View allAll Photos Tagged LighthouseTrail
From last spring’s fallout experience back in Prince Edward County: a trio of males descended into a small clump of immature trees along the trail to the lighthouse. There were only a couple of people around to see it, and we were astonished. More so when a second trio arrived.
As with all fallout migrants, these birds rested for a few moments, and then started calling and chasing each other, as the mating dominance hormones kicked in. Then hunger kicked in, and off they went into the canopy to eat midges.
The window of photography, for me, is when the birds start to engage their environment; when they start doing something, being birds, and not looking that they have barely survived a long ordeal (which is true). I may have jumped the gun here a bit, as they say, but the bird is reacting to its species mate in an adjacent tree. A minute later they were well out of photography range.
While in Prince Edward County last week, I birded primarily in the Prince Edward Point National Wildlife Area, which encompasses the woodland trails on the north face of the point, called Traverse Woods, and the the lighthouse trail at the point itself.
The lighthouse trail is shaped liked a capital J, with the trail beginning at the small stem and then ending up at the lighthouse at Lake Ontario at the top of the longer stem. The trail itself is primarily tunnel-like, with narrow sides comprised of trees and shrubs, and a lot of Red Cedar. It is densely wooded behind the walls of the trail.
The trail is wonderfully birdy in migration, as arriving birds sweep in and through the woods. Insects like the trail because of the direct sun, and birds like insects.
Photography opportunities are conditioned by the habitat, which is fine with me. Birds are seen hunting insects and protected by fairly dense habitat. As in this image, birds are always looking for and anticipating the next tiny meal.
Every once in a while, lost in the consumption of insects, a bird will wander out on a branch, and depending on circumstances it may work out for a birder-photographer to have a bird close by and sunlit.
During migration, and along the trail in particular, one ends up working the binoculars more than the camera. Tracking and identifying incoming birds is a full-time job. Grabbing the camera is often a secondary consideration.
Lighthouse Trail is a short 1/4 mile trail that leads up to Assateague Lighthouse. It's unpaved and considered moderately easy. A short sandy incline with lots of mosquitoes. It's on Assateague Island, Virginia. It is part of the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and the Assateague National Seashore. #LighthouseTrail #ChincoteagueNationalWildlifeRefuge #NPS
I was super lucky to spend 72 hours in Prince Edward County, where my good friend Paul Jones is now a resident, and the leading birder in the area. Picking which 72 hours to witness some part of the spring migration is ultimately a bit arbitrary - a late or nonexistent spring, the weather, and the luck of time in general all contribute to the guesswork.
But it worked, and worked brilliantly. We saw almost a hundred species the first six hours. By the end we had seen all of the Vireos we were likely to in that part of the world, all the Woodpeckers, dozens and dozens of Orioles, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and Great Crested Flycatchers. And as broad a range of Warblers as I have ever seen, including (for me:lifers!) Cerulean, Hooded and Mourning Warblers.
The concentration and intensity of the species and their behaviours meant this was first and foremost a birding adventure. But we brought cameras, and found time and opportunities to record parts of the experience.
Four male Scarlet Tanagers dropped down out of the canopy and visited the shrubs along the trail at the Lighthouse. They were playful seeming, and completely unaffected by the three or four of us there. One male landed briefly on my lens. I have a series of images - all uncropped - of low and close Scarlet Tanager males. It is one of the neat benefits of a bunch of the same colourful bird that you get to see first hand the variability in their plumage.
An optimistic Monday afternoon. The weather forecast looked promising for the clouds to break up just enough for a nice sunset. Unfortunately it wasn't too be. It did provide some interesting, muted copper and blues in the sky though.
The Assateague Lighthouse located at the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. It's on Assateague Island National Seashore Park in Virginia. It's a part of the Eastern Shore built in 1867. It can be found on Lighthouse Trail. The trail is .25 miles and is considered a moderately easy trail with a mild slope and lots of mosquitos. Bring insect repellent. #Chincoteague #Assateague #lighthouse #NPS
A companion to the previous image that might have made me a little late for sunset. Still a pretty good show.
