Creek

Branch Creek/Middle Spring Creek from downtown Shippensburg to Bard Rd. out in the country. Followed by the perfect music for following creeks - "Spring Water at Jerry's Run" by Malcolm Dalglish.

Photos © 2020 by A. Roy Hilbinger

Up One Creek and Down the Other

I decided to follow the local creeks today, out into farm country along Burd Run via Fogelsonger Rd. and back into town along Middle Spring/Branch Creek. And along the way there were definitely things to see.

I started in the Burd Run Riparian Restoration park in hopes of getting another shot at that Green Heron, and sure enough there it was, fishing in the collection pond. It caught one frog and ate it right there, and then caught another and flew up to eat it on a tree branch over the creek, which allowed me to get much closer. I spent about a half hour with that bird and took close to 30 shots, and ended up using the last one.

Of course I also found cows along Fogelsonger Rd. And I got surprised going back down North Earl St., where a very large Pileated Woodpecker flew into a tree right in front of me and proceeded to pry bark off in search of tasty bugs. He completely ignored me, so I got pretty close and shot another 20 or so photos. This ended up being a very productive hike!

The Green Heron strikes a pose

Burd Run at Fogelsonger Rd.

Holsteins on Fogelsonger Rd.

Daisy Fleabane by Middle Spring Creek

The Pileated Woodpecker digging for lunch

A Yellow Poplar, also known as Tulip Poplar

The flowery, and shady, banks of Branch Creek

© 2020 by A. Roy Hilbinger

Visiting the Burd Run Restoration Park

I decided to go over to the Burd Run Riparian Restoration Project park, just a little downstream from the Brookside wetland. The Spring floods and windstorms haven't been kind to it; there are a couple of places where broken limbs and other flood debris have dammed up the creek somewhat and a good part of the paths at the north end aren't walkable because of mud or water. So I didn't get as many shots there as I usually get. I did, however, finally manage to get a shot of a Green Heron, sitting in a Willow over the wetland pool and observation deck and pretending I couldn't see it for all the leaves. It didn't work, which it finally figured out and flew across the pool to a Maple across the way and out of my range. All in all a pleasant walk on an equally pleasant day.

A Catbird nattering away on a branch over the creek

A small Willow grove by the creek

Green Hawthorn, also known as Southern Hawthorn, growing by the creek

The Green Heron pretending it's hiding

© 2020 by A. Roy Hilbinger

Today's Walk

I decided to walk out into farm country on Possum Hollow Rd., out past my brother's house and up to I-81, and came back into town on Olde Scotland Rd., where I cut over to the woods on the other side of the railroad tracks to visit the old filling pool along Gum Run. The filling pool is a leftover from the days when trains ran by steam power and periodically had to stop to fill their water tanks. The old tracks ran along Gum Run; they're gone now, but the old pool is still there, way back in the woods and very picturesque.

Stripes and swirls of color in a field along Possum Hollow Rd.

The Mennonite farm across Possum Hollow Rd. from my brother's house

A Mourning Dove in a front yard along Possum Hollow Rd.

Wenger Feeds' grain silos along the RR tracks off Mt. Rock Rd.

A path in the woods near the filling pool

The old filling pool

© 2020 by A. Roy Hilbinger

A Short Walk

After I dropped off my rent with my landlord's business manager this morning I went for a short walk into the country - up Roxbury Rd. to Old Mill Rd., then over to Bard Rd., to N. Earl St., and cutting behind the old Hoffman Mills to follow the creek the rest of the way back to King St.; altogether about a mile and a half. For me, that's a very short walk. But I got some nice views and a couple of hills to climb for the exercise, so it was worth it!

Looking north from the top of Old Mill Rd.

Middle Spring Creek looking upstream from Bard Rd.

And looking downstream from the same bridge

The barn at Willow Run farm from Bard Rd.

A patch of Wood Anemone beside the creek

© 2020 by A. Roy Hilbinger

A Birder's Paradise

I had intended to walk out into farm country this morning, itching to get some more pictures of cows. I decided to walk out to the north following Branch Creek (which becomes Middle Spring Creek outside of town), documenting how high it was running due to the storm two days ago. Well, I got diverted. You see, we're right smack in the middle of Spring Migration here, and all sorts of birds are hanging out in the trees and shrubs by the creek. I started out trying to get a shot of a Phoebe who kept mouthing off but who succeeded in evading my camera, but other birds were more than willing to pose for a portrait. I never did make it out of town; there was just too much good stuff going on by the creek.

