Wrapping up the year

The year is coming to an end and it's time to take stock. It has been a busy year for me and I took many photos of new species of birds. The most exciting addition to my stock photo list was a pileated woodpecker that hacked at a tree stump in our neighbor's front yard for three days in a row. Luck is a large part of bird photography. My favorite destination was the Audubon nature reserve where I recorded the year in photographs, from the goslings of spring to the goldfinch fledglings in the fall.
I am now selling my photographs and greeting cards at three stores. Sales have not been spectacular yet, but I've decided to take the plunge next year and attend a craft show. I also won another photo award, this time from Pennsylvania Magazine. They published one of my articles this year and just accepted my fourth article.
Looking ahead, I plan on attending the Pennwriters conference next May. I also aim to improve my photography sales and to add more birds to my list of photos. The stock agencies have enough pictures of the birds I've photographed so far. It appears as if next year will be just as busy for me as the past year was.
I continue to study the craft of writing and wish that all writers, especially journalists, would delete the word "well" from their vocabulary. It has been - well - overused.

The Squirrel War

My husband and I are fighting a war against squirrels. Well, if it is a war, they are winning big time. Ever since the temperatures dropped, our backyard is being overrun by squirrels. Sometimes I see six of the furry creatures out there at the same time. A lot of it probably has to do with the fact that we have five bird feeders. They find our sunflower seeds, suet, and wildbird mixture irresistible. Only the thistle escapes their attention because of its small size.
Once, I put vaseline on a metal pole to learn later that it may be harmful for birds. I am now contemplating to spray the metal pole with water during a deep freeze so that the critters slide off. However, since three of our feeders hang on a tree, this won't put a big dent in our big bird feed bill.
On a recent visit to an Audubon nature center, I looked out the picture window only to see two squirrels at their bird feeders. I commented to a volunteer, "I guess you haven't solved the squirrel problem either." She laughed and said, "Yes, and if we can't figure it out, no one can."
So I did what any sensible photographer would do: take a picture of them! If you can't beat them, photograph them. If only they weren't so darn cute...

March of the Penguins

Last week, I finally watched the DVD March of the Penguins I had bought last summer. I don't know why I didn't watch it sooner. Perhaps I thought it would be depressing. Nothing could be further from the truth. The love and sacrifices the Emperor Penguins demonstrate to rear their young are amazing. Imagine not eating for three months or more! All the while, the males have to balance their precious egg in a brood pouch while moving around and huddling together for warmth. Humans could learn something from their community spirit! Individualists need not apply.
An additional documentary features the lives of the filmmakers during the filming. At the end of the 13 months they spent there, they were sorry to leave the still world of Antarctica. It is hard to imagine a world without noise, except for the penguins.
I could never visit Antarctica (not even in the summer), yet this movie made me want to do something to protect the Emperor Penguins' fragile world. Global warming threatens their living space. A huge iceberg that broke off is already endangering some colonies. If they cannot traverse the ice and get to open water, they - and subsequently their chick - will die of starvation. Hopefully, this movie will enlighten people about the penguins' plight. It would be a shame if these amazing animals succumbed to global warming.

Respecting nature

I recently received my latest Outdoor Photographer and one article caught my eye. It's about making people aware of the environment by showing nature's beauty. My feelings exactly!
A couple years back, we bought our first digital SLR. Suddenly, our 300mm zoom lens was long enough to capture the birds at our feeders. I photographed birds throughout the winter and then my husband surprised me on my birthday with a 400mm lens. My success rate skyrocketed after that. Just six months after I began to capture those flying beauties, I took a photo of an airborne Tufted Titmouse that has won two awards so far.
Why am I so fascinated by birds? Our backyard faces a wooded ravine and birds visit our feeders all year long. It is amazing what a variety of birds we see in our tiny backyard. Just today I saw two turkeys when I came home from my errands. For me, there is no way of getting closer with nature than living the cycle of the year by watching birds. Every season brings something new and their antics are mesmerizing.
But I'm straying away from my subject. By showing my photos to the public, I hope I'm making them aware of the importance of providing a natural habitat for them. Most people consider wetlands as useless land that is just waiting to be developed into yet another strip mall. Wetlands also provide important buffers against floods (as was obvious during hurricane Katrina) and are home or stop-over points for thousands of birds during migration. In fact, I've never seen an environment that is fuller of life than a wetland. Last summer, I counted 50 or 60 butterflies and numerous dragonflies in a small area.
People often comment on my photos, "They're beautiful." I hope that by showing them the beauty of birds, they may wish to preserve their habitat.

