Mirrored ...

“Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark.”

               ~ Rabindranath Tagore

                  ~ 1861 ~ 1941

 

Perched on the banks of the Coplay Creek, a beautiful male North American Cardinal gazes upon his reflection on an April evening along the Ironton Rail Trail, which loops more than nine miles through Whitehall Township, the Borough of Coplay and North Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania.

The Ironton Railroad was a shortline railroad in Lehigh County. Originally built in 1861 to haul iron ore and limestone to blast furnaces along the Lehigh River, traffic later shifted to carrying Portland Cement when local iron mining declined in the early 20^th century. Much of the railroad had already been abandoned when it became part of Conrail in 1976, and the last of its trackage was removed in 1984.

 

In 1996, Whitehall Township purchased 9.2 miles of the right-of-way from Conrail, transforming it into the Ironton Rail Trail.

 

Peaceful Perch ...

“Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark.”

              ~ Rabindranath Tagore

                   ~ 1861 ~ 1941

A female tree swallow is peacefully perched upon the milkweed in early summer on a beautiful late June evening at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

While there are young or eggs in the nest, adult tree swallows frequently dive bomb intruders, including curious humans, and attempt to drive them from the area – I personally know this to be true, and so does my camera!

 

Gold Rush ...

“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.”

  ~ Rabindranath Tagore

           ~ 1861 ~ 1941

It’s a late winter gold rush as a beautiful golden hour accented by clouds rushes across the landscape March 1, 2022 at one of the highest elevations of Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania.