The Ditch Patrol

Cape May Fall 2010

2010-12-08T09:34:00.000-08:00

Cape May Spring 2010

2010-07-03T08:17:00.000-07:00

Our semi annual trip to Cape May was, as usual, a very relaxing time especially for Pam who relishes some time w/o phones ringing, professors complaining and the usual rigmarole of day to day work. Weather was clear and down right cold for a few days as the wind typically blows in off the ocean which is still in the 50's temperature wise. Clear skies also make for drab sunsets so the lighthouse photos are less than spectacular. Others on the blog from prior years are much better.

Cape May is very much a seasonal town with not a lot going on between Labor Day and Memorial Day. Guess that's what we enjoy most about the off season plus it becomes affordable! In season equals $$$$$$ ;o)

There're back!

2010-04-27T17:06:00.000-07:00

In spite of the very cold temps of late, our H'birds arrived. Bet they wish they were back in sunny Central America!
It seems a few males precede the main flock which dribble in over the next few weeks.
If you feed these tiny guys, it's a good idea to put out a least one feeder now (one part table sugar/4 parts water without need for red food coloring as most feeders have enough red
on them) which ups your odds they'll stay. I generally don't start working with them for a month or so to let them settle in and begin nesting and the jury is still out on my arm. I got
the miserable splint apparatus off my arm (YES!!!) but as of now don't have enough strength or dexterity in my hand to handle lenses etc. and droppin' one isn't something I care to do!

One of our prior hummers lookin' me over. Incredibly, they can make a 4000 mile round trip flight and return to the same feeder year after year!

Ditch Patrol 2010

2010-04-27T16:35:00.000-07:00

The shortened version of the DP 2010 got underway in early April. Am going to have to have surgery on my elbow next Wed. which will basically put me out of commission for about a month at least. Have a non MS related ulnar nerve compression at the elbow that needs fixin' so I don't lose most of my L hand function.

This beauty is Sanguinaria (commonly called "Bloodroot") that is about our earliest spring wildflower not counting the little Crocus that is
cultivated. I looked for it for years before finding a small group of this uncommon flower over in Wilderness battlefield last year. It's absolutely gorgeous
with the pristine white petals surrounding the bright yellow stamens. These belong to the Poppy family and to a group of plants called spring ephemerals
(ephemeral meaning transitory or quickly fading) in that they complete their brief life cycle in early spring before the trees set their leaves.

Blue!

2010-03-18T13:20:00.000-07:00

We've had the pleasure this winter (thanks to all the snow) of seeing Bluebirds at our suet feeder! Except for once, I cannot recall ever seeing one visit our feeders in 23 years and have often wondered how they survive periods of bitter cold and snow. The brilliant blue of the male contrasts sharply with the snow. The distracting background in the pics is a snow covered Hemlock about 15 yards behind them which I couldn't do much with. The female is much duller with some bright blue in her wings. These are members of the Thrush family that included the Wood and Hermit Thrush, the Veery and Robins. Have attached a number of different "poses" of the male as subtle changes in head position etc make some shots more pleasing. What gorgeous little creatures! Enjoy!

Let it snow!

2010-03-18T12:25:00.000-07:00

The winter of 09 will go down in the record books as one of the coldest and snowiest ever! I used to love the cold and snow but with my current physical limitations it's just a huge hassle! Pam has had to take on the snow removal chores with the help of a marvelous machine called a snow blower with which she's got quite proficient. I happened to be in Home Depot several years ago in March when they threw a half price clearance tag on snow blowers. They didn't have to ask twice!
Above are a few shots of Pam at work with her trusty supervisor Sam looking on. Is quite amusing to watch him in the snow. He gets a running start and dives in going completly under if there's a lot. Does the same thing with large piles of leaves.

Happy New Year 2010!

2010-01-01T16:44:00.000-08:00

Pam and I want to wish our MANY friends and family a very happy New Year! We know of several family members and friends that have had a very trying and difficult 09 and are more than happy to bid the year good riddance. Our prayers are that 2010 will be much better!

Love,

bruce and pam

Shot the photo above several years ago on a bitter cold, windy and snowy day very much like last Friday. Amid the bleak snowy woods this Cardinal, his feathers ruffled by the wind, sure added a touch of elegance to an otherwise dismal day.

Christmas

2010-01-01T16:35:00.000-08:00

Christmas, a time to pause and celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Christ’s Birth Announced to Mary

Luke 1:26-38

²⁶ Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, ²⁷ to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”^c]">[c]
²⁹ But when she saw him,^d]">[d] she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. ³⁰ Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹ And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. ³² He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. ³³ And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
³⁴ Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”
³⁵ And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. ³⁶ Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. ³⁷ For with God nothing will be impossible.”
³⁸ Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Luke 2:1-20

Christ Born of Mary

¹ And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. ² This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. ³ So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.
⁴ Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵ to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife,^a]">[a] who was with child. ⁶ So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. ⁷ And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Glory in the Highest

⁸ Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And behold,^b]">[b] an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. ¹⁰ Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. ¹¹ For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
¹⁴ “ Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”^c]">[c]

¹⁵ So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶ And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. ¹⁷ Now when they had seen Him, they made widely^d]">[d] known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. ¹⁸ And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. ¹⁹ But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

Cape May 2009

2010-01-01T15:56:00.000-08:00

We were later than usual making our semi-anual trip to Cape May this fall and I'm REAL late getting the photos of the gorgeous LH posted. Cape May is very much a seasonal town with not much going on between Labor Day and Memorial Day. As info and specs on the lighthouse are posted elsewhere on the blog (click on lighthouses) I'll just go with this years pics.

Sam

2009-10-28T20:22:00.000-07:00

Pam has reminded me on a number of occasions now that I haven't posted any photos of our "new" yellow Lab 'Sam'. As we will soon have had him a year I figured I better get busy.

We had to put our beloved black Lab 'Dewey' to sleep last October. Pam contacted the professional dog trainer from whom we got Dewey to see if he had or knew of any available pups. He didn't but mentioned he had an 18 month old yellow Lab that had been boarded and then abandoned at his kennel. He thought he'd make an excellent dog for us so we went out to see him and, you guessed it, it was love at first sight. We picked him up the following week.

He's all Lab - energetic, a lover, tail always going, eager to please and is real quick to catch on to new commands. He is also somewhat of a juvenile delinquent at times but aren't they all!

Southern bound!

2009-10-23T17:46:00.001-07:00

Except for a few stragglers, our smallest of birds are headed for Mexico and Central America bringing the 09 season to an end. Ahead of them is the huge Gulf of Mexico over which they will fly non stop taking 24 hours to complete which is an incredible feat for a 3 1/2" bird! Even more incredible is that next April they will make the return flight and come back to the same back yard feeders they just left.

These are a few shots taken the day before ours left. An image posting glitch has prevented getting these posted in a more timely manner.

About to head south

2009-09-13T22:06:00.000-07:00

The 09 hummingbird season is rapidly winding down as the tiny guys fatten up for the looooooooooooong flight to Central/South America which is 2-3000 miles! Incredible for a bird 3 1/2 inches long! You often hear the well meaning but wrong advice, especially around hardware stores that sell hummingbird supplies, that feeders should be taken down in mid Sept. as if this will force the birds to migrate or cause them to linger and be caught and killed by a fall freeze. Actually, feeders should be left up to mid Oct. to provide birds migrating from the north a place to feed as they pass by headed south.

Bird migration is under hormone control and has nothing to do with available food supplies. A small light sensitive area of the brain, called the Pineal body for its resemblance to a pine cone, serves as a migration "clock" . Sensitive to light, the pineal body triggers the urge to migrate as daylight hours shorten as fall approaches. For those with feeders up, now is a good time to up the sugar concentration a bit ( 3:1 instead of 4:1) to help them put on wt.

I decided to experiment with my light setup for fun. Of course they kept coming in to feed (with a puzzled look on their little faces) so I continued to shoot. I'm seeing mostly females at present. Dunno where the males are hiding. Here are a few of the better ones. If some look a little strange it's because the lights were outa position.

