Elk On The Winter Range ...

“There are no words that can tell the hidden spirit of the wilderness, that can reveal its mystery, its melancholy, and its charm.”

                ~ Theodore Roosevelt

                      ~ 1858-1919

                    ~ Naturalist & Conservationist

~ 26^th President of The United States of America

                                  ~ 1901-1909

Elk on the winter range enjoy a rare warm February evening at Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, where elk live as a herd on the hillsides of the 1,100-acre preserve’s Central Range.

When the late General Harry C. Trexler established the preserve in the early 1900s, he did it to save the American bison, elk and white-tailed deer from extinction and assure the species’ survival.

A conservationist along the lines of Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir, General Trexler understood the importance of nature and preserving wildlife in its natural habitat.

A successful businessman who amassed a fortune in the timber and cement industries and founded the Pennsylvania Power and Light Company, General Trexler began purchasing small farms in the low hills of Lehigh County in 1906. By 1913, he had transported eight bison and 20 Virginia white-tailed deer to the preserve. The elk followed soon after.

When General Trexler died in 1933, he bequeathed the property to the residents of Lehigh County. Today, the Trexler Nature Preserve is open to the public for passive recreation and nature watching.

Lights Across The Delaware ...

“Sometimes I do get to places just as God’s ready to have somebody click the shutter.”      

           ~ Ansel Adams

                  ~ 1902-1984

As an October sundown closes a beautiful autumn day, the historic Northampton Street Bridge, commonly called the Free Bridge, lights up across the Delaware River looking toward Phillipsburg, New Jersey from Delaware Canal State Park, Easton, Pennsylvania near the Forks of the Delaware Trailhead of the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor (D&L Trail).

The Delaware River Toll Bridge can be seen behind The Free Bridge, which spans the two states, was completed in 1896 and survived massive flooding from Hurricane Diane in 1955. It underwent a thorough restoration in 1990 and is one of my very favorite places to photograph.

Running from Wilkes-Barre to Bristol, the D&L Trail passes through the Lehigh and Delaware rivers and their canals in Pennsylvania.

Hawk's Winter Watch ...

“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.”

                ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

                      ~ 1803-1882 
Regal Red-Tailed Hawk peers from a high perch, gazing over the winter landscape in search of prey as sunset beckons on a February evening at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

This bird of prey is the most common hawk in North America.

Background texture by Jai Johnson added for artistic effect.