This male Goldfinch was chowing down on young leaves

A Yellow-rumped Warbler, affectionately known in the birding community as a Butter Butt

This pair of Barn Swallows patiently sat on that branch and let me shoot for almost 5 minutes

This Mourning Dove was trying, not very successfully, to hide from me

This female Goldfinch was another patient sitter

This just-forming Norway Spruce cone caught my eye, and the rest of the shot just happened. When I got home I brought it up in Photoshop and just left it alone, one of the rare shots that just came from the camera as is!

© 2020 by A. Roy Hilbinger

A Visit to Burd Run

Today I decided I was long overdue to visit the Burd Run wetlands at Brookside Ave. and the Riparian Restoration Project park. I wanted to see if the Tree Swallows were back in the Brookside wetland. No such luck! There were lots of Red-winged Blackbirds, though, as well as a horde of noisy, honking Canada Geese. Otherwise it was still looking fairly dull there, and a trip up to the restoration project yielded the same dull landscape. But there was a surprise waiting - there was a Great Egret fishing in the creek! These are primarily coastal birds, hanging out in saltwater marshes, coves, and inlets; finding one in a freshwater creek in Central PA is unusual, to say the least. The sighting definitely made my day!

This feral cat seemed to be guarding the entrance to the Brookside Ave. wetland

Burd Run is looking healthy this year

This Guinea Fowl was making a lot of noise on the farm across the creek (the black behind it is a chicken companion)

The Red-winged Blackbirds were everywhere in both wetland areas

The unexpected Great Egret fishing in Burd Run

© 2020 by A. Roy Hilbinger

Visiting Cows

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic I'm on leave from work because I've been deemed too vulnerable because of my age and pre-existing health issues. So I've been sidelined until this finally runs its course and they lift the stay at home order. Luckily, I'm not confined indoors; taking walks outdoors is allowed according to the guidelines, so for the foreseeable future I'll have plenty of time to wander the country and take pictures. Today I decided to go up to Fogelsanger Rd. and the Rail Trail to visit some of my favorite cows, in the course of which I also captured some other Spring scenes.

Part of a big herd of Holsteins on Fogelsanger Rd.

Burd Run where it crosses Fogelsanger Rd.

One of a pair of Squirrels busily foraging along the Rail Trail

Spring Beauty growing along the Rail Trail

A mother (in back) and daughter pair of Jerseys on a farm by the Rail Trail

Corn Speedwell growing along the Rail Trail

© 2020 by A. Roy Hilbinger

Wednesday Walkabout

I had an errand to run, to pick up a prescription refill at CVS, and decided to visit the Brookside Ave. wetland, which is right behind CVS, while I was in the area. Brookside is a secondary feeder for Burd Run, one of the major creeks in the area. I hang out there a lot in the Summer because there are usually two or more Green Herons there and a wide variety of butterflies and dragonflies; it's a nature photographer's heaven! It's never struck me as a particularly interesting place in Winter, though.

How wrong I was. With the usual lush Summer foliage gone, there are places and and perspectives invisible in the Summer months, and I got to see some of them today. Not to mention capturing a flying v of Canada Geese flying away as I approached the area, and getting a shot of another feral cat in an adjacent field on the way home. For a short visit while out on an errand this was a particularly productive shoot!

This small flock of Canada Geese flew off as I approached

Burd Run is looking healthy

A view of the collection pond in the wetland

One of the feeder streams in the wetland

A feral cat checking me out as I walk home

© 2020 by A. Roy Hilbinger

It's Getting To Look Like Autumn

Today I took my first walk in the Dykeman Spring Nature Park since being released from the hospital after my stent procedure. It felt great to be walking in nature again. Of course, the first thing I noticed is that everything is starting to look a lot more Autumnal now. Here are some scenes from the walk.

Entering the park by the "back door" on the Dykeman Walking Trail

Along the trail in the wetland

On the other side of the north duck pond, looking at the wetland and woods

A view of the north duck pond

Leaving the park - the creek as it travels through the baseball fields

© 2019 by A. Roy Hilbinger