Why I like my critique group

I came to my current critique group by odd circumstances. Years ago, I attended a life-long learning class at the Community College about writing memories and stories. The other three people in class, two women and a man (I'll call him Bill), had taken this class several times and we stayed in touch sporadically. A good while later, Bill called me and told me that one of his church friends was putting together a writing group. Was I interested? Of course I was.
That was several years ago and I barely missed a meeting since. Usually, we are four of five women getting together to discuss our work that ranges from a historical romance, a historical mainstream novel, poetry, and spirituality to nonfiction articles on such varied subjects as bird-watching, garden projects, travel, or memoirs.
Bill shared his memoirs with us and they are truly fascinating. After he retired as an executive for a big department store, he traveled the world for a year. He also obtained a pilot's license. Recently, he self-published his stories as a wonderful book after we encouraged him to do so.
That's what writers do: We cheer each other on. Our critiques are honest, but never harsh. After all, we have to accept enough rejections from editors.
Let's hope we stay together long enough to see all of us get published.

Living the moment

I admit that my mind often wanders off when I'm busy doing mundane chores. That's an occupational hazard for a writer. But when I visit the Audubon Society's nature reserve at Beechwood as I did last Monday, I completely live in the moment. My latest passion is bird photography and I'm always trying to add new species to my list of bird photos.
On Monday, I had only walked a few steps when I noticed quite a few birds in a big tree next to the native American garden. I was overjoyed when I realized they were Cedar Waxwings. I spent hours taking photos of them and a Carolina Wren fledgling that was singing its heart out. My photos turned out to be less spectacular than I hoped. Only a couple wren photos are usable, I'm afraid. However, that just gives me a reason to go back to Beechwood and try again. As long as there are berries to eat, I am confident that the waxwings will be there.
While I walk the trails with my tripod and camera, passers-by often ask me what I'm photographing. I think they don't see the birds at all! I, on the other hand, keep my eyes and ears open to catch the slightest glimpse of a bird, butterfly, or any four-legged wildlife. I don't think about the laundry that awaits me at home or the errands I need to run soon. I live in the moment and observe the subtle changes that occur over the course of a year.
There are many changes for the one who is open to see them. Even in the midst of winter, the forests and fields are by no means dead. They're just awaiting a new beginning. Juncos arrive from Canada and birds that seemed to be absent in the summer appear again. I will never grow tired of watching the cycle of life in my own backyard and at the parks and reserves I visit.

Serendipity or Why I'm Always Prepared

This year, October is kinder to birdwatchers than to leaf-peepers. The fall foliage is downright boring. Nonetheless, my husband and I decided to go to Raccoon Creek Park yesterday, yet wanted to wait until temperatures climbed a bit. I just happened to check my lenses when my better half called me, "There's a hawk at our birdbath." Hawks are not an unusual occurrence in our garden, but I'd never seen one in the birdbath before. I quickly attached a telephoto lens to my camera and stole into the garage. I leaned on the wall to steady my long lens as best I could and shot one photo after the other. It was a real beauty of a bird and just seeing it would have been enough. Catching it on camera - and adding it to my growing number of bird species - was awesome. I finally went to fetch my tripod, but when I returned the hawk was gone. How wise of me to shoot some photos first!

After checking our bird books, we concluded that I had photographed an immature Cooper's Hawk. How fortunate that our garage door stood open (hawks gets spooked easily) and that I had my camera handy. In the next few days, I will look out the window a lot to see if our backyard visitor returns.

Later in the day, we ventured out to Raccoon and were rewarded by seeing a Belted Kingfisher, three Pied-billed Grebes (at least that's what we think they were), four Mallards, and a Blue Heron. What an awesome day for birdwatching!