Lighthouse Point is the site of the first lighthouse in Canada, which was built in 1734. The lighthouse that looks out over the Louisbourg harbour these days is the fourth one built on the site and is nearly 100 years old. Nova Scotia
A warm fall evening with a clear sky. I set out, not entirely sure where I was headed. After failing trying to incorporate some milky way with the light, this was my Plan B.
A brightly-coloured male begins his morning with an eye on his fellow migrants and another on the watch for food. With cooler mornings and strong winds the insects were driven down toward the bases of trees and shrubs and the bold Yellow-rumps did what they had to in order to fuel up.
This mesmerizing display of power and beauty is a true testament to the untamed allure of the Oregon Coast.
Up to this point, the trail to the Lighthouse (on the right) had been no more difficult than a walk in the park. The maintained trail, however, ended just beyond this viewpoint, and the last half-mile or so required a steep ascent on an unsigned, rocky trail (I was lucky and chose the right one) that took me to the ledge seen here. The last fifty yards or so which are just below the base can (sort of) be seen here, and I will admit this Old Guy was challenged by the final push that got me to the wide and safe ledge above.
Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Texas.
Havenside (Louisbourg,) Nova Scotia.
Louisbourg Lighthouse is an active Canadian lighthouse in Louisbourg, Nova Scotia. The current tower is the fourth in a series of lighthouses that have been built on the site, the earliest was the first lighthouse in Canada.
Construction began on the [first] lighthouse in 1730 to assist navigation to Fortress of Louisbourg. It was completed in 1734. A fire in 1736 destroyed the lantern but the stone tower was unharmed and a new lantern was installed in 1738. Lighthouse Point played a decisive role in both the Siege of 1745 and 1758 as, once captured, it provided a commanding gun battery location to bombard the fortress. This lighthouse was badly damaged in 1758 during the Final Siege of Louisbourg and abandoned by the British after they demolished the fortress. Stonework ruins from the first tower are still visible at the site.
[The current] octagonal concrete lighthouse decorated with neoclassical architectural features was built in 1923. The tower is a twin of the Georges Island Lighthouse in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The Louisbourg lighthouse was destaffed in 1990. The lighthouse is a popular lookoff point and in 2008 became the start of a coastal walking trail. Interpretive plaques mark the ruins of the previous lighthouses. (Wikipedia)
The remnants of the foundation of Canada's first lighthouse can be seen bottom center.
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Havenside (Louisbourg,) Nova Scotia.
Louisbourg Lighthouse is an active Canadian lighthouse in Louisbourg, Nova Scotia. The current tower is the fourth in a series of lighthouses that have been built on the site, the earliest was the first lighthouse in Canada.
Construction began on the [first] lighthouse in 1730 to assist navigation to Fortress of Louisbourg. It was completed in 1734. A fire in 1736 destroyed the lantern but the stone tower was unharmed and a new lantern was installed in 1738. Lighthouse Point played a decisive role in both the Siege of 1745 and 1758 as, once captured, it provided a commanding gun battery location to bombard the fortress. This lighthouse was badly damaged in 1758 during the Final Siege of Louisbourg and abandoned by the British after they demolished the fortress. Stonework ruins from the first tower are still visible at the site.
[The current] octagonal concrete lighthouse decorated with neoclassical architectural features was built in 1923. The tower is a twin of the Georges Island Lighthouse in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The Louisbourg lighthouse was destaffed in 1990. The lighthouse is a popular lookoff point and in 2008 became the start of a coastal walking trail. Interpretive plaques mark the ruins of the previous lighthouses. (Wikipedia)
PLEASE, NO GRAPHICS, BADGES, OR AWARDS IN COMMENTS. They will be deleted.
