Water Birds, Regular and a Visitor

A benefit of living on a lake is getting to see waterfowl, usually geese and ducks with an occasional heron. Once in a great while we see a cormorant who is probably resting on his way somewhere.

I looked out the other day and saw a large bird perched on the fake swans. These swans were placed by the homeowners association in hopes of keeping away geese, since too many geese cause a mess. They were only slightly successful. The year-round geese aren't bothered by them, but it may deter some flocks of migrating Canada geese from landing.

I zoomed in on the swans to see what what standing on them. It looked like a cormorant.

It wasn't until I looked at the enlarged pictures on the computer that I felt sure he was a cormorant, likely a double-crested juvenile.

He stayed there a long time, looking around. I remembered that once before we had one that stayed so long people wondered whether he might be hurt. But apparently this is what cormorants do.

The next morning he was back. The swans had moved, which is normal because they are anchored loosely. But black vultures were visiting across the lake, and instead of sitting quietly they were jumping around, flapping their big wings.

The cormorant responded by raising his wings. After a few minutes he jumped into the water and before I could get a picture of him floating along, he dove under the surface and disappeared.

A few minutes later I saw him flying through the sky with a fish in his beak!

Saturday's Critters, Fences,

I'd Rather Be Birdin'

Today in Wardensville and Capon Springs

It looks like we made it through another week! Congratulations. 

Friday Bliss and Willy Nilly Friday

Today we crossed the mountain into West Virginia so Frank could see the photo show that includes three of my landscapes. It is at the Lost River Trading Post in Wardensville.

After browsing the show and the other rooms in the store, we went to nearby Capon Springs. It is a charming old resort town that Frank loves to visit.

Black and White Weekend.

We explored the area around the spring house and marveled at the huge rock formations. You can see that these were flat layers of rock that got tilted straight up in some ancient cataclysm.

It looks like there are some nice trails around there.

Weekend Reflection.

Skywatch.

Since Frank did not want to cross the mountain on the gravel road, we took the main roads back to Wardensville before heading home. I took a picture of the post office there.

This bulldog statue was in front of a shop by the post office. It wasn't until I started to post this picture that I realized that the figure is a symbol of a football team, the West Virginia Bulldogs.

Footnote: I alternated between using the old Blogger interface and the new one while composing this post. The new one destroyed the formatting of my photos and I had to redo them. G-r-r-r!

Photo Op: Edinburg.

Today I drove to the town of Edinburg. Here is the post office there. Someone has posted a banner saying "Heroes work here."

#SaveThePostOffice

Down the street I noticed this office has painted windows. Do you see Snoopy?

I crossed the Massanutten Range at Edinburg Gap and headed down Fort Valley Road. I found myself behind a buggy for a while until it finally turned off into a driveway. There was a truck behind me so I didn't dare stop to get a picture of the horse. And although not all Mennonites avoid cameras, I didn't want to be intrusive.

Signs 2

Closer to home I spotted this (fake) street sign saying Beethovens 5th Ave.

Trail Cam Birds

So far I haven't seen many birds this week, so I'm posting some trail camera photos. I have a camera strapped to a tree facing the lake and another one near the driveway. (I got a great deal on them a couple years ago.)

I cropped all these images and brightened some of them. Trail cameras do not compose, they just go off when they detect movement.

The first bird may be a heron. I've seen one in that spot before. The second one could be a heron also, or some other bird with very long wings.

The flying bird in the third photo may be a vulture.

The final photo is from the other camera. Can you see the cardinal in the upper left? He did not look intimidated by the cat on the right.

It's Wild Bird Wednesday

in My Corner of the World. 

The Post Office in Marshall, VA

Wordless Wednesday

Post Office, Haymarket, VA

#SaveThePostOffice

Colorful Luray Random-osity

The Good, the Random, the Fun.

Good: I found another mural along Hawksbill Creek in Luray. This one celebrates wildlife, especially fish.

 Random: I took quite a few pictures in that area so I put some into collages.

The Paul Bunyan figure stands outside a lumber company. The millstone is along Hawksbill Creek so I guess there was a grist mill there at one time.

Fun: We found an ice cream stand in a shopping center along Route 211. 

A Photo Show in Wardensville and a Church in nearby Baker.

Today I drove across Great North Mountain to deliver three photos to the Lost River Trading Post. This is a coffee shop, store, and gallery in Wardensville. (I don't know why they named it Lost River when it is not in that town nor is it on that river, although it is on the Cacapon River which is the same water by a different name and in a different valley.  (More about the river's unusual story in my 9/10/2015 post.)

Anyway, the photos are part of an exhibition with a "Travel" theme. Eight members of the Shenandoah Chapter of Photog Friends are participating. The photos will be displayed until September 20, with luck. Our last show ended very early with the Covid19 lockdown.

The Trading Post is trying hard to keep customers safe. They even have a hand washing station near the entrance. The spigot is operated with a foot pedal.

I'm including a picture of a pretty display of glass. Did you know that West Virginia is famous for its glass?

By the way, I learned that Wardensville was once named Trout Run after a local creek.

After I left the store, I drove across the ridge to Baker. I happened across this United Methodist Church there.

Critters Here and Away

This squirrel had just gotten a drink from our bird bath. Looks like he spotted me looking at him!

These geese were cruising on the lake near our home.

Linkups: Reflections, Saturday Critters, and The Bird D'Pot.

Yesterday I was on a road to a state park and saw two pretty fawns. Of course, they bounded away so I only got a picture of one of them.

The park has bear-resistant trash cans and you have to put your hand inside the handle and push on a lever to open it. This butterfly happened to be perched on the handle. I think someone had probably spilled a bit of something sweet there.

I found another butterfly on a thistle plant. These plants are big and weedy but the pollinators like them. I think this guy is a skipper.

Today's final shot shows some mallard ducks in a creek.

Not Quite Willy Nilly Friday.

Tom has discontinued the "Willy Nilly" linkup but that doesn't mean I can't post a handful of miscellaneous images. 

1. I was charmed by this small barn and fence near Bluemont, VA. 

2. Skywatch / Black and White.
Dusk over our neighborhood lake.

3. Friday Bliss.
Pink flowers: Surprise lilies (or naked ladies), Coneflowers, Crape Myrtle.

4. A quote from Isaac Asimov:
"The easiest way to solve a problem is to deny it exists."

5. I walked into a doctor's office and saw that every other chair faced the wrong way. I know this is for social distancing but it looks like a setup for musical chairs!

The nurse practitioner, by the way, advised me to reach out to someone every day, even if just be sending a card. This is to fight the feeling of isolation that we get by our disease-avoidance behaviors such as avoiding socializing and wearing masks.

6. I took a picture of the post office in Baker, WV. I plan to share more post office pictures in honor or the U.S. Postal Service, which is facing new challenges as politicians argue over its funding and the use of the mail for voting.

7. Next to that post office is a pay phone. It appears to still be in service, which has gotten rare with cell phones being so popular. Baker is in the mountains so probably some people cannot get a cellular signal and still rely on land lines.

Stay safe and stay connected!