"A Sand County Almanac"

"THERE ARE SOME WHO CAN LIVE WITHOUT WILD THINGS AND SOME WHO CANNOT."
"FOR US IN THE MINORITY THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE GEESE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN TELEVISION.".....Aldo Leopold



"LOOK DEEP INTO NATURE, AND THEN YOU WILL UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING BETTER".....Albert Einstein


“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves”.....John Muir


Monday, January 21, 2013

Black Hill Regional Park


After several unproductive outings close to home I decided to head to Black Hill Regional Park in neighboring Montgomery County to see what could be found there.  The park is home to 505 acre Little Seneca Lake, a beautiful body of water attracting a wide variety of waterfowl throughout the year. 

I passed the Lilypons Water Garden on my way to the park.  The Great Blue Heron nests there are waiting for the breeding pairs to arrive…
 
A Belted Kingfisher was looking for breakfast when I stopped by…

 
I don’t have a lot of photos in my waterfowl portfolio so I was delighted to add some new species.  Here are my first American Black Ducks…

Buffleheads were near the boat ramp in small groups…
 
Buffleheads look rather drab from a distance...
 
 
 
But when the sun hits them at just the right angle they become iridescent...
 
 
The parking lot at the boat ramp is home to a group of Eastern Bluebirds.  These beautiful birds always brighten my day…




Another duck that I have not photographed previously is the Rudy Duck.  The first photo is of a male…
 
The following photo is of a female Rudy Duck…



There was a single Ring-billed Gull at the boat ramp and it did not like sharing the water with a Bufflehead that was feeding nearby…


The gull repeatedly dove on the hapless Bufflehead each time it surfaced…


On another part of the lake I encountered a flock of American Coots, another first for me…
 

 
In the next photo two coots seem to be waiting to see what the third one will have when it surfaces...
 
 
The Hooded Merganser is the final species of duck that I photographed while at the lake...
 



Black Hill Regional Park is a wonderful oasis of nature located on the edge of ugly urban sprawl.  It is lightly visited considering the number of people who live nearby.  I will be returning to see what new waterfowl are using the lake as we head into spring. 
I hope you will return soon to share the visits with me.

 

 
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2 comments:

  1. BetsJanuary 23, 2013 at 12:30 PM

    Hello Steve
    What a lot of different birds, very great.
    Greetings Bets

    ReplyDelete
  2. Steve FerendoJanuary 23, 2013 at 5:06 PM

    Thank you, Bets
    Just a lucky day. I was out most of the day today and did not get a single photo. One just never knows.
    Steve

    ReplyDelete

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