Bald Eagle - Conowingo Dam, Maryland
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Bald Eagle - Conowingo Dam, Maryland
The usually shy eagles seem to be somewhat tolerant of the many human bird-watchers and will sometimes perch in a tree directly above the parking lot. However, they appear to favor the power line towers in the middle of the river. There are also many other birds below the dam including an endless number of circling seagulls, although the eagles are the main attraction in the winter.
Bald Eagle Beyond a Tree Branch - Conowingo Dam, Maryland
If you plan on photographing the eagles, you better bring the biggest telephoto that you can buy or rent. While a Bald Eagle is quite a bit larger than your backyard sparrow or finch, it's still small enough to make it difficult to get a decent sized image even with a 400mm telephoto. A 2x teleconverter on the 400mm brought the birds in closer, but with greatly reduced image quality. Sixteen power binoculars or a good spotting scope will be sufficient for a good view with the human eye. Be prepared to sit or stand for a while, as the eagles will usually not fly from their perch unless they spot something to eat.
The Conowingo Dam and hydroelectric plant is located in northern Maryland on the Susquehanna River. U.S. Route 1 actually traverses the river across the top of the dam. For information on various birds species in the southcentral Pennsylvania and northern Maryland area, visit the South Mountain Audubon Society Website or the Baltimore Bird Club Home Page. For information on the Conowingo Dam and hydroelectric plant, see the information on PECO Energy's Website.
Camera: Chinon CM-3 35mm SLR
Lens: Kilfitt Kilar 400mm f/5.6
Film: Fuji Super G+ 400
Accessories: Chinon Power Winder, Vivitar 2x-1 teleconverter
Photographer: Jim
Story: Jim
Pre-dawn over the Atlantic Ocean - Ocean City, Maryland
One thing that has become somewhat of a ritual for us is to get up early to watch the sun rise over the ocean. Despite having stayed up late the night before, we set the alarm clock to wake us up about twenty minutes before sunrise. When we awaken the sky is already alight with a colorful pre-dawn glow. We quickly get dressed, gather up the camera equipment and rush to the beach. Having a hotel room at a hotel on the boardwalk makes getting to beach quite easy.
Morning Sun peaks over the Atlantic Ocean - Ocean City, Maryland
While still sleepy we watch the colorful pre-dawm sky, waiting for the first sign of the orange ball and thinking "Exactly why are we doing this? We could be enjoying sleep right now". As we look out over the ocean we can see dolphins feeding in the surf, silhouetted against the ever lightening morning sky. Then suddenly, there it is. The top of the orange ball of fire we call the sun.
Morning Sun rises over the Atlantic Ocean - Ocean City, Maryland
Once the top of the sun is visible, it's amazing how quickly it seems to rise. Within a few minutes the entire sun lifts from the surface of the ocean. As it lifts we can feel the warmth from its fire and soon the glare from its light becomes to intense to continue watching. We return to the hotel room with the idea of returning to sleep, but the intense light from the sun has wiped the sleepiness from our heads. Now that we are wide awake, there is one activity that's available this early; bicycling on the boardwalk. In Ocean City, bicycling on the boardwalk is permitted until 10:00 AM in the summer months. Luckily for us, our hotel rents bicycles. Our favorite choice is a tandem bicycle. However, one morning on this visit we decided to try a four-wheeler. It turned out to be a real workout trying to pedal the four-wheeled machine. We thought that we were just completely out of shape. However, after we returned to the hotel, the proprietor noticed our sweat and commented that we had been pedaling with flat rear tires. A nice breakfast outside, along the boardwalk quickly revived our energy.
Wild pony kiss - Assateague National Seashore, Maryland
A trip to Ocean City would not be complete without a visit to nearby Assateague Island. There are many things to do here including swimming, crabbing, surf fishing, sunbathing, and camping. Although with the hungry mosquito population, we can't imagine why anyone would want to camp here. Our main interest on Assateague is to see the wild ponies. The ponies are actually horses, but because they are smaller than most horses they are generally referred to as ponies. There are several stories about how the ponies got on the island. The most popular story is that they swam ashore from a Spanish Galleon that shipwrecked offshore. The more realistic theory is that settlers once allowed their pony herds to graze freely on the island and when the settlers left they didn't bother to gather up all their ponies.
Wild ponies graze - Assateague National Seashore, Maryland
There are signs posted on the island warning people that the ponies are wild and that people should not try to pet or feed the animals which may bite and some of which may have rabies. Despite the warnings apparently many people do feed the ponies. While I was taking pictures of this group I was using a zoom lens on max zoom so I could keep a good distance away from the animals. Despite my intentions of not intruding, one of the ponies decided to come over to me. I attempted to take some evasive action but was unsuccessful. Deciding that I'd rather do without a twenty year old camera than my arm, I held the camera out between me and the pony. The pony sniffed the camera a few times, nudged it, and then walked away. It proceeded to someone's nearby camping location and began chewing on a shoe that someone left outside the tent. At this point I realized that it had come over to me thinking that I had food in my hand. When it realized that the camera was not edible, it quickly lost interest.
Moonrise over the Atlantic Ocean - Ocean City, Maryland
On this visit to Ocean City we were fortunate to be there during full moon. The full moon rising and reflecting of the ocean is quite spectacular. One evening I really wanted take a picture of the moon as it came up over the ocean. Unfortunately, dinner reservations prevented me from getting the desired pictures. Oh well, maybe on our next visit.
Ocean City, Maryland (not to be confused with Ocean City, New Jersey) and Assateague Island are situated on the DelMarVa Peninsula. For more detailed information about the DelMarVa Peninsula, Ocean City, and Assateague, visit DelMarVa Online. For more detailed information about Ocean City, including hotels, restaurants, shopping, amusements, etc., take a look at the Ocean City section on the Resort Guide site.
Cameras: Zenit 12XP 35mm SLR & Koni-Omega Rapid M MF Rangefinder
Lenses (35mm): Quantaray 28mm f/2.8 & Soligor 35-200mm f/3.8-5.3 macro
Lens (MF): Koni-Omega Hexanon 90mm f/3.5
Film (35mm): Fuji Super G 100
Film (MF): Fuji Reala 100
Photographer: Jim
Story: Jim