Hummingbird "teens"

2009-09-03T22:46:00.000-07:00

A few more photos of juvenile (delinquent?) hummingbirds. This is a young bird hatched this summer. As mentioned in the following post, young males have a "speckled" throat that is gradually replaced by the flaming red color that gives the bird their name. The throat feathers are minute to say the least and can appear black, brown, yellow or red depending on the angle of the light. This male has two or three red feathers showing. He will have the full characteristic flaming red throat when he returns next spring.

Hummingbird "teens"

2009-08-27T18:08:00.000-07:00

As summer winds down, we see a preponderance of young birds of all species. Many full grown young birds continue to follow the parents around squawking with mouths agape begging for a handout. Hummmm, we seem to have a whole segment of society just like that having been raised on government entitlement programs.

Not so with hummers. They are strictly on their own once taking flight and are even driven away from feeders by their parents! We now have a horde of young hummers out back. I've seen as many as six at once trying to feed from one port as I have the others plugged so I can semi "control" where they are when I shoot. If you let them control things, you'll never get anything. The juvenile birds are somewhat flat color wise as they have little iridescence.
The speckled throat mark this tiny guy as a juvenile male. He'll have the trademark flaming red gorget when he returns next spring. My guess is he's only 4-6 weeks old. As you can see, he' s pretty much devoid of the striking colors this species is famous for.
A prior pic of a juvenile male showing the speckled throat with two or three bright red feathers showing.
Forgot to turn on my main front flash unit (I'm and idiot) which gave a very underexposed but unusual shot

Hummingbird Poem

2009-08-09T21:33:00.000-07:00

To a Humming Bird in a Garden

George Murray

BLITHE playmate of the Summer time,
Admiringly I greet thee;
Born in old England’s misty clime,
I scarcely hoped to meet thee.

Com’st thou from forests of Peru, 5
Or from Brazil’s savannahs,
Where flowers of every dazzling hue
Flaunt, gorgeous as Sultanas?

Thou scannest me with doubtful gaze,
Suspicious little stranger! 10
Fear not, thy burnished wings may blaze
Secure from harm or danger.

Now here, now there, thy flash is seen,
Like some stray sunbeam darting,
With scarce a second’s space between 15
Its coming and departing.

Mate of the bird that lives sublime
In Pat’s immortal blunder,
Spied in two places at a time,
Thou challengest our wonder. 20

Suspended by thy slender bill,
Sweet blooms thou lov’st to rifle;
The subtle perfumes they distil
Might well thy being stifle.

Surely the honey-dew of flowers 25
Is slightly alcoholic,
Or why, through burning August hours,
Dost thou pursue thy frolic?

What though thy throatlet never rings
With music, soft or stirring; 30
Still, like a spinning-wheel, thy wings
Incessantly are whirring.

How dearly I would love to see
Thy tiny cara sposa,
As full of sensibility 35
As any coy mimosa!

They say, when hunters track her nest
Where two warm pearls are lying,
She boldly fights, though sore distrest,
And sends the brigands flying. 40

What dainty epithets thy tribes
Have won from men of science!
Pedantic and poetic scribes
For once are in alliance.

Crested Coquette, and Azure Crown, 45
Sun Jewel, Ruby-Throated,
With Flaming Topaz, Crimson Down,
Are names that may be quoted.

Such titles aim to paint the hues
That on the darlings glitter, 50
And were we for a week to muse,
We scarce could light on fitter.

Farewell, bright bird! I envy thee,
Gay rainbow-tinted rover;
Would that my life, like thine, were free 55
From care till all is over!

Lazy Summer days

2009-08-05T12:59:00.000-07:00

Can you believe there are only about six weeks until fall! By mid Atlantic standards this summer has been a pussycat having just turned consistently hot and humid the last thrre weeks or so. Haven't been doing any ditch patrollin' lately as I have a zero tolerance for heat coupled with a very severe and chronic case of tendinitis in my left elbow brought about by using a manual wheelchair and crutches both of which put stress on the triceps tendon in the back of the elbow. After I can't count how many cortisone injections, I'm basically not using the arm at all for now to give it total rest and keeping it packed in ice 30 mins on 30 off. If this fails, dunno what the next step will be.

I can shoot hummingbirds one armed so here are two recent takes. I won't go into how many throw aways there were. If you're unfamiliar with hummingbirds, the only species in the eastern US is the Ruby throated with the male having the brilliant red throat (gorget) which can appear red, yellowish, brown or black depending on the angle the light hits it. It's ladies first though :o)

Joyas Volardores!

2009-07-24T14:26:00.000-07:00

Hummingbirds are our tiniest and the most fascinating birds that will visit your backyard. Early Spanish explorers to the new world called them Joyas Volardores or flying jewels. Unique to South, Central and North America, they are found no where else in the world. If you need visual evidence of almighty God as creator of the universe and all things therein you need look no further!

Hummers are one of the most difficult nature subject to photograph. Their tiny size coupled with incredible speed and unpredictable movements are a real challenge. There are four types of hummer photos: 1) wings a blur which is how we generally see them, 2) wings "frozen" in place (high speed flash is usually necessary to accomplish this) 3) a combination of the two which is actually two images with one produced by flash and another produced by existing daylight and 4) the bird at rest on a perch or nest. I've had a life long fascination with them and have tried photographing them off and on but got more serious about it about five years ago when I began reading about the technique of using high speed flash to illuminate them. They're also easy to work with from a wheelchair. I'm a slow learner but now occasionally get a good shot or two. I've outlined the techniques of lighting these animated ping pong balls and some general information about them in an earlier post so won't repeat all of it here.

This tiny guy has been driving me crazy trying to get on film. Of about 30 shots this was the best.

"Where is the person who, on seeing this lovely little creature moving on humming winglets through the air, suspended as if by magic; flitting from one flower to another, with motions as graceful as they are light and airy, pursuing its course over our extensive continent, and yielding new delights wherever it is seen;--who, on observing this glittering fragment of the rainbow, would not pause, admire, and instantly turn his mind with reverence toward the Almighty Creator, the wonders of whose hand we at every step discover, and of whose sublime conceptions we everywhere observe the manifestations in His admirable system of creation?--There breathes not such a person; so kindly have we all been blessed with that intuitive and noble feeling--admiration!"

~ John James Audubon

Ditch Patrol 09 con't

2009-07-22T13:54:00.000-07:00

As Va's COOL summer moves on (HOORAY!!) I don't have many excuses for not patrollin them ditches. I can't recall a summer when its actually been nice (by my standards :o) in decades.

Couple of fines the last couple days. One really cute and one not (but it smells real good!)

Bull Thistle or maybe Pasture Thistle, one of about 9 species in the east. Most grow in dry, waste places, ditches (is there anywhere else! :o) pastures, roadsides. etc. Most have formidable, razor sharp spines that will sure 'nuff ruin your day if you're careless with them. I generally handle and position them with spring clamps to avoid touching them. Most are fragrant and a magnet to insects and especially Butterflies.

This tiny little guy is Spiked Lobelia or Palespike Lobelia (Lobelia spicata to you science buffs). Could key it to family but about gave up trying to key it out further when I hit upon it by accident.
Another in our inexhaustible supply of roadside weeds. A real challenge to even find in my viewfinder, this was all the magnification I could get with what I had with me.

Ditch Patrol 09

2009-07-22T13:15:00.000-07:00

The ditch Patrol has been off line for a while this summer. Had to have an implanted spinal infusion therapy pump replaced earlier this month at UVA. That went well and with the cool summer I don't have much excuse for not going out.

We also have a new power chair/scooter lift for the van that simplifies things a lot. I'll stick on a few pics below. Engineering marvel!

Here it is on the ground, scooter loaded and ready to lift...
Thirty seconds later at the push of a button...all loaded inside nice 'n neat!

Can you believe I haul all this junk to photograph weeds?!

I'm going to try to get going on the hummingbirds soon although we have very few this year ??

This AM's find is commonly called "Common Nightshade", "Horse Nettle" or "Bull Nettle" (Solanum carolinense if you care). Found it in a ditch (where else!) over in Wilderness Battlefield. It is in the Nightshade (Potato) family. All members of this family , including potatoes, contain the potent neurotoxin solanine which is why you sometimes hear this plant family called the "Deadly Nightshades". Although toxicity is primarily of veterinary interest as livestock can become poisoned by injecting the plants in quanity, humans can become poisoned from ingesting raw, young green potatoes. Form the brief amount I read, the incidence of poisoning is low in humans although it isn't a good idea to eat young green potatoes and potatoes eaten raw should be peeled.

