Wildlife in Photography

Thursday was beautiful in the Valley, and I visited Lake Shenandoah with a friend. There weren’t a huge amount of images, but I did make a few interesting observations.

Within the lake was a group of aquatic birds. We watched them dive for a bit and I initially assumed they were loons. At closer examination though, they weren’t. I’m not sure what they could be.

Within the wooded areas, buds and foliage are starting to return. That makes things interesting for me because I’m now in a race against time to make the most of the good visibility before the forest puts those walls back up. Several flowers have emerged along the path but the bugs weren’t bad.

Also, I found a few interesting things in the wooded lot near the dam. There were several nests, including the one below:

I’m not sure if this one was currently active, but its something to keep an eye on.

I also found fresh mulch on a path winding through the woods. Either that’s new or I’ve been oblivious, because I don’t recall a path through that lot on previous visits. I’ve heard of owls and pileated woodpeckers in there and have seen hawks and vultures. It might be a good place for a stakeout around dusk some day.

This weekend I may make another day-long trip to Shenandoah National Park. I have a long route in the South District I would like to try.