They didn’t come anywhere near the nest while we were there. I guess they didn’t want to attract any attention to their little ones.

So despite the ninety-plus degree heat, God certainly gave us a nice treat that day, allowing us to see another stage of His wonderful creation!

A couple of weeks ago, Adriane and I took a trip to the Eastern University campus in St. Davids, PA. I knew there were a couple of small lakes there and I wanted to see if we could get a glimpse of some waterfowl. Well, we had just arrived when this little fella came strolling up to us…

He is a White Pekin Duck, and sadly, we didn’t see a mate for him anywhere around. But he seemed happy enough anyway (probably hoping that we had some bread or other goodies to offer him :) He was standing right in front of me so I was able to get some nice photos.

He was very cute and very friendly. I also love his little feet!

Once he saw that we didn’t have any treats for him, he wandered back into the lake for a nice swim…

I hope we get a chance to go back and see this little guy soon!

Yesterday morning I was on the way to my boss’s house in southern Chester County to install a couple of computers. As I was driving along  a very rural section of Route 842, I spotted this just off the road to my right:

What initially caught my eye, other than the size of these amazing birds, was the fact that their heads weren’t red. I am used to seeing Turkey Vultures in this area, but these fellas were a first for me.  So I turned the car around and thanked our Heavenly Father that I had my camera with me for a change :) I pulled up on the opposite side of the road so I could photograph them from the driver’s seat (the road was straight, not winding, so I could see if anyone was coming – and more importantly, they could see me!)

In my excitement at this photo opportunity and the fact that I was able to get so close to them, I didn’t remember to get an exact count. But there were at least seven of these beautiful (yes, I said beautiful!) creatures surrounding their meal.

Unfortunately, some cars started to come up behind me and I had to move, only getting these two pictures, but at least I was able to keep them in focus :) One of the things I like most about birding is that if you keep your eyes open, you never know what you might see!

Sometimes I get so caught up in trying to photograph birds that I don’t get the enjoyment that comes from just watching them, studying their habits and listening to their beautiful songs (and I’m not that great a photographer, so it can be doubly frustrating!)

That’s why yesterday was such a great day. I had cleaned and refilled the hummingbird feeder, and filled the seed feeders with a new mixture that included a variety of nuts. I decided to leave the camera inside while I sat out on the patio with just my binoculars, my field guide, and a Dachshund :)

To my great surprise and delight, one of the first visitors to the yard was a White-Breasted Nuthatch. Adriane had seen him once before, but this was the first time I had spotted one of these little guys in our own yard! He was on the feeder, grabbed a nut, and flew off to the neighbor’s cherry tree about 25 feet away. I got a wonderful look at him through the binoculars as he had his snack, then proceeded to “peck” at the bark while he haphazardly circled the tree in a downward-facing position (my assumption is that he was digging for insects below the bark). A short time later, he flew onto the fence post and sat there for about three or four minutes, giving me a great chance to just observe and enjoy the wonderful color patterns in his feathers, his unique compact shape, and more. Jesus did a wonderful job (as always!) in creating him :)

I also got to see (and hear!) our Ruby-Throated Hummingbird couple, as well as some Northern Cardinals, European Starlings, Red-Winged Blackbirds, Mourning Doves, Blue Jays, House Finches, and American Robins. They all seemed to be enjoying themselves and their snack treats. I even got to hear our American Goldfinches singing for the first time!

This experience reminded me what I love about birding. It’s the beauty and enjoyment of God’s creation and not necessarily whether I can post a photo on my blog.  There will be plenty of opportunity for that in the future. Yesterday was all about the fun of it :)