Still the Weather

This blog was never intended to be just about the weather. But, the weather of this winter has made it so. Today started with beautiful clear blue skies. Now, wispy white clouds are being taken over by gray ones. There is another front coming through and it promises to drop even more snow on us. I have always like snow in DECEMBER and hated it in January. I want you to know that no matter how beautiful some days are to see I despise snow in February when crocus are supposed to be poking their heads through the cold ground. That is not here in Delaware. Not this year anyway.

This season's storms have brought this region to an almost standstill. Schools have not been in session over a week. And, the week prior to that many schools were closed two days and most had early dismissals. Businesses were closed and folks have developed extreme cases of Cabin Fever. We have not had trash collection for two weeks. Today the neighborhood garbage cans poised for pick-up. I wonder when and if it will happen. Hurray!!! The trash collectors just made a pass down our street. YES!! Some normalcy is returning.

I am posting some pictures I took from last Wednesday (Feb 10) through yester (Feb 14). You can see some of what we have observed. (click on pictures for larger view)

Birds congregating on neighbor's dormer.  On this day (2/10) it was the favored meeting place.

 

 

Above, the snow just kept coming and the wind seemed never to stop.  The picture of the lamppost  was taken just after the driveway had been cleared.  The drifted snow is of the driveway not long afterward.  The photo to left is of the wreath bow on the bront door.

Cold little bluebird seeking some sunlight.

 Turning his back to the wind.  These pics taken through paned window screen.

And, then yesterday, there was a heron in the half-frozen pond.

    Here's to brighter, warmer winter days.

Images from Some Bright December Days

Just for fun, here are some pictures taken on a few different outings over the holiday period. The first is special because it is of sunset on the Winter Soltice.

The next was a quick shot of a jet contrail as we waited our turn at the car wash on Christmas Eve. We often see contrail along the coastline but not as often across the east-west sky. Besides, it also shows how clear the day was.

The several photos that follow are of this season's version of snow geese. Last Sunday morning I was amazed at the shadows being cast through the house as V and V of honking geese flew overhead. In the early afternoon, we ventured out to Prime Hook Wildlife Refuge where we came upon hundreds of birds. What was different this year was that they were on the opposite side of the road than where they were last year. This is also early in the season so that will surely change.

Below is a view of the other side of the road. It is usually much clearer than it was on this day.

The next two photos were taken on Monday. The area is a field a very short distance from where we live. These farm areas are preferred feeding areas for the geese much to the chagrin of the farmers.

And, now, to the elusive heron. The pond has been very overrun with algae this year and we have seen little of the heron(s). The heavy rains, snow and cold weather have cleared the coves and this guy has returned. No matter what, it is a game trying to get a picture. These are of the heron in a tree as he flew the road just as I was pulling up to see if he were to be seen. At least on this outing I got an image however unclear. I will keep trying.

More outings to come in 2010.

Late 4th Posting

Life here has surely become LSD (Lower Slower Delaware) or did I say just a short time ago? We have each been involved with a couple of projects this week that has taken me away from the blog. But, I did want to share some the pictures I took on July 4 when we went out to Prime Hook. This short drive took us to both Prime Hook Beach and to Fowler Beach. The photos are all from Fowler Beach. The day was not all that hot, maybe high 80's but for some reason when we got out of the car at Fowler Beach it felt like we were under an intense sunlamp. This beach was damaged in the Nor'easter that hit in mid-May. We could not get to an area we normally do and the damages to the marshes and the like were evident. That coupled with the summer sun and heat makes for some eerie sights.

I always seem to be trying to catch a heron. I got a lot of poses of this guy, appears to be in molt but the fact that I got more than one photo while shooting the camera thrilled me.

The next wildlife we came upon were a couple of snowy egrets. This first picture is just after the egret caught a fish.

Here we have two egrets. I was able to get several pictures of them passing one another, from afar and then back around each other.

An outing is not complete without a picture of Bentley.

I love taking pictures of the beach grass.

This picture illustrates how hot and hazy it was.

This is my first photo of a Black-necked Stilt. The two following are of the same fellow.

Horseshoe crab are an almost primitive species. But, they are essential to the survival of many shorebirds. This picture captures the carcasses of the horseshoe crab and lots of shorebirds.

Could Spring be Far Behind?

We drive by Wagamons Pond every day. Every day I look for the heron. The heron has been gone for what seems several months now. The heron appeared again in the favored cove a few days ago. I am so intrigued with this bird because its favorite spot to stand is no more than six feet from the road. There are cars going by all of the time. That does not seem to bother this creature. Cars can be stopped six feet to the east of the bird and it just stands there. But, stop six feet to the south and the bird takes flight. The flight is not far. It is cannot be more than 30 feet to the other side of the cove. Of course, the position to the south is the best to capture a great camera shot.

Saturday I tried my luck again and true to form the heron flew away. I did get a few images while it stood in the backside of the cove. One of these days I will pervail and get a straight shot. Until then, the mallards will have to do.

There the frustrating bird is on the shadowed part of the cove. Here, the same shot, using the "pan" tool.

He's Back

The season are surely changing. The heron has returned to the pond. I still have not been able to capture him when he is right at the roadside. As soon as I drop the window he flies to a spot just beyond my clear focus range. This adventure shall continue.

Prime Hook and Beaches

Last Sunday it was very warm and we really needed to get out of the house and do something. That something for Bill is almost always a visit to the beach. A summer day, a summer Sunday and he wants to go to the beach in southern Delaware -- Oh, my. It is not smart to go south so we decided to go over to Broadkill Beach. It is the closest to us but it was very crowded and so we decided to roam through the roads of Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge and check out a couple of other beaches.

Before arriving at Broadkill Beach we have to pass through part of the wildlife refuge. We go here often and I have taken numerous pictures of shore birds there. On this day we were surprised to see water on one side of the road had filled in with marsh plants and the other side was mostly mud flats. In the winter the ponds on both sides of the road are filled with water and sometimes thousands of birds.

This is a picture of the marshy area on the north side of Broadkill Road. In the winter this area is more muddy and there is a lot more water.

While the north side of the road has abundant growth of marsh plants, the south side has turned into these mud flats. Ironically, this past winter this was side that had the most water and where the most birds were seen.

Since Broadkill was so crowded we made our way north to Prime Hook Beach and found that there was literally no public access to the beach. That's a bummer. But on our way there I got this picture of a heron in another area of the reserve.

We proceeded along Thirteen Curves Road to Fowler Beach Road and Fowler Beach. There were only a couple of people there. The beach is not as large or as clean as those to the south. We got out and walk to an observation deck so we had a better view of the area.

Bentley was with us and he enjoyed getting out of the car. He was still a bit gimpy from our tumble earlier in the day.

This a view of Fowler Beach looking south. You can see that it is much narrower than the beaches in earlier posts.

This photo of the Atlantic from Fowler Beach shows how hot and hazy it was.

I always have to have at least one picture of a seagull when we go to the beach. Actually, I have to take several. Here is my seagull picture at Fowler Beach.

A little dune grass for your viewing pleasure.

More dune grass.

Some shell fragment and other stuff in the grass and sand.

More of the Prime Hook area from the Fowler Beach observation deck.

Some of the wildflowers along the way.

More shore birds.

Still more shore birds.