A new bird in the meadow

September 26, 2021 by Howard Dale Posted in Wildlife & Animals Leave a comment

I was sitting on the balcony talking to a friend in Geneva when I saw a large bird fly by. I’d often seen a red tailed hawk in the meadow but this one looked substantially larger. I didn’t want to break my conversation so I didn’t immediately rush in to get a camera, thinking that by the time I got back the bird would have gone anyway. So I finished my conversation and then went to get the camera. To my surprise the bird was still there when I returned: it had alighted on the branch of a nearby tree and was sitting some distance away in deep shade with very bright sunlight behind it. I still couldn’t really see it very well. As you can see it turned out to be a Turkey Vulture. It’s not such a great picture (focus off, too noisy), but considering the conditions I was pleased that I got anything recognizable at all. Not the most attractive bird I’ve ever seen.

Taken with a Sony A77II and Tamron SP A08 200-500 f/5-f/6.3 IF di

Around The Neighborhood: Dow Hall

September 26, 2021 by Howard Dale Posted in Around the Neighborhood, Buildings/Structures Leave a comment

Dow Hall is the most significant building (the rest are modern concrete/brick and glass buildings) in the now closed Briarcliff College in Briarcliff Manor, NY. It was originally a women’s college founded as Mrs. Dow’s School for Girls in 1903 at the Briarcliff Lodge. After Walter W. Law donated land and a building for the college, it operated at its location at 235 Elm Road in Briarcliff until 1977; closing due to low enrollment and financial problems. Pace University subsequently operated it as part of its Pleasantville campus from 1977 to 2015. In an effort to consolidate its campuses, Pace University sold the campus in 2017 to the Research Center on Natural Conservation, a host to conferences relating to global warming and conservation. The campus was again sold in 2021, to a Viznitz Yeshiva congregation.

Taken with a Fuji X-E1 and Fuji XC 16-50mm f3.5-5.6 OSS II

Gnarly tree roots

September 26, 2021 by Howard Dale Posted in Around the Neighborhood, Black & White, Nature, Trees Leave a comment

I liked the textures and thought they would look good in black and white.

Taken with a Sony A77II and Minolta 50mm f2.8 Macro lens

In the woods again

September 26, 2021 by Howard Dale Posted in Landscapes, People Leave a comment

This time with my friend George and his dog Charlie, visiting from South Carolina. We went to Brinton Brook Sanctuary in nearby Croton-on-Hudson. I persuaded him to go to there in the foolish hope that since it was a bird sanctuary I might actually have the opportunity to take some pictures of birds. So I took along a large, heavy camera with a very large lens. Unfortunately, in my enthusiasm I’d forgotten that birds are most active early in the morning and late in the day. We went early in the afternoon so unfortunately I didn’t see any. The camera/lens combination was not suitable for general photography so I had to rely on my trusty Iphone for these pictures.

From left to right Charlie and George

Harley was there too! His love of walks overcame his dislike of Charlie.

Large boulder resting on a number of smaller boulders. There’s a plaque on the left side of the boulder that reads: “A tribute to Joseph A. Malone, 1905-1964 in recognition of his concern for man and nature through leadership and service to Brinton Brook Wildlife Sanctuary and the Saw Mill River Audobon Society.”