Leaf-peepers and bald eagles

I have not posted any blog for a while. The reasons are two-fold: 1. Last week I updated my website, but made two fatal errors. I therefore spent all week trying to figure out what the problem was. Eventually, I found the mistakes all by myself and now my website looks fine again.
2. Fall foliage is upon us, my favorite time of the year. This autumn, however, the leaves are disappointing. I guess we just haven't had enough rain in late summer. On Sunday, my husband and I drove to Pymatuning Reservoir in northern Pennsylvania to search for foliage. The best spot was the Black Jack swamp area where I took the above photo. We enjoyed the summer-like weather to take a spin on a nature trail. At the end of the walk stood a man with a digiscope and asked us if we wanted to see bald eagles. What a question! Two islands away, there were indeed two bald eagles sitting in a tree. While we had seen eagles in flight before (not to mention the eagles at the National Aviary), it was amazing to see their heads in a still life, so to speak. To my husband's great disappointment, they did not fly while we were there.
For my part, however, I am astonished at the amount of wildlife here in Pennsylvania. In my homeland of Germany, a squirrel is a rare sight. While white storks have been reintroduced years ago, birds are often considered a nuisance that eat the seeds in the garden. And here I've seen four bald eagles already!

Fame is not always fleeting

A few days ago, I went to the supermarket and the cashier asked me, "Have you been on TV lately?" I laughed and said, "No, not yet!" I was amazed that she still remembered that I was on KDKA almost a year ago. Last year, I won first place in the amateur category of Wildbird Magazine's anuual photo contest. So I sent a press release to the Post Gazette West edition to include in their people news section. They decided to write an entire, half-page article about my photo of an airborne Tufted Titmouse. Dave Crawley saw the article on the internet and thought it would make a good segment for his KD Country show. I will never forget my amazement when he called me on the phone while I was fixing dinner. He and his cameraman came out the next day and filmed me for two hours in my backyard and at my computer. The segment aired four days later already, barely time enough to alert all my aquaintances. Two days after the show, that same cashier at the supermarket asked me, "Where you on Dave Crawley the other night?"
And now, eleven months later, she still remembers that show! After the magazine with the award winners was published, I received an e-mail from an ornithologist who asked me if she could post my photo on her blog. I gladly obliged and she posted it on Christmas. Her friends thought it was a "Christmas card."
This proves that a small press release can have huge consequences - and that anything posted on the internet can indeed be seen by the entire world.

Nature Walk

Today I went to the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania at Beechwood for the first time in a couple of months to photograph. Unfortunately, I forgot to take my tripod along and had to rely on my unsteady arms and the sligthly better support of fenceposts and railings. I was stunned how much the nature preserve has changed since my last visit. The entire open field and meadow area is now covered with goldenrod, New York ironweed and boneset - a riot of colors with yellow dominating. When I came to the Meadow Trail, I saw a Monarch butterfly feeding on an ironweed. They seemed to like that plant and I looked out for them, hoping to take a great shot at a Monarch, but not quite succeeding. As I searched for the butterflies, I wondered how many of the people on the trails really see the butterflies, bees, and birds that catch my eye. Most visitors race along the trails as if they were being chased by a wild bear. No one actually takes the time to admire the ever-changing beauty of nature that this microcosmos offers to those who stop and search it out. They might as well walk at a mall.
In the end, I took a couple of photos of a duck and several great shots of a cute goldfinch that was taking a bath in the mini-waterfall by the Nature Center (where my photos are for sale, by the way).

Anniversary

Today is our 17th anniversary. That sounds like a long time, but it doesn't feel like it. While my husband and I live mostly quiet lives, we have dealt with unemployment, illnesses and surgeries, multiple moves (including one overseas to a city I had never even seen), the purchase of our home, and evolving hobbies. Luckily, we share the same interest in nature and often go on hikes that always end up being longer than we had planned. That's when I get cranky!
For me, nature has a way of healing when my mind is troubled. There is always something new--new wildflowers spring up while others wilt away, birds migrate and return, leafs turn green and then fiery red before they disappear for another winter. Lately, I have been pre-occupied with the death of an old friend. But watching nature's beauty in the woods and in our backyard has calmed me. It is hard to remain sad when I watch a goldfinch fledgling eating its first meal alone or observe the chickadees that have returned to our feeders.

Sad news

A week ago, I received sad news from home. One of my friends back in Germany died suddenly at the age of 46. Because she was from my hometown and also a member of my club, I had known her most of my life. Just a month before her death, we were at a "reunion" of our now defunct club at a restaurant and she had been her usual bubbly self. Without a pause, she talked about a concert she had attended and the World Cup festivities she had celebrated. When she saw me first, she joked that she saw me as often as our friends who lived there year-round.
I'm still trying to cope with her death, even though it isn't the first one for our club. Perhaps it is because she was younger than me and had never been sick. Mostly, though, it's because we were both part of the same clique and shared many memories together. She was present at every dance, trip, and party I attended before I married. We lost touch for a while, but I'm glad that I was able to see her last year and this summer. Of all the people I have met, she was the one I would have least suspected I may never see again.

