More Spring Turkeys: PA Spring Gobbler Season

At present the mating season of the Eastern Wild Turkey is going full steam ahead and I have been spending most mornings and evenings pursuing the birds with DSLR and Video Camera.

Distant Jakes

I usually see hens or jakes, but the mature gobblers do not always appear. Bird Photography is an added bonus while waiting for them. Recently, I was fortunate to get a decent chance at a male Rufous Sided Eastern Towhee. This bird frequents the woodlands, mostly scratching about in the understory.

Rufous Sided Eastern Towhee

If one is lucky, eventually they get the opportunity at their primary subject, but sometimes the encounters with other species are just as memorable.

Mature Gobbler Guarding His Hens

Wild turkeys are a popular game bird in Pennsylvania. The annual spring gobbler season runs from April 25th through May 25th statewide.

Only turkeys with visible beards are legal. Hunting is by calling only—no stalking. Hunting hours are one-half hour before sunrise until noon. Hunters must be out of the woods by 1 p.m.(Source PGC 2008-09 Hunting Digest)

Hunting pressure can be quite intense in areas open to public hunting and the birds quickly learn that season is in, so they can be extremely difficult to encounter.

I will of course be hunting only with camera, but the arrival of season usually means less photo opportunities.

Camera Critters: The Sun Returns

It seems there has been more gloomy weather than sunny this spring, and when it is clear there are sub-freezing temperatures in the morning. After two rainy days, Thursday morning was forecast to be clear and cool. I was anticipating a sparkling spring morning, but awoke to find the countryside cloaked in a blanket of dense fog.

I traveled to my favorite wildlife observation area and in time the fog began to lift. First a flock of turkeys appeared through the mist.


As the first rays of sunshine broke through the fog, a two year old buck and a yearling doe groomed and nuzzled one another.


As the fog lifted even more, it revealed the stunning beauty of an early spring morning. In a short time the leaves will emerge and this will be a lush summer-like scene.


For more Camera Critters photographs, click Here!

Middle Creek Waterfowl

Middle Creek Dawn

Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area is perhaps best known for the large flocks of migratory tundra swans and snow geese that pass through in late winter or early spring on their way to nesting grounds in the arctic tundra. I missed the best time this year, but a few of the birds were still there when we visited Middle Creek on Sunday April 5th.

A modest number of tundra swans were resting on the lake at dawn, but provided little in the way of interesting photo opportunities, so I settled for some shots of them flying over the nearby fields.

Tundra Swans

There were even less snow geese remaining, but we found a few scattered birds feeding along the edge of a small pond, or pothole.

Snow Goose

The management area has a substantial population of resident Canadian Geese in addition to the migratory birds that pass through.

Canadian Goose Taking Off

While this area is managed primarily for hunting and game species, it is a a favorite spot for area bird watchers and photographers. The Pennsylvania Game Commission Food and Cover Corps plants crops and maintains the fields, which provides a great deal of valuable wildlife habitat, for both game and non-game species alike.

Camera Critters: A Sunday Visit To Middle Creek

We spent last weekend with our daughter Amy. She loves nature photography, so she accompanied me on Sunday morning when I traveled to Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area in Lancaster County for a morning of waterfowl and general wildlife photography.

Tree Swallows: 500mmF4-1.4 extender

The area is best known for the massive migrations of Snow Geese and Tundra swans, but this activity was over and only a few of these species remained. We were hoping to photograph the many species of ducks that visit the area and did have some success. Perhaps the biggest problem with Middle Creek from a photographer's standpoint is getting close enough for satisfying close-ups, even when one uses the big telephotos.

Blue Wing Teal500mmF4-1.4 extender

A fellow blogger recently inquired as to when Great Blue Herons arrive in Pennsylvania, and I didn't know the answer. We saw three on this trip (I could only get two in the photo at once), so they are here by early April, but I don't know if they return sooner.

Great Blue Heron Feeding: 500mmF4- 1.4 extender


And Then There Were Two: 500mmF4 -1.4 extender

To see our daughter's photos visit Ash's Eye on the World.

For more Camera Critters photographs, click Here!