MS 150 2009

2009-07-22T12:20:00.000-07:00

The Central Va chapter of the NMSS sponsors a very demanding two day, 150 mile bike tour every year the weekend after Memorial Day. It is now the "MS 150" although for years it was called the "Va Dare Bike Tour". This year there were 520 cyclists and the event raised ~$325,000. They ride 75 miles on Sat. to Williamsburg and 75 return miles to Richmond Sunday. In 1993 a friend of mine, Jeff Wessel, formed a bike team to ride in the event that he called Team BRUCE (Bikers Ride Until a Cure Exists). The numbers fluctuate year to year but we have about 25 riders give or take. Pam and I always volunteer to work rest stops as it's a fun event and we so appreciate the effort these folks make.

To make a very long story short another friend, Phil Rice, came up with the (at the time) idiotic idea to find a way to pull me the entire 150 miles! With donated parts he fabricated an adult trike in his auto body repair shop that he pulled with his own regular bike. Pulling about 250 lbs with a bike is no small feat but it worked! They generally change "pullers" every 12 miles or so.

Following all good ideas come some setbacks. The head office of NMSS had "safety issues" with our old trike and wanted it retired. I'll see if I can find some pics. Always up to a challange, Phil located a bike shop in northern VA (Vienna) and in it found two recumbant style bikes that were desigined and engineered to be joined via a special hitch arrangment. The new "ride" was a rocket on rails! Hittin' over 30 mph on a few downhills is a real rush especially when you live in a world of slow motion (yes, they made me sign a waver :o). Fitted with two high tech pieces of PVC pipe which provided 4 "handles" that riders could grab to assist on upgrades, we were quite a sight! The owner of the shop donated the two bikes for us to use free of charge and only requested a picture as payment! WOW!

Last year, on day two, we lost two of our primary lead bike "engines" and the 75 mile trek back to Richmond looked out of reach. About 15 miles out of Williamsburg, we met up with a team from W.M. Jordan Co. We didn't realize it at the time but the Lord had provided us with a group of angels! They immediately pitched in to assist us and what a relief it was the guy on the lead bike! As Mark Santschi was speaking about the ride at a fund raiser event at our church in May, he was overcome with emotion as he thought back to the relief he felt as the Jordan cyclists pulled along side and began to push. We thought they would probably go on their way at the next rest stop but no, they wanted to ride with us all way to Richmond! How cool is that!! And even cooler is they rode both ways again this year!!

The pic below is somewhere in the back woods of rural VA. Here, 4 "pushers" have pulled alongside and are assisting "Skip" (the "engine") on a long, brutal upgrade, the worst on the route. Powerful men and these guys rock and roll! The determination on their faces says it all! Phil, the originator of this crazy idea is on the far right of the pic. My job, besides just riding and enjoying the scenery, is to attract as much gravity as I can and make us as un-aerodynamic as possible ;o)

Seriously, to be surrounded by a group of individuals like this is a high beyond description! I feel like the luckiest man on earth!

Passin' thru

2009-05-11T20:20:00.000-07:00

For those with bird feeders still up, keep an eye peeled for this handsome guy. This is the Rose breasted Grosbeak which winters in Central America, Venezuela, Peru and Mexico and passes thru our area on migration as they head north. The male is pretty unmistakable with his black hood and back, snow white breast with a bright rose red triangle and black and white wings. The female resembles a large brown sparrow with a white eye stripe.

The name "grosbeak" obviously refers to the large heavy beak used to crack seeds that are the birds main diet. There are six grosbeak species that make their home in the east.

The first photo shows well the avian ear which is a small opening directly behind the eye. Birds have exceptional hearing but lack the external ear (pinna) that we see in humans and most mammals.

Spring Beauties

2009-04-29T18:46:00.000-07:00

This is Claytonia, commonly called "Spring Beauty" and that it is! The ditches over in Wilderness are white with these delicate little flowers that range in color from white to pink with pink veins and stamens. The macro lens reveals the exquisite detail of the little flowers that grow from a small underground tuber similiar to a small sweet potato that has a nut like flavor. Named for Va. botanist John Clayton.

Ditch Patrol 09

2009-04-01T16:58:00.000-07:00

The 09 Ditch Patrol is off and runnin' so to speak. Generally the Crocuses mark the official start in Feb. I didn't shoot any this year as everyone knows what they look like and it's tough to be creative with them. Add in the fact that I can't get up anymore after getting down to their level. Below are a couple I took previously that I don't believe I sent out. The first one shows the Crocuses colorful reproductive apparatus with the central orange (female) pistil and the three blade like (male) stamens covered with pollen (analogous to sperm in animals)

The next three pics are of Sanguinaria, commonly called "Bloodroot". I've been looking for this somewhat rare plant for years and finally found some last spring in a ditch (where else!) over in Wilderness battlefield. It is one of our earliest spring flora blooming in March. I found it today in full bloom. It is absolutely gorgeous with the pristine white petals radiating from a cluster of bright yellow stamens. The plant is toxic although American Indians used the red juice from the root (hence the name) for a variety of ails including war paint for their faces and bodies. The plants are somewhat inconspicuous amid the leaf litter etc on the ground. The first flower is a bit smaller than a quarter and the last 3 about nickel sized.

Heavy hearts revisited

2009-03-10T09:14:00.000-07:00

It's with heavy hearts that we bid farewell this past Friday to Emerson, our beloved 13
year old orange tabby cat due to kidney failure.
We learned in late summer that he had Feline CRF (chronic renal
failure) a fairly common progressive, ultimately fatal condition of
older cats. As the kidneys have tremendous reserve capacity, little to no signs of the disease appear until about 75% of kidney function is lost. As the kidneys have no ability to regenerate as do organs such as the liver, when there're gone they're gone. Under the direction of veterinarians Drs. Witter, Collins and Newman at Confederate Ridge Animal Hospital, we did manage, by diet, medication and aggressive fluid therapy to prolong his life about 6 months. Having lost our 13 year old Lab "Dewey" in October, it hasn't been a good run for the Lowery pets.

We got Emerson when he was little more than a tiny ball of orange fuzz. It's a wonder he made 1 year much less 13 as I thought about ringing his neck countless times ;o) Always into something, he fell in the toilet, out windows and he seemed to know (and enjoy) what pushed my buttons. Dubbed the "orange hand grenade" by my dad, it was indeed hilarious to watch them square off! A superb hunter, he earned his keep by keeping the mice population in check and it was common to find piles of feathers or assorted rodent body parts by the back door. Then there was his trick of bringing his (very much) alive catch in the house and turning it loose. I remember well the full grown Dove that managed to fill the house with blood and feathers as it flew room to room. We'll miss him greatly.

Christmas wishes

2008-12-28T18:12:00.000-08:00

As we just celebrated the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Pam and I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and will enjoy a happy and prosperous New Year!

Lighthouse at Cape May

2008-10-23T21:10:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite non floral, non avian subject. This is the Cape May, NJ lighthouse located on Cape May Point, NJ which is where the Delaware Bay and Atlantic Ocean meet. I've shot hundreds of photos of it over the years as it is one beautiful structure. I'll post quite a few below.

We try to go to Cape May twice a year usually in Sept and May (when we can afford it!) Cape May is, I think, the oldest or one of the oldest resorts in the US. It is a small city located on the southern tip of Joisee noted for its beautiful Victorian architecture. The LH is located about 2 miles south of the city. Cape May is a seasonal town with many businesses closing down or operating on short schedules from Labor Day to Memorial Day. The traffic lights are also on "flash" mode during the off season.

The current LH was constructed in 1859 and is the third on the site. The first opened in 1823 and was 70 feet high but because of erosion eventually fell into the ocean in 1847. A second lighthouse was built a third of a mile away during 1847 but was demolished ten years later because of poor construction.

Some references I've found say the current LH was constructed under the supervision of Lt. George Meade who would later rise to the rank of Major General and command the Union Army of the Potomac at Gettysburg. Meade was a USMA graduate in engineering. Meade served as the architect for the New Jersey Lighthouses of Abescon and Barnegat.

The structure is 157' 6" tall, brick and is constructed of two cylinders, one within the other. It is built to withstand 2-3 times any conceivable hurricane force winds. To aid mariners in identification, lighthouses have unique color schemes and flash sequences. This one is solid beige in color with a bright red cap and the automated light flashes every 15 seconds.
Inside, there are 199 steps to the top. No elevator meant lighthouse keepers had to haul kerosene and whale blubber oil that fueled the light up the tower by hand every day so the romantic idea that they lived a life of solitude and leisure is false. The last keeper to live in the Cape May Lighthouse in the 1920's was a guy named Harry Palmer. He lived there with his wife and nine children so Harry did manage to find some spare time somewhere. :o)
I shot this photo in 02 with an old Nikon film camera and is my all time favorite. A storm had just cleared the area. I sat my tripod up in the LH's shadow but the sky was so bright I really couldn't see much so I shot with my eyes closed. I wasn't aware of the cloud swirl around the lantern and had no idea of what I had until I got the slides back. WOW!

Shining lights

Early lighthouses used a system of silvered reflectors to intensify the main light source, a whale-oil lamp but in the 1850's, the government authorized use of a technology new to U.S.: the glorious, multiprismed lens invented by French physicist Augustin Fresnel in 1822. It was a complex array of dazzling glass prisms and bull's-eye lens mounted in a gleaming brass framework. The larger ones weighed up to 3 tons and each lens cost $12,000 at the time plus shipping costs from France (no UPS or FedEx!). The lenses came in six sizes called "orders" with the largest "First Order" ones being used in lighthouses. These contained up to 1000 prisims and stood 10-12' tall. With no cranes like we have today, they had to be hoisted 150' in the air by hand and real "horse power" using pulley systems.

The Fresnel lens was replaced by a 36-inch rotating aero-beacon lens in 1945 and equipped with a 1,000 watt bulb. This arrangement produced 350,000 candle-power with the light visible about 25 nm.

I took this double exposure with an old manual Nikon film camera on a dismal cold overcast day mainly because I couldn't think of anything else to do. The lantern on the right I took with a 300 mm lens and then, without advancing the film, took a second shot with a regular 50 mm lens. Result kinda cool I thought.

No two sunsets are the same! The best months to shoot are Sept. and Oct. based on the position of the setting sun. I generally take spot light meter reading of all sections of the scene and take multiple shots which give some interesting results.

Some of favorite photos of this elegant structure:

I shot these on a foggy, misty morning. I could only see the LH occasionally thru the mist. I started to trash the shots but then realized this kind of weather was the reason for building lighthouses in the first place.

Heavy Hearts

2008-10-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

It's with heavy hearts that we had to put our beloved Lab Dewey to sleep this afternoon after a long battle with severe spinal arthritis and kidney disease. We'd hoped, by changing medicines, to somehow buy him a bit more time but it wasn't to be and there were no options left. My criteria for euthanasia was when he could no longer enjoy life but it becomes a burden for him it was time to stop. His tail was always going even on bad days but not so this AM so I knew it was time. He basically lost the use of his hind legs from the spinal arthritis nerve compression so he couldn't get up. We're thankful for the 13 wonderful years we had him and the knowledge that he is no longer suffering. All he ever wanted was to be with us.

True to his breed, he was obsessed with retrieving and would fetch anything you could throw. Even as his health failed, the spark was still there and his eyes would light up when you picked up his retriever dummy or ball. I still recall him retrieving an empty Clorox jug that was larger than him the day we brought him home as a little pup. We'll miss him greatly.

Queen Anne's Lace

2008-08-27T18:30:00.000-07:00

We have a number of white, umbrella like flowers in our area and keying them out is difficult and a real pain. This is Queen Anne's Lace (Daucus carota) and it's easy to ID by eye as it has a single, very tiny red to violet floret in the center. This is said to be a tiny drop of blood from Queen Anne's finger that she pricked with a needle making the lace although it was probably her hand maid's blood as it's unlikely the Queen would make her own lace. :o)

Often called "Wild Carrot", this flower is common in roadside ditches (dear to my heart!) and fields. The last photo shows the miniscule size of the central floret compared to the tip of a ball point pen. At this magnification, it's very difficult to get both the pen and flower in focus.

Cardinal FLower

2008-08-25T19:45:00.000-07:00

This is commonly called "Cardinal Flower" (Lobella cardinalis) and is one you have to see to believe! It is beyond gorgeous! The late naturalist Roger Peterson called it "America's Favorite. I found a patch of it several years ago about a mile from home along a dirt road in a swampy area. Not a common flower.

The individual flowers are about 1" tall grow on a spike similar to a Gladiolas. The red is intense and appears as scarlet velvet. The color reproduction here doesn't do it justice. It generally grows on stream banks, swamp edges etc and other non handicapped accessible areas and blooms in late August-Sept. This one was about 6' away from me in a wet ditch (where else!) full of briers, chiggers, snakes, poison ivy and who knows what else. I used my 300 mm hummingbird lens with a 1.4X teleconverter and extension tube to get it to close focus.

Hummingbird Photography 101

2008-07-28T15:19:00.000-07:00

I get asked fairly often "how the heck can you photograph a hummingbird...they're so tiny and quick I can hardly see them"? I thought I'd put together a blurb as to how I do it along with some photos of my outdoor "studio" and some links to other sites that you may find interesting.

Whenever I see one of these "flying jewels" as early Spanish explorers called them, I always think back to John Audubon's description of them:

"Where is the person who, on seeing this lovely little creature moving on humming winglets through the air, suspended as if by magic in it, flitting from one flower to
another, with motions as graceful as they are light and airy, pursuing its course over our extensive continent, and yielding new delights wherever it is seen;--who, on
observing this glittering fragment of the rainbow, would not pause, admire, and instantly turn his mind with reverence toward the Almighty Creator, the wonders of whose
hand we at every step discover, and of whose sublime conceptions we everywhere observe the manifestations in His admirable system of creation?--There breathes not such
a person; so kindly have we all been blessed with that intuitive and noble feeling--admiration!"
~ John James Audubon

Few things in nature demonstrate God's handiwork like these glittering fragments of the rainbow and I consider it an honor to be able to show folks their breath taking beauty close up. I have yet to figure out why many of the hummer photos shown here are washed out and have a strong yellow color cast. The colors of the original photos are true.
Gen. 1:21 So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

The apostle Paul writes in Romans 1: 19:

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,

What Paul is saying here in effect is that no one who can look at something as gorgeous as a hummingbird or out a window at our world will have any excuse when they stand before God (that isn't a matter of if, only when) for claiming they didn't know there was a God. Nothing in this world is the end result of a lightning strike in a swamp 5 billion years ago yet this is the best atheists and science has to offer and it is taught in schools as fact. One of the most absurd things I've ever heard proposed by "scientists" is that there is such a thing as "parallel evolution" for which the hummingbird is used as the example. This "theory" says that as the hummingbird evolved, the plant kingdom accommodated them by evolving red, tubular shaped flowers at the same time so the hummers would have something to eat. Pretty pathetic.

I like photographing small things (as you can see from other photos on my blog) and it can also be done from a wheelchair without much difficulty so hummers are right up my alley. The two main problems with them are their very tiny size and incredible speed. How the heck can you photograph something 3 1/2" long that can fly 50 mph? It can be done but it ain't easy! They are probably THE most difficult subject in nature to photograph successfully.

There are some tricks and techniques in working with them that tip the odds in our favor and we need all the help we can get! A liberal dose of luck doesn't hurt a thing either!

Our subject is:

1) 3 1/2" long
2) weighs about 3 grams (about the weight of a penny)
3) body temp. about 106 deg F
4) heart rate 250/min at rest-about 1200/min feeding
5) resp. rate 250/ min
6) can fly in any direction instantly plus hover
7) consumes more than its weight in nectar daily plus small insects for protein
8) average flight speed 25 mph with 50 mph bursts possible
9) number of young almost always two
10) fastest metabolism of all animals
11) wing speed and incredible 40-70 beats/ second!

