Reconnecting with nature through hiking, camping, and paddling
This photograph was taken on Hog Island Wildlife Management Area, along the James River, near Surry, VA. It was a cold February morning, just after dawn. While the entire scene looks wet, it was actually frozen. The sand along the shore was a hard as cement and the foam around the river stones had been turned to ice.
During a hike near the James River, I came across a group of Forster’s Terns flying above a stream. I watched as they floated, effortlessly in the air above the water. After a few seconds they would dive out of view and then come flying back up, circle around, and start over. I assume they were catching small fish but I couldn’t get close enough to be sure. The tern pictured here is hovering in position, waiting to dive.
I was hiking near the James River when I heard a small grunting sound. The trail I was on crossed over a stream and when I looked to my left a group of 4 or 5 river otters were watching me. They clearly wanted to cross the trail I was on and seemed annoyed I was in their way. They stuck around long enough for me to take this photo before swimming back the way they came.
I encountered this brown headed nuthatch in a grove of pine trees along the south shore of the James River. I later learned the James River is the northern edge of their range, which explained why I had never seen one before; I live on the north side of the river.
The old brick and concrete bridge piers stand across the James River as a testimony to the ravages of time. They once provided safe and easy passage across the river and now serve merely as roosts for water fowl and baron outcroppings for pioneering vegetation.
Snow fell on Richmond Thursday night. A few inches accumulated but it was nearly all gone within 24 hours. I took the day off Friday and hiked through Pocahontas State Park. This photo was taken as the sun rose over the forest. The park was beautifully covered in snow and I had the place to myself. I hiked for 5 hours and never saw another person the entire time.
I drove by the Smyth County Court House in Marion, VA and thought it would be a great subject. When I came back to take pictures it seemed sort of boring in the light of day. The building itself is pretty impressive but the lighting was all wrong. I didn’t take a single photo that day but decided to come back after the sun went down and found it much more interesting at night. This photo was one of the first I took. As the evening went on the sky quickly grew darker and became black in the photos.
The sun was just beginning to rise above the trees when I arrived at this small pond.
These old pilings in the James River must have served as the foundation for a small bridge. Now they are simply part of the river.
I took this panoramic shot just east of the Appalachian mountains in Albemarle County,Virginia. I happened to be passing by at sunset. Despite the lack of clouds to provide a colorful sky, the valley itself seemed to almost glow in the late evening sun. Like all of the photos on my blog, you can click on the image above to see a larger, more detailed version of it.