Saturday, April 15, 2006

Along the East Branch of the Perkiomen Creek, No. 2, Animal Views

This afternoon, I hiked along a portion of the East Branch of the Perkiomen Creek paralleling Perkasie, Bucks County, Pennsylvania from Callowhill Road to Blooming Glen Road. It was a partially sunny afternoon with temperatures near eighty degrees Fahrenheit. It felt good to be out in shorts, T-shirt, and sandals in the woods most of the way. And along the way, I met a child who told me about seeing a racoon attacking and eating a squirrel. He said the the painful cry of the squirrel almost made him wince. And then there was a teenager who upon seeing my camera said he should have his Nikon with him. I came across him later and he proudly told me, "See I said I would get my Nikon."


The above picture shows the highlight of my afternoon. I was crossing a walking bridge when I noted this huge turtle swimming upcreek. The shell portion of the turtle was easily a foot or more long. And note how large its head is and how long a tail it has.


Two stately white geese and a third gray goose
with its head in the water



A robin with a questioning eye



Three mallards resting



Trout season is open and people are out fishing in full force. This particular picture is taken along Constitution Avenue, Sellersville, Pennsylvania though the road in the picture is North Main Street. But people were out fishing in crowds whenever there was a road near the trail.

12 comments:

Van Cong Tu said...

Love your gooses pics

Spider Girl said...

Those ducks look like they have arranged themselves just so.

As for the turtle, I have never seen one in the wild that big (not a freshwater turtle anyway). I would have been thrilled too.

Tim Rice said...

Thanks, godknows. I thought the geese were beautiful in this picture, too.

Hi, spider girl. Doesn't it though? They arranged themselves like that on way in and on my way out. I don't think I have seen a freshwater turtle that big either in the wild before.

Bobby said...

Great pics -- especially the turtle. I remember encountering one about that size when I was out hiking with my cousin, years ago. Brings back memories ....

Anonymous said...

Fantastic shots!
a.

Fred said...

Hey Tim -- just stopping in to wish you a Happy Easter. Have a great weekend.

Great pics!!

Sandy Hatcher-Wallace said...

It's not so easy to get a picture of a turtle like that...I have sat and waited for hours just to get a glimpse of a turtle.

Love your pictures and your stories.

Nabeel said...

great pictures - loved them

Tim Rice said...

Thanks, bobby. Glad you enjoyed the pics. And I trust it brought back good memories for you.

Hi, andrea. Glad you appreciate the shots. Thanks for coming by.

Thanks, fred. I always enjoy you stopping by. I hope you had a great Easter, too.

Thanks abandoned in pasadena. Seeing this turtle was a blessed moment for me. It wasn't something I planned for; it was just there as I walked by. Glad you enjoy my pics and my stories.

Thanks, nabeel, for coming by. Glad you enjoyed the pics. I find photography to be something I enjoy doing.

Ginnie Hart said...

I love the turtle, too! But all the photos tell me how close to Mother Earth you are, Tim. I love it for you!

Crystal said...

That turtle has such an angular head & tail, and the geese look like swans to me! Great idea to take along your camera and I've been doing that too lately. I'll have to post about the trail near my home soon, there's some interesting stuff out there and I snapped some cool pics yesterday.

Tim Rice said...

Thanks, ginnie. I do appreciate nature. It is a blessing from God that we do well to take care of.

Hi, crystal. In that picture, they almost do look like swans. But I have other pictures in which they are obviously just regular geese. I'll look forward to seeing some photos from your hike on your site.