End of summer

There is no doubt about it, the end of summer is near. Yet, our small wildflower garden is still abuzz with activity. Bumblebees can't seem to get enough of our lobelias, zinnias, and primroses. We also detected at least five monarch larvae so far this summer, more than we ever had before. All day long, they feast on our butterfly weeds that I planted years ago. Goldfinches eat the seeds from our many purple coneflowers and ruby-throated hummingbirds drink the nectar out of lobelias and zinnias. That goes to show: If you plant it, they will come! My husband and I are becoming more and more aware that planting native plants will increase the amount of wildlife in our backyard. While there is no shortage of birds on our property, we attract many more insects than our neighbor's wildflower-free yards.
Today, I set up an exhibit at the Sewickley library where I show my bird and autumn photographs. The first person who looked at my display asked my if my digital photographs are manipulated. People seem to have the strange idea that all digital photographs are "photoshopped." As if there has never been any manipulation done in a darkroom! If I doctored every photo I take, I would not have time for anything else. And a photograph that isn't sharp when I take it will certain not get any better with Photoshop. There are many reasons why I shoot birds digitally (Number One: it's cheap!), but doctoring is not one of them. Sure, I like the fact that I am able to check the exposure right when I'm at my location without wasting entire films only to find out later that all my photos were too dark or too light. And, I want to see my results immediately after I return home.

Wearing two hats

The other night, I attended my first author reading. While the crowd who wanted to hear Philip Beard was small, he seemed unfazed and told us a lot about the publishing business. Perseverance and a dash of luck seem to be required if you want to make it in this crazy business.
As a writer and photographer, I wear two hats. Some days, I don my writing hat, working on a historical novel that spans the era from 1849 to 1865 (and most of my life, it seems). On other days, I put on my photographer's hat. This week, I'm very busy preparing for a photo exhibit at the Sewickley library which I'll install on September 1. I will show my best bird photographs, but also a few of my fall foliage images. Autumn is upon us and I think it is timely to include them in an autumn exhibit. It's my favorite time of the year, after all.

On writing

I recently met two school friends and one of them said to me, "You always wrote the most beautiful essays and had to read them to the entire class. I was green with envy." I was stunned since I don't remember this at all. She also said that she still can't write a decent report for work. Is writing a talent you are born with or can you learn it over time?
It's true that I always enjoyed reading and writing. My greatest influence was my 3rd and 4th grade teacher. Not only did he teach me local history, he also was a freelance writer and photographer for our local newspaper. On top of that, he managed the library which was open once a week. I often went there and listened to the stories he told us. They were mostly legends about the rich history of our area and I could never hear enough of them. What would my teacher say now that I have followed in his footsteps and have published eight photo features in a newspaper and a couple of magazines?

What I did on my vacation

I have just returned from my fifth visit to my homeland of Germany since immigrating to the U.S. eleven years ago. It always amazes me how easily I can slip back and forth between two languages (three if you count my dialect) and two cultures. Here in Pennsylvania, people often address me with, "You have an accent. Where are you from?" In Germany, however, people say, "You don't have an [American] accent!"
Not much has changed in Germany since my visit last year, except for one thing: flags. Never before have I seen flags flying from cars and houses in Germany. The World Cup, however, spurred an enthusiasm for national pride that must have been intoxicating. Personally, I wanted to avoid the hoopla of the World Cup and opted to travel when it was over. My county seat of Kaiserslautern was one of the sites of World Cup and the crowds must have been incredible. Unfortunately, my visit fell right in the middle of yet another heat wave (the most recent one was in 2003). I wanted to attend my father's 80th birthday and therefore did not have much influence on the date. The upside was that I saw people I had not seen in decades. During the first week, I was not able to do any sightseeing in temperatures of almost 100 degrees Fahrenheit, but spent the evenings with friends. Most memorable was a get-together with school friends I had not seen in 32 years. It was most amazing that we were able to throw together a mini-reunion in less than two hours. Other friends arranged their quarterly meeting during my visit. I am very happy that I seem to bring people together who would not meet otherwise. It is gratifying that I have not been forgotten in my hometown.