Summer Postmarked From Leaser Lake ...

 “Summer afternoon, summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.”

                ~ Henry James

                  ~1843-1916

The poetic beauty of an afternoon in summer, my most favorite of seasons, reflects on a beautiful mid-July day at Leaser Lake, in the shadow of the northern Blue Mountain Ridge, New Tripoli, Pennsylvania.

A fisherman pauses to snap a photo of a gaggle of Canadian geese while others enjoy the outdoors on the water.

Leaser Lake’s namesake is Frederick Leaser, an American patriot who in September 1777 with his farm team hauled The Liberty Bell from Philadelphia to Allentown where it was concealed in Zion Reformed Church for protection during the Revolutionary War. His homestead is located one mile north of the lake.

Leaser Lake was built by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission for water-oriented recreation and opened for public use in 1971. Lehigh County leases this area from the state and operates and maintains the park. The land north of the lake was purchased by the county in the early 1970s. It is entirely wooded and is used for nature study and as an addition to the State Game Lands No. 217.

 

Purple Martins Of Leaser Lake ...

“In order to see birds it is necessary to become part of the silence.”

                     ~ Robert Wilson Lynd

                        ~ 1879 ~ 1949

           ~ Irish writer, editor of poetry, urbane literary essayist & strong Irish nationalist

A Purple Martin fledgling watches as its mama begins to fly off after bringing it food – likely to bring back more – on a beautiful mid-July day at Leaser Lake, in the shadow of the northern Blue Mountain Ridge, New Tripoli, Pennsylvania. Papa Purple Martin is perched above the nesting structure.

This gorgeous summer day was the first time I’ve ever spotted Purple Martins, and they were wonderful to see!

I created this image by blending my shot of the Purple Martins with one I took of the lake the same day, July 15, 2021.

Despite their name, Purple Martins are not truly purple. Their dark blackish-blue feathers have an iridescent sheen caused by the refraction of incident light giving them a bright blue to navy blue or deep purple appearance. In some light they may even appear green in color.

Leaser Lake’s namesake is Frederick Leaser, an American patriot who in September 1777 with his farm team hauled The Liberty Bell from Philadelphia to Allentown where it was concealed in Zion Reformed Church for protection during the Revolutionary War. His homestead is located one mile north of the lake.

Leaser Lake was built by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission for water-oriented recreation and opened for public use in 1971. Lehigh County leases this area from the state and operates and maintains the park. The land north of the lake was purchased by the county in the early 1970s. It is entirely wooded and is used for nature study and as an addition to the State Game Lands No. 217.

Information near the nesting structure at Leaser Lake provided by the Lehigh Valley Audubon Society, Leaser Lake Heritage Foundation and Lehigh County states: “The Purple Martin is the largest species in North America of a family of birds called “swallows.” The thing you’re looking at is a nesting structure built specifically for these birds.

Purple Martins are one of America’s iconic birds. They have an affinity to live near humans – so much so, that all of the Purple Martins east of the Rocky Mountains now rely on nesting structures like these, supplied by humans. For over a thousand years, Native Americans provided nesting gourds for these birds, recognizing their useful habit of eating insects like mosquitoes and crop pests.

But over time, Purple Martin populations started to decline. Why? The widespread use of pesticides has reduced the available insect food source of these birds. In addition, they have faced increasing competition for nesting habitat with invasive European Starlings and House Sparrows. Now, more than ever, the Purple Martin population needs out support.

Martins lay from two to seven eggs, which hatch in 16 days. Parents feed the chicks insects for about 30 days, after which all the birds begin their three thousand mile migration to Brazil. They return to Pennsylvania in April to begin their nesting cycle.”

 

Surreal Sunflare Field ...

 “Listen to the silence inside the illusion of the world.”

        ~ Jack Kerouac

         ~1922 ~ 1969

A flare of a “mad orange sunset” illuminates a beautiful field in the surreal, where you can listen to the silence inside the illusion of the world.

I created this image by blending my shot “Flares Of A Mad Orange Sunset” with background texture by Jai Johnson for artistic effect.

Sunflares sparked an abstract beauty around a mad orange sunset on July 5, 2021 along the Ironton Rail Trail, which loops more than nine miles through Whitehall Township, the Borough of Coplay and North Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania.

Looking more like the moon than the sun and shining with a wild beauty, the sun held court in a hazy, milky sky.

The orange haze in the evening sky was likely the result of wildlife smoke in southern Canada affecting conditions very high in the atmosphere.

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.