Hummers are unique to the Americas and are found no where else in the world. There are about 340 species with the majority being found in South America. There are about 16 species that breed in the western US but only one, the Ruby throat, in the eastern US.

There are a few things about hummers that photographers can exploit to obtain photos of these animated ping pong balls:

1) their incredible metabolism makes it necessary for them to feed every 15-20 minutes during the day
2) they readily come to sugar water feeders (one part table sugar to 4 parts water with no food coloring added) Of course there are a few photographers out there who feed them a more diluted solution to make them come to the feeder more often :o)
3) They are not shy about approaching humans but are spooked by movement. If you can sit still there is no need for a blind when photographing them.
4) they're not very smart and tend to follow the same pattern of activity i.e. they usually fly to the feeder along the same route and feed in the same pattern: feed several seconds, back away, pause, repeat. Once you learn the individual birds, you can semi predict what they will do next. Some ignore multiple flash units going off in their little faces and others are gone after flash number one.

I'll describe the methods I use with a SLR camera (one that accepts different focal length lenses). With the smaller "point 'n shoot" digital with fixed focal length lenses, you can probably get good results but you need to 1) get much closer and 2) be willing to deal with "shutter lag" which is the time interval between when you push the shutter release and when the shutter actually fires. This can be very short (fractions of a second) or agonizingly slow (a second) which is more than enough time for your subject to be in the next county. For serious hummer photography you about have to go the SLR route.
As a size comparison, the hummer isn't that much larger than a Yellow Jacket!

A little techie stuff first.

There are two general types of hummer photos: wings frozen and wings a blur which is how we generally see them. I personally like a mix of both. As a hummers wings beat up to an incredible 70 beats per second, the top shutter speeds found on SLR cameras (1/1000th- 1/5000th second ) cannot freeze the birds wings in place unless you catch the exact instant they reverse direction. The only way to accomplish this is with high speed flash units which can emit a very brief burst of light in the 1/12,000 to 1/20,000 sec range which is more than adequate to "freeze" the bird and his wings in place. If you set the exposure on the camera so the only light in the picture is that produced by the flash units and the duration of the flash is 1/12,000 of a second, your shutter speed is, in essence, 1/12,000 sec. See how simple this is!

I won't go into another problem in much detail, that being "depth of field" which is a big issue shooting hummers. In a nutshell, DOF is the area of sharp focus in front of and behind the subject which is controlled by a structure inside the lens called the diaphram. It works exactly like the pupil inside the eye which opens (dilates) in dim light to admit maximum light and constricts in bright light to shut out most light. With camera lenses, DOF is controlled by the diaphram. When constricted (stopped down) DOF is maximum and vice versa. As hummers are very erratic in flight, maximum DOF is necessary to get all of their body in sharp focus but the trade off is not enough light with the diaphram constricted. Thus, the need for additional light via flash is obvious.

My "studio" is set up on our back porch and is pretty basic.
This is it minus the camera. The goal is to force the birds to feed at the "X" port of the feeder (the other 3 are plugged). The correct exposure and rough focus is worked out for this 6" X 6" area before hand.

I generally use 5 individual flash units. Two ( # 2 and 3) are mounted on simple stands (~$10. each on ebay) which I place at about 45 degrees to the bird, one in front aimed at the male's bright red gorget and one in the rear. I mount another one (1) directly over the spot where the bird will feed on a home made wooden bracket. This one serves as a "rim light" and highlights the birds shape and separates him from the background. I place another (4) aimed at the background to keep the area behind the bird for going black. Finally, I have another flash mounted on the camera that lights the center of the bird and serves to trigger the other 4. All flash units have a "slave" attached to them (explained below) which are just small light sensors. The slaves job is to fire the flash it controls when it "sees" the flash from the main on camera flash. They're very handy and eliminate the hassle of wires running all over the floor connecting the flashes together.

The background (B) is nothing but a piece of craft store foam board sprayed with green and yellow paint (you can paint flowers on it, whatever) that is placed on a holder about 2 feet behind where the bird will be feeding. I generally place a potted plant there as a way to increase interest.

The black umbrella is to put the entire mess in the shade which helps eliminate the sun when you're trying to work out exposure setting.

Feeder is just a Walmart special that I modify a bit. As mentioned, I generally plug 3 of the 4 ports so I can control which one the bird feeds from. This is a biggie as if you let them feed where they want, you'll be constantly chasing them and won't get much. With only one available, you know within an inch or so where the bird will be when he feeds. I focus on the eye while they feed (the eye MUST be sharp with any living subject and have a "catchlight" or "highlight") and generally lock the camera down on my tripod. That way, when a bird is feeding, I can just fire away w/o messing with the focus to any degree. As long as remains in the same general area, he'll be in focus if I'm shooting with the lens stopped down.
We have a subject! Tiny isn't he!

I use a tripod for about everything including hummers. A lot of guys use a monopod or, if you're using high speed flash, you can hand hold the camera I suppose although it's tiring. Hummers will come right up to humans but movement, such a raising a camera, spooks them. It's much easier to just have the camera on a support aimed and focused on the spot you know the bird will be.
This tiny guy is about to have 5 flash units explode in his little eyes. The camera flash will fire all the others. As their movements are lightning quick and much too fast to react to (at least for me!) I'll generally shoot 5-7 frames in rapid succession if he will tolerate the flashes and view the pics later when I can compare the whole batch side by side. It isn't uncommon to shoot 130 frames in an hour but, as you can imagine, there are a lot of throw aways.

Hiding the feeder. Several ways to do it:

1) use real flowers and fill a blossom with sugar water with an eye dropper. This keeps the hummer at that flower longer giving you a couple extra seconds to shoot. The flower needs to be refilled after each visit, a real hassle for me .
2) set up in the middle of real flowers and wait, not very productive and the birds are in control of things, not you.
3) Add and extension tube to the feeder bottle and try and conceal it within a bunch of real flowers and hope the birds find it.
4) Photograph the flowers with the same lens at the same distance in the same light used for the birds in a separate photo. When processing the pics, slide the flower pic to the hummer pic and place it over the feeder tip. I use this method because it's easier for me to do.
Every so often, everything comes together at the same time and you'll get ones like these!

Equipment

About everything I have was bought used from various sources (i.e. ebay, KEH camera brokers). I shoot hummers with the Nikon 300 mm/f4 lens shown below. It is tack sharp, focuses with one finger and allows me to work about 8' away from feeding birds. I usually add a 1.4X teleconverter to the lens which, in effect, converts it to a 420mm. ( 300 mm X 1.4 = 420 mm) Teleconverters, sometimes called "extenders" attach to the camera body and the lens is then mounted on the TC. High quality TC's cost as much as some lenses and are matched to specific lenses. They also cost you light in that you loose 1 stop with a 1.4X and 2 stops with a 2X. Cheap ones generally produce marginal and in some cases poor quality images. This flash also fires all the others via slaves (explained below). The "foot" under the lens simply slides into a dovetail mount on the tripod which takes only seconds to put on/remove.

All my flashes except the one above are basically junk but they work fine. I own a couple of old Vivitar 283's (can be found for ~$35. on ebay) that are powerful but very basic. I fitted them with a "vari power" module that allows me to set their output. Slaves can be found used as well with new ones running 20-30 bucks. That's about all there is equipment wise. I mount my flash units on cheap stands (~$10. on good ole ebay) and often put white trash bags over the flash units to diffuse their light.
Well, that's about it in a nutshell and probably more than most folks are interested in. If I think of anything else I'll add it on. Here are a couple links to guys who know what they're doing:

http://www.rpphoto.com/howto/hummer/humguide1.asp
http://www.dyesscreek.com/miscellaneous_pages/hummingbird_photography.html

The speckled throat with a couple of isolated red feathers ID this bird as a juvenile male (this year's). He will have a full flaming red throat by the time he returns next year. It boggles the mind when you think about the fact that these tiny guys fly all way to Mexico and Central America (including a 500 mile non stop flight across the Gulf of Mexico that takes 20 hours) and can return to the same feeder in the same backyard a year later. Bird migration is triggered by hormones and is controlled by a small area of the brain called the Pineal Body. The "trigger" is tied to the photoperoid which is the length of daylight. As fall approaches and day light shortens, the signal to migrate is triggered. A common myth is that one needs to take hummer feeders down in late summer so the birds won't stay around too long and get caught by an early fall freeze. On the contrary, they should be left up until at least mid October so birds migrating from the northern part of their range (Canada) will have "refueling" stops.

2008-07-27T19:47:00.000-07:00

2008-07-27T19:25:00.001-07:00

"Flying Jewels con't

2008-07-15T15:23:00.000-07:00

"Flying Jewels con't

2008-07-15T15:13:00.000-07:00

Graceful winglets

2008-07-09T12:28:00.000-07:00

As I work on a "tutoral" (as if I'm an expert) on hummingbird photography 101 that I hope to have done within a day or so, this little female keeps coming to mind. With movements far quicker than the eye coupled with their tiny size, most of their graceful motions (as well as some that are downright humorous) can never be seen except through the medium of high speed photography.

Tiny lady

2008-06-24T19:24:00.000-07:00

The Ditch patrol is slow as the flora transition into summer but things are cookin' on the hummer front! Don't know how many we have but they're at the feeders every few minutes and I'm tired of refilling the dang things.

This little female showed up while I was setting up the other day. They aren't shy! I shot this w/o flash with the only lighting being a blazing overhead noon sun, the worst lightning there is. I started to trash it (where 95% of mine go) but it grew on me and I kinda like it. Gives her a sort of mysterious look especially when you factor in the omnipresent beady eye. The shutter speed here is 1/1,000 of a second if I recall which is no where near fast enough to freeze her wings but I like the blur as that is how we usually see them.
I frequently get asked how the heck do you get pics of these tiny guys so I'll put together a tutorial of how I do it and add some links to other sites from which I got the info. They're beyond doubt the toughest nature subject to photograph but there are some tricks and techniques that shift the odds in your favor.

Late spring ditch patrol

2008-06-18T18:27:00.000-07:00

We are in the mist of a real cool down here in VA which is unusal to say the least! Low 50's at night are right up my alley and it's the latter half of June! As I have a poor tolerance for heat, I didn't have much excuse for not going out except for the omnipresent fatigue. Yesterday I was looking for something different and selected an obscure little evergreen plant called "Spotted Wintergreen" or "Dragon's Tongue". Its scientific name is Chimaphila maculata if you care. It's about 4" tall and I usually find it at the base of Oak or Pine trees. The flowers are pink to white in color, usually in pairs and appear to be made of wax.

Spring Flora- Mountain Laurel

2008-06-12T20:24:00.000-07:00

We are now transitioning from spring to summer flora. This is Kalmia, commonly called "Mountain Laural". Other names include: Ivybush, Calico Bush, Spoonwood and Sheep Laurel. All parts of the plant are toxic. It is generally a shrub or small tree and occasionally reaches 10' in height. Often grows in dense thickets in poor, rocky soil and usually blooms in late May thru June. Wilderness battlefield is full of the stuff which is pretty spectacular to see.

Belongs to the family Ericaceae (if you care) which includes Blueberries, Cranberries, Azaleas and Rhododendrons, native to the eastern USA, from southern Maine to northern Florida, and west to Indiana and Louisiana. All plant family names end in "aceae" (if you care). I know memorizing them sure made my life miserable in plant taxonomy.

And finally (again if you care, I sure don't) The plant was first recorded in America in 1624. It was named for Pehr Kalm, who sent samples to England in the 18th century.

Showy and spring loaded

2008-06-12T20:09:00.000-07:00

The flowers grow in large clusters that are pretty spectacular and often weigh down the branches. Each of the 10 stamens is "spring loaded" and fits in a notch in the petal. When a bee or insect visits the flower, he "trips" the spring, ejecting pollen into the air and all over the bee which he spreads to the next flower. The stamen in the 9 o'clock position here has been "tripped".

Evergreen

2008-06-12T20:05:00.000-07:00

Mt Laural is an evergreen that often grows in large clumps

State flowers

2008-06-12T19:55:00.000-07:00

Mountain Laural is the state flower of Pennsylvania and Connecticut.

2008 Bike MS 150

2008-06-09T17:18:00.000-07:00

Some of Team BRUCE From left: Jeff Wessel, Jodi Anderson-Jones, Debbie Silbert, Mark Santschi, Phil Rice, Cameron Rice, Pam, Va. Governor Tim Kaine (Pam didn't know who he was!), Jacob Charlwood, Randy Charlwood.

As I reflect back on this year's Bike MS, a flood of
emotions come forth. I'll start off with the note I sent Jeff (the
friend who started this all 16 years ago on a miserable cold, windy
rainy weekend) and go from there.

Hey Jeff,

I do hope you are on the mend my friend! We do indeed need to find
the cure quickly before you fall totally apart! ;o) You're gonna
end up like me in that if we were horses they'd have to shoot us!

I'll ask you to pass along the following to the team as Pam says you
have every ones email which I don't.

I always dread the "day after" as I don't know what to say any more
to thank everyone. What an effort! I've been made aware that a couple
of riders had significant health issues but chose to ride anyway.
There really aren't any words for that kind of dedication!

Honestly, Saturday's ride about did me in and I wasn't even doing
anything except acting as a drag chute. It was the heat more than
anything I think. When Pam woke me Sunday AM I could hardly move
(a lot worse than usual) and it took me what seemed like forever to get
going. By the first rest stop I was thinking there was no possible
way I was going to make it but when I saw the enthusiasm of everyone
else and especially the four young riders that joined us, I made up
my mind I'd ride to the end if you all had to strap me on the
bike. I am glad I stuck it out as crossing that finish line was a
real thrill!

We're truly blessed to have a circle of friends such as this and we
couldn't ask for anything more! From that bad day in March of 1992
when we found out what we were dealing with, we've never felt like
we were in this fight alone. The Lord has met our every need and our
many friends have been there for us without fail! Although it seems
so inadequate, we want to say thank you again for everything!

We love you all!

bruce and pam

We want to thank all the riders again who come out every year and
ride in whatever nature throws at them, the many volunteers who do
whatever chores need to be done, a great compassionate staff who
spend hours in planning and finally the sponsors who donate countless
items and the rider sponsors who give their hard earned money to the
MS cause.

As I mentioned above, Jeff rode in what was then called the Va. Dare Bike
Tour in 1992, a couple months after we got the dismal diagnosis of MS.
The next year, he formed a bike team of two with another friend Ed Koch. They
called themselves "Team BRUCE" (Bikers Ride Until a Cure Exists). Jeff
has been captain ever since and has continued to add riders every year.
Am not sure exactly how many miles he's ridden on behalf of MS
but it exceeds 2000 and he has raised thousands in donations! WOW!
He keeps telling me "we gotta cure you fast or this is gonna kill me"!
In any event, you could never wish for a better friend or finer guy!
As some of you know, Jeff will be deployed overseas later
this year with the Va. National Guard so will miss the 09 ride
and I'm already in depression :-( Am sure he will be with us in spirit!

Then there's Phil who came up with a way for me to ride along over
the beautiful back roads of the Commonwealth. What a thrill! He was
able to obtain virtually everything via donation: the adult trike from
Olde Towne Bicycles in Fredericksburg and the steel with which to
make the drawbar from City Welding Service also in Fredericksburg.
He fabricated the strange looking rig in his auto body shop and, after
a little tweaking, she rides like a Cadillac! You don't have to be
around Phil and his family long to be totally overwhelmed by their love!

