krnaturalphoto's Blog 
The best day of birdwatching locally that I have ever had, Maybe the best day of birdwatching overall.
I am not one who usually subscribes to the belief that everything happens for a reason. But, I do think if things happen for a reason they lie more in the mundane everyday aspects of life than they do int the big amazing miraculous ways. And I was able to enjoy this amazing day of birding because things didn’t go according to plan.
I was supposed to go running. But, I during my last run I had developed a small amount of pain in one leg. So I decided to give myself an extra rest day. And this extra rest day just happened to coincide with a beautiful sunny day outside.
So, if I had not had this little bit of pain and also been in a place in my trading I where my main focus is to just stay healthy and being extra cautious about any sign of injury, I probably would have went for a run instead of going out with my camera to look for birds. And the funniest part about it all is that I would have taken the same drive and ended up at the same place no matter if I had run or if I had been set to take photos.
I run a lot at one of my favorite local parks, Eldridge Park. And that is also one of the best places for local birding. I often keep tabs on the birding while I am there running and making a mental note if I see anything that I want to try and come back to photograph later.
So, if I had been on my regular routine I would have still seen all of these amazing birds, but been unable to enjoy them to this level if I had been running, And I would have regretted not having my camera, much more than I would regret one extra rest day. Also, I just ran the next day instead.
And one of the craziest parts of this amazing day of birding is that it all happened within just a few ours during the afternoon.
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“You don’t make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.” – Ansel Adams
You can stumble across anything from flowers to waterfalls in a forest: East Jimmy Creek Falls.
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“The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live only as you can.” – Neil Gaiman
Eldridge Park is great for a variety of photography subjects from flowers to ducks: Eldridge Park Mallard.
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When I set out to take photos for a day I really like it if I can find a place where I can take a variety of different types of photographs all in one location. I love waterfalls and if I go to a place with waterfalls that is all I will probably photograph. So I need to go somewhere a little bit different. Someplace with a lot of space to move around. And one great place for that is Seneca Lake State Park at the north end of Seneca Lake.
There is a several mile long paved path that takes you all along the north shore of Seneca Lake. It makes for great opportunities to explore and see the scenery from different angles. You can casually walk around and see what you see and plan some interesting photos.
You might be lucky enough to be there on a day where people are out in the water having fun water sports recreation like I was in October of 2021. I was able to photograph the athletes off in the distance. I framed them with the horizon and the rocks along the near shore at the bottom. I did some post processing on the image to highlight the people having fun out in the water.
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“It takes more than one image to make sense out of anything. You can get lucky with one. You can get pretty lucky with five. You have to actually start getting your shit together a bit to have ten or 20 or more in a project” – Thomas Joshua Cooper
If you like trees enjoy this next photo of a birch tree in the forests of PA: Tree trunk and green leaves.
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Over the years there are three topics I have become increasingly interested in: The environment, Health, and Animal Welfare. I have engaged in these topics in a variety of ways from reading books and articles and listening to podcasts on the subjects to writing letters to government officials to encourage support or rejection of legislature, and donating to not for profits that support these causes. And finally it came to changing the way I lived my life.
Becoming a vegan
I haven’t eaten meat in at least a decade. And I stopped eating dairy several years ago. Changing to a plant based diet. I don’t know how long I have been eating this way because the amount of time I have been doing it has never been the goal or something to brag about. The commitment to keep doing it is all that matters.
Along with this shift in the way I eat has come the desire to eliminate the use of as many products as possible that are associated with harm to animals. I try to avoid products that are tested on animals for example. And I don’t wear clothing made from dead animals.
I tend to call myself a vegan because it is the easiest way for me to convey how I practice the art of living life on a daily basis. And make no mistake, living life is a practice. And in any practice we all make mistakes and no one is perfect.
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“Think like a pessimist but act like an optimist. Have modesty about your personal role in things, which is infinitesimally tiny. But you should act as if everything in the scheme of things depended on what you personally do. I am not a big believer in having opinions about the future. I am a believer about having opinions about the things you as an individual can and should do. I am going to act as if everything I do in the here and now really matters, without being a megalomaniac. I know it doesn’t. But I believe that if a million of us believe that what we do in the here and now matters, that will matter a lot.” – David Frum
Flowering trees are beautiful. There are some beautiful ones at Buttermilk Falls State Park. You just have to be there at the right time of year: Purple and white flowering trees.
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“A union of government and religion tends to destroy government and degrade religion. The history of governmentally established religion, both in England and in this country, showed that whenever government had allied itself with one particular form of religion, the inevitable result had been that it had incurred the hatred, disrespect and even contempt of those who held contrary beliefs. That same history showed that many people had lost their respect for any religion that had relied upon the support of government to spread its faith.” – Hugo L. Black
If you enjoy these early spring flowers click the link to see another of my favorite early spring flowers: Flowering Dogwood Tree.
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So many fun and exciting things in the works for 2026. Running and biking and SWIMMING (what the heck!) But two of the things I am most excited about have nothing to do with my personal running and fitness.
In 2026 I am starting my second year being on the board of the Southern Tier Running Club (STRC) again. Our running club has many fun things going on as always. But for me personally I have the most excitement for the things that are in my wheelhouse. And that is trail and ultra running.
Last year STRC put on their first trail event in a long time, STRC Trailfest at Newtown Battlefield. We kept it super low key. No swag. We hand timed the event ourselves. And we combined it with our annual picnic for some fun post race socializing. And we pulled that event off with only getting the details planned and registration open a month before the event.
STRC Trailfest at Newtown Battlefield State Park was a success in 2025. This year we are bringing the event back and. We are making it better than ever. I am the person on our board who love trail running so I am heading up our trail running events and Race Director for this year’s two offerings.
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“Our children should learn the general framework of their government, and then they should know where they come in contact with the government, where it touches their daily lives and where their influence is exerted on the government. It must not be a distant thing, someone else’s business, but they must see how every cog in the wheel of a democracy is important and bears its share of responsibility for the smooth running of the entire machine.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
Trees are one of my favorite subjects. From single tree to a woodland full of them: Mist surrounding trees at Colton Pint State Park in PA.
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