Havenside (Louisbourg,) Nova Scotia.
Louisbourg Lighthouse is an active Canadian lighthouse in Louisbourg, Nova Scotia. The current tower is the fourth in a series of lighthouses that have been built on the site, the earliest was the first lighthouse in Canada.
Construction began on the [first] lighthouse in 1730 to assist navigation to Fortress of Louisbourg. It was completed in 1734. A fire in 1736 destroyed the lantern but the stone tower was unharmed and a new lantern was installed in 1738. Lighthouse Point played a decisive role in both the Siege of 1745 and 1758 as, once captured, it provided a commanding gun battery location to bombard the fortress. This lighthouse was badly damaged in 1758 during the Final Siege of Louisbourg and abandoned by the British after they demolished the fortress. Stonework ruins from the first tower are still visible at the site.
[The current] octagonal concrete lighthouse decorated with neoclassical architectural features was built in 1923. The tower is a twin of the Georges Island Lighthouse in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The Louisbourg lighthouse was destaffed in 1990. The lighthouse is a popular lookoff point and in 2008 became the start of a coastal walking trail. Interpretive plaques mark the ruins of the previous lighthouses. (Wikipedia)
The remnants of the foundation of Canada's first lighthouse can be seen bottom center.
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Havenside (Louisbourg,) Nova Scotia.
PLEASE, NO GRAPHICS, BADGES, OR AWARDS IN COMMENTS. They will be deleted.
Havenside (Louisbourg,) Nova Scotia.
PLEASE, NO GRAPHICS, BADGES, OR AWARDS IN COMMENTS. They will be deleted.
Excerpt from lighthousefriends.com:
Located on the west coast of the Great Northern Peninsula, Cow Head was named Cap de Pointe by Jacques Cartier on June 16, 1534, but the French fishermen, who had fishing rights along the coast until 1904, renamed it “Tete de Vache.”
Cow Head Lighthouse was erected in the hollow of a promontory on the western side of the peninsula in 1908 and activated in 1909. The circular, eighteen-foot-tall (5.5-metre-tall)iron tower was painted with red and white vertical stripes, while its lantern and dome were white. The tower's fixed white light was displayed at a height of 141 feet (43 metres) above high water and could be seen from fifteen miles.
The first keeper of the light was Jesse Payne, who lived in a small, three bedroom dwelling situated in a sheltered area just to the west and below the lighthouse. After Jesse passed away, his son John L., known as “Lighthouse Jack,” became light keeper. The keepers maintained the light, which was produced by a large kerosene lamp, from the opening of navigation in the spring until navigation closed around December.
While there wasn't a drop of water to be seen on the Lighthouse Trail, what would have been more appreciated was a little bit of shade to offer some relief from the Texas sun. Without a cloud in the sky, it heated up pretty quickly. Scenes like this kept the hike interesting until the Lighthouse itself finally came into view closer to trail's end.
Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Texas..
Havenside, Louisbourg, Nova Scotia.
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Havenside (Louisbourg,) Nova Scotia.
PLEASE, NO GRAPHICS, BADGES, OR AWARDS IN COMMENTS. They will be deleted.
Havenside (Louisbourg,) Nova Scotia.
PLEASE, NO GRAPHICS, BADGES, OR AWARDS IN COMMENTS. They will be deleted.
Havenside, (Louisbourg,) Nova Scotia.
PLEASE, NO GRAPHICS, BADGES, OR AWARDS IN COMMENTS. They will be deleted.
Despite several warning signs (there was yet another just a few steps away) I was determined to hike the Lighthouse Trail in Palo Duro Canyon State Park. Although I did get a somewhat late start & knew there was no shade along the route, it's little more than a walk in the park until the last quarter-mile or so, where there's a somewaht steep climb to reach the base of the Lighthouse. And the part about "do not run or jog" certainly didn't deter me, as those words are no longer included in my vocabulary.