And there is the rest of Team BRUCE! Another WOW! I feel like
royalty as they swarm around me often at cruise speed. Jodi Anderson-
Jones and Deb Silbert making me drink that nasty sports drink,
smearing me with slimy sun bloc and dumping on ice water to cool me
down. Nettie McDougal was watching the "back door" for
traffic while Randy and Jacob Charlwood rode ahead to watch the "front door", looking for
cars, pot holes and loose gravel which are all hazards to
cyclists. And how 'bout the "engines"? Phil Rice,
Mark Santschi and Cameron Rice took turns at this very difficult
task! Other riders included Andy "the jet" Rush (this is year 10 for
him!) who can cover 20 miles in the time it takes me to get in and
out of a port-a-pottie, Bob Fogg (an old college roommate), Clay
Calvert, Ed and Glenda Robinson, Mike Foreman plus the four riders
that linked up with us on day two: Leigh Meyer, Terrance DeGray,
Eric DeGray, and Clay Tharrington. I even had a personal SAG wagon
driven by Gary and Brian Norman! How cool is that?!!
Whenever one starts naming names, there is always the danger of
missing someone but I'll do my best not to.
Rest Stop workers included the Brooks family, Bea, Robert, and
Chandra. The Armstrong's, Jack, Daneille and Robert, Jeff
Humphrey, Joanne Piper, Nancy Norman, Kathy Charlwood, Tina
Lewis, Marilyn Fogg, Phil's mom "Nana", Randy and Kay, and Ed Jones
(Jodi's husband) who donates his expertise every year as a bike mechanic. Brent and
Sherrie Hartzell came down to the finish line from Fredericksburg!

Headin' out!

2008-06-08T22:41:00.000-07:00

We head out of rest stop #1 on day one headed for Williamsburg. Mark Santschi will pull this leg. Cycling is difficult enough on hills and against the wind in hot weather much less pulling me at 175 plus 50 #'s of bike and a steel drawbar!

2008 MS 150

2008-06-08T21:55:00.000-07:00

Hard to imagine it took this many people to move me down the road! The four riders in yellow joined us about 45 minutes into day two and rode with us all way to Richmond! Truly angels sent from above! Phil is pulling this leg.

Richmond bound!

2008-06-08T21:36:00.000-07:00

Underway on day two headed for Richmond about 75 miles away with two "pushers" helping out the "engine" up front against a stiff headwind. One of the givens in cycling, besides flats, is there is no such thing as a tail wind. My face is covered with zinc oxide because some idiot (me) forgot to sun screen his face. We made record time both ways this year! These guys were strokin'!

Memoral Day 08

2008-05-25T20:50:00.000-07:00

As we prepair to honor our nation's war dead, thought I'd reuse the photos at Quantico National Cemetery taken just before Christmas. A PA couple places several thousand wreaths in the section of the cemetery where their son, who died in Iraq, is buried. The 725 acres are quiet and serene with about 23,000 interments as of 2007.

Memoral Day 08 con't

2008-05-25T20:37:00.001-07:00

Northern Cardinal

2008-05-24T21:28:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the tail amputation! Familiar to most in the eastern half of the US, it's hard to beat them for beauty. He is the state bird of VA plus six other states. I find them hard to photograph as they are wary and skittish for small song birds. Pairs generally mate for life. For some reason, my camera over saturates the brilliant red of the male in some photos. The female, not near as showy as her husband, still has a beauty all her own. They are especially gorgeous with a snowy background.
Even lady Cardinals have bad hair days!

The morning after an ice storm just as the sun broke thru and the ice began to drip. He appeared almost translucent as he perched on an icy branch

Northern Cardinal con't

2008-05-24T20:23:00.000-07:00

I get more requests for this one than any other. It was a bitter cold, snowy day with the wind about blowing him off his perch but he sure added a touch of elegance to a bleak winter day.

Bluejays

2008-05-23T21:46:00.001-07:00

Handsome but loud and obnoxious, these are in the same family as the common Crow and Raven. Also, if you rate bird intelligence on a scale of 1 to 10, they'll rate near the top. Pretty easy to photograph as they often sit quietly just looking around.

Hummingbirds

2008-05-22T08:22:00.000-07:00

"Where is the person who, on seeing this lovely little creature moving on humming winglets through the air, suspended as if by magic in it, flitting from one flower to another, with motions as graceful as they are light and airy, pursuing its course over our extensive continent, and yielding new delights wherever it is seen;--who, on observing this glittering fragment of the rainbow, would not pause, admire, and instantly turn his mind with reverence toward the Almighty Creator, the wonders of whose hand we at every step discover, and of whose sublime conceptions we everywhere observe the manifestations in His admirable system of creation?--There breathes not such a person; so kindly have we all been blessed with that intuitive and noble feeling--admiration!"

~ John James Audubon

2008-05-22T08:16:00.000-07:00

The only eastern species of hummingbird is the Ruby throat so ID'ing them is a no brainer
The male has a flaming red throat called a gorget. For the red color to show, light has to hit it at just the right angle otherwise it appears black or brown.
Male birds aggressivly defend territory they stake out.
Length about 3 1/2 inches
weight about 3 grams (a nickel weighs about 5 grams)
Body temp: 106-108 deg F
Heart rate 250 / min at rest 1200 / min feeding
Resp: about 250 / min
# of young almost always two
active birds need to feed every 20 mins
mix is one part table sugar with 4 parts water no red color needed
lifespan 3-5 years
Migration : Mexico and Central America (2000 miles!)

Flying Jewels!

2008-05-22T08:13:00.000-07:00

Hummingbirds are found only in the Americas. There are about 340 species of which the vast majority are located in South America with about 16 occurring in the western US and only one in the east. Early Spanish explorers called them joyas voladores, "flying jewels" and John Audubon referred to them as a "glittering fragment of a rainbow". Their feathers have a metallic sheen called iridescence that makes them glitter in sunlight. I use four flash units aimed at the bird from all sides and above which gives the best chance of seeing it. The male's flaming red gorget, which is composed of VERY tiny feathers, appears black or various hues of brown unless the light hits it just right as it did here. They have very long tongues with which they "lap" nectar much like a dog.

A common myth (there are many) is that H'bird feeders must be taken down in Sept. or else the birds may perish if a cold snap occurs. All birds have a light sensative area in their brains called the pineal body. Migration is triggered by shortening peroids of daylight as fall approaches and has nothing to do with food avalibility. It's actually smarter to leave your feeders up so birds at the northern edge of their range have something to eat as the pass by on their way south. Hummers fly the 500 mile wide Gulf of Mexico non stop in about 20 hours. Myth # 2. They don't hitch a ride on the back of geese :o)

Tiny Lady

2008-05-21T20:50:00.000-07:00

This little female makes her approach to the flower. Hummers are the only birds that can hover for extended peroids of time plus fly backwards, sideways, vertically and horozontally. I used a four flash setup on her and if you look carefully you can see four tiny highlights in her eye

Male Ruby throat

2008-05-21T20:24:00.000-07:00

These tiny guys are so incredibly quick that they can jump back from the flower at the sound of the camera's shutter. Normally consuming more than their weight per day in nectar, they consume tiny insects as well for protein. Their metabolism is the highest of all animals although at night and during unfavorable weather (i.e. cold spell) they can ratchet down their metabolism by a process called torpor where their body temperature falls into the 60's

Pot Luck

2008-05-21T20:18:00.000-07:00

As Forrest Gump so elegantly put it, "Life is like a box of chocolates...you never know what you're gonna get". Same with these guys. They're way to small and way too quick (and I'm way too slow) so you never know what kind of contortions they'll be in in the photo. As you can see in her tiny wing feathers, they really are birds!

2008-05-21T20:16:00.001-07:00

2008-05-21T19:57:00.000-07:00

Hummingbirds in existing light

2008-05-21T19:44:00.000-07:00

This and the two following were taken without flash so they appear as we usually see them with wings just a blur. I personally like a mix of both techniques. These show that the fastest shutter speeds found
on most cameras ( usually 1/1,000 to 1/5,000 sec) are no where near fast enough to stop the wings which beat an incredible 50-70 beats per second. Usually, speeds in the
1/ 8,000 to 1/ 20,000 range sec are needed which can only be obtained by short duration flash.

2008-05-21T19:42:00.001-07:00

2008-05-21T14:50:00.000-07:00

Sundrops

2008-05-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

This is "Sundrops" (Oenothera perennis) a late spring/summer bloomer in our area. This one is complete with an ittsy bittsy, teeny weenie yeller pokadot... spider. These are in the Primrose Family and look very similar to the Evening Primrose except that the latter blooms in the evening (imagine that!). Found this one in a ditch (where else!) in the Spotsylvania CH battlefield.

Common Chicory

2008-05-20T18:53:00.000-07:00

Common Chicory, (Chicorum intybus) is a familiar sight in most country road ditches starting soon. Extremely hardy and aggressive, after introduction to the US it has spread nationwide and can grow on hard-packed road shoulders or just about anywhere. The blue or sometimes white flowers open early in the day and typically close by noon. The flowers grow directly on the tough leather like stem
It is quite beautiful none the less and the tap root is ground and added to coffee. It has a mellow sweet flavor that cuts coffee's bitterness. The Luzianne Co., based in New Orleans, routinely adds Chicory to their Luzianne Coffee with Chicory. I love it!

Daylilies

2008-05-20T16:33:00.000-07:00

Daylilies

2008-05-19T21:03:00.000-07:00

Daylilies are one of our most popular garden flowers. Basically you can plant 'um and forget 'um. They are probably the most hybridized plant in the world with every color and flower shape imaginable available. They belong to the genus Hemerocallis which means "day" and "beautiful" in Greek. The flowers typically open at dawn and close at dusk lasting but a single day. They are native to Asia and are not true lilies which typically have nodding, spotted flowers.

Daylily 1

2008-05-19T20:26:00.000-07:00

Same flower with three different lightnings

Daylily 2

2008-05-19T20:24:00.000-07:00

Daylily 3

2008-05-19T20:19:00.000-07:00

Eastern Bluebird

2008-05-18T19:51:00.000-07:00

The Eastern Bluebird, (Sialia sialis) is a medium sized Thrush of the same family as Robins. Nearly wiped out by pesticides and competition with Starlings and House Sparrows for nesting sites, they've been brought back by aggressive conservation efforts to the point they are plentiful. The male is striking in his red, white and blue attire. His western cousin, the Mountain Bluebird, has a light blue breast. Ours raised three batches of little ones last summer, keeping the parents busy until September.

Bluebird 2

2008-05-18T19:38:00.001-07:00

Bluebird 3

2008-05-18T19:35:00.000-07:00

Bluebird 4

2008-05-18T19:34:00.001-07:00

Bluebird 5

2008-05-18T18:11:00.001-07:00

Have never had a B'bird come to a feeder until this little guy showed up last winter after a snow storm on a bitter cold morning

Bluebird 6

2008-05-18T18:08:00.001-07:00

Bluebird 7

2008-05-18T18:05:00.000-07:00

Mama Bluebird sure has a mouth full!

Bluebird 8

2008-05-18T18:04:00.001-07:00

Bluebird 9

2008-05-18T17:58:00.000-07:00

Another Houstonia

2008-05-18T17:53:00.000-07:00

This is the Long leafed Bluet (Houstonia longafolia) which is white so don't know where the "Bluet" fits in. Another tiny flower of the roadsides in spring.

Houstonia size

2008-05-18T17:32:00.000-07:00

Dogwood

2008-05-18T17:23:00.000-07:00

VA's beautiful state flower, the Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida). Generally a small tree, the true flowers number about 30 and are in the center of the four white "petals" which are actually bracts. Fruit is a small red berry. The trees are prone to blight (a type of fungal infection) that has killed many wild trees. The wild trees are white, the pink cultivated.

Indian Strawberry

2008-05-16T21:55:00.000-07:00

Indian Strawberry Duchesnea indica (country of India). Similiar to American Wild Strawberry but yellow. Fruit tasteless.

Wild Strawberry

2008-05-16T21:31:00.000-07:00

Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) similiar to our domestic Strawberry but the flower and fruit are much smaller although said to be sweeter. Pretty common in roadside ditches (where else!) A member of the Rose family

Bluets

2008-05-16T19:58:00.000-07:00

This is Houstonia, commonly called "Bluets". These also will grow about anywhere there's dirt even hard packed road shoulders. Flowers range from blue to white and occasionally have 5 petals

Bluets size comparison

2008-05-16T19:56:00.000-07:00

Reuella

2008-05-16T19:35:00.000-07:00

This is Reuella, commonly called "Mexican Petunia" or "Wild Petunia" and it is an "illegal alien"! Extremely hardy, it grows almost anywhere (we need some!). It is attractive and the plants we have are garden escapes. It's also considered an undesirable invasive species that smothers native plants by the USDA. Hopefully I'll get the spring flora outa the way soon and move on.

Solomon's Seal

2008-05-15T21:00:00.000-07:00

Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum biflorum) is commonly found in dry to moist wooded areas where the soil is rich. It is widespread in eastern North America and found throughout most of VA. where it is easily overlooked because the flowers are green. The flowers typically grow in pairs as the two in the right of the photo.

Solomon's Seal 2

2008-05-15T20:57:00.000-07:00

Mayapple

2008-05-15T20:32:00.001-07:00

This is Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum), another peculiar spring blooming flower of our woodlands. These plants, that usually grow in colonies, resemble small umbrellas with the stem ending in the center of a circular shaped leaf. A single waxy white flower is produced at the crotch where the stem divides to form two "umbrellas". If you type "Mayapple" into Goggle and click "images" you can see the structure of this weird plant

Mayapple 2

2008-05-15T20:30:00.000-07:00

Partridgeberry

2008-05-14T22:32:00.000-07:00

Partridgeberry (Mitchella repens) sometimes called "Squaw vine" is a small evergreen vine often found at the base of oak trees. The tiny white flowers produce an equally tiny red berry. The plant is said to hasten childbirth so American Indian women used it to hasten labor. Makes you wonder how they ever found that one out! The golden colored thingees on the flowers are very tiny what appear to be mites as they were actively scurrying around among the tiny hairs on the flowers. Wonder if they are some kind of floral flea ;o)

Partridgeberry size

2008-05-14T21:50:00.000-07:00

Partridgeberry berry

2008-05-14T21:45:00.000-07:00

The tiny red berry which is the "fruit" of Partridgeberry

Deptford Pink

2008-05-14T20:40:00.000-07:00

This exquisite little flower is more an early summer bloomer than spring. Fairly common along dry roadsides and meadows. Named for Deptford, England. Flowers very small and easy to overlook.

Deptford Pink size

2008-05-14T20:37:00.001-07:00

Bird's Foot Violet

2008-05-14T19:55:00.001-07:00

This is "Bird's Foot Violet" (Viola pedata) one of several violet species in our area. This is the bicolor variant. These typically grow in colonies in poor soil and appear early in spring. Its name comes from its resemblance to a bird's foot although, for some reason, it reminds me of the cartoon character "Goofy".

Lesser Celandine

2008-05-14T19:32:00.000-07:00

"Lesser celandine" (Ranunculus ficaria), also known as the "fig buttercup" is an attractive but aggresive European plant that gained entry into the US. It is considered an ecological threat by the USDA who recommends destroying the plant if found by spraying with herbicide. It spreads rapidly forming a dense mat that chokes out desirable native species. Its relationship to the Buttercup is pretty obvious. The Buttercup family is considered the most primitive plant family by botanists.

Trout Lily

2008-05-14T18:43:00.000-07:00

Depending on where you live, this flower ( Erythronium americanum) has a number of common names, each pointing to some distinguishing characteristic. “Trout lily” comes from the resemblance of its mottled leaves to the coloring on brook trout. “Adder’s tongue” refers to the similarity between a snake’s tongue and the sharply pointed, unopened purple leaves as they poke through the dense forest litter. “Dogtooth violet” is said to reflect the white, tooth-like shape of its underground corm. The plant is not a violet but a true Lily as evidenced by the nodding spotted flower. Often grow in large colonies. Wilderness Battlefield Park.

Jack-in-the-Pulpit

2008-05-14T13:42:00.000-07:00

Another odd flower of Va.'s woodlands in spring is Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum). The flower is low to the ground and the green with brown striping makes it somewhat difficult to spot. The plant's three leaves closely resemble Poison Ivy and it is considered poisonous to grazing livestock in large amounts.

Another Spring Beauty

2008-05-13T21:54:00.000-07:00

Another Spring Beauty. These range from pink to white with pink veins and stamens. This one was almost solid pink

Hawkweed

2008-05-13T21:09:00.000-07:00

Hawkweed refers to any species in the very large genus Hieracium. Basically just another weed although it is kind of attractive