Birds on Ice

Birds On Ice

Every once in awhile, I wonder what is going on in those bird heads.  Just look at ‘em.  Standing on the ice.  Staring.  Walk a bit.  Stare.  Walk some more.  Stare.  Cold wind blows.  Turn head.  Stare.

I guess there isn’t much going on up there.

John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge in Philadelphia

Yep, you read that headline correctly, in Philadelphia.   This place was once a swamp, then slowly filled in to be an industrial park, then a nuclear waste dump, then a kids play park, then an auto junk yard, then…. well now a nature reserve.  Such is the cycle of land in a big northeastern American city.  Part of the reserve is within the city limits of Philadelphia and sits alongside I95 and the Philly airport.  This is a great place to test your bird identification skills because it is really easy to confuse an eagle for a Boeing 737-400.

This reserve is actually a wonderful gem of a reserve and has a resident, nesting pair of Bald Eagles.  For some stupid reason, I headed out there in really cold weather to….. freeze. 

So, here is what you can see and shoot in a really cold day in January within the city limits of Philadelphia.

The Equipment:

  • Canon 5D MkII
  • Canon 70-200mm L f/2.8 IS II, with
  • Canon EF 1.4x II extender (teleconverter)
  • LightRoom 4

Galleries: Birds. Tags: 5D Mk II, 70-200mm 2.8, and teleconverter.