Long As I'm Singin' My Song ...

 

“As long as I’m singin’

Then the world’s all right

And everything’s swingin’

Long as I’m singin’ my song

 

Ummmm…makin’ music

Is more to me than a pleasure

‘cause me and music

We go together like notes in a measure

 

Long as I’m singin’

Then the world’s all right

And everything’s swingin’

Long as I’m singin’ my…

 

Long as I’m singin’ my …

Long as I’m singin’ my song.”

          ~ “As Long As I’m Singing”

       ~ written & recorded by the wonderful

                       Bobby Darin

                         ~ 1964

A beautiful red male North American Cardinal sings his song from a very high perch 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 cardinal is one of the most recognizable and beloved songbirds in North America, known for its vibrant red plumage and distinctive crest. They are known for being territorial songbirds, with males often singing from high perches to mark their territory.

This cardinal is likely singing to attract a mate, which is one of its primary reasons for vocalizing.

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.

 

Northern Flicker On The Edge of Spring ...

 “A forest bird never wants a cage.”

   ~ Henrik Ibsen

            ~ 1828 ~ 1906

I spotted this yellow-shafted Northern Flicker – the first I’ve ever captured in a photo – nestled in the grass gazing upon the looming late winter sunset of a March day at Lehigh Parkway, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

According to All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Northern Flickers are large, brown woodpeckers with a gentle expression and handsome black-scalloped plumage. On walks, don’t be surprised if you scare one up from the ground. It’s not where you’d expect to find a woodpecker, but flickers eat mainly ants and beetles, digging for them with their unusual, slightly curved bill. When they fly you’ll see a flash of color in the wings – yellow if you’re in the East, red if you’re in the West – and a bright white flash on the rump.

Snow Cardinal ...

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

    ~ Rabindranath Tagore

     ~ 1861 ~ 1941

 

A beautiful male North American Cardinal brings a pop of red to an early March snowfall on a beautiful late winter afternoon at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

 

Swan On Snowy Pond ...

“Those who find beauty in all of nature will find themselves at one with the secrets of life.”

           ~ L. Wolfe Gilbert

     ~ Russian-born American songwriter of 

        Tin Pan Alley

              ~ 1886-1970

A beautiful trumpeter swan gracefully glides along the pond as a mid-February afternoon segues into evening at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania.