Love Point Lighthouse Ruins - Sunset

Beautiful evening on the bay tonight had a chance to get out just in time for sunset with my lovely wife.

"Love Point Light was a hexagonal screwpile lighthouse built in 1872 at a cost of $15,000. It was located at the mouth of the Chester River and the Chesapeake Bay. It was a duplicate of the original Choptank River Light. Two of the main columns of the lighthouse were broken during the first winter due to ice. Again in January 1879 ice banked around the lighthouse but no damage was sustained. Love Point was demolished in the 1960s. There is a small automated light on the former site of this lighthouse." - http://cheslights.org/love-point-lighthouse/

Historical Photo Courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard

Surf Pictures Corolla NC

A few pictures of the surf at sunrise at Corolla Beach NC. Corolla has a great section of 4 wheel drive beach giving you access to some beautiful areas of the beach.

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, MD

I had a chance to stop by Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge this past weekend. Few Great Snowy Egrets and some Black Headed Gulls. If you have never been to the refuge take some time out of your day on the eastern shore to visit. I am told that the refuge has the largest breeding population of American bald eagles on the East Coast.

https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Blackwater/

 

Cape Henry Lighthouse at Sunset

Cape Henry Lighthouse at Sunset

Cape Henry Lighthouse at Sunset

I have the opportunity to visit the Norfolk VA this week with my good friend and photographer Tim Lynch. We had some time this evening to visit the two lighthouses a Cape Henry. The picture above shows the second lighthouse built in 1881 and sits approximately 350 feet from the first lighthouse which was built in 1792. The lighthouses sit on Fort Story, a military base operated by the U.S. Navy, that lies within the city of Virginia Beach. To get there you must enter through Fort Story's security gates. Vehicles are subject to search and ours was searched. The guards were very courteous and polite during the search and we were though the gates within 5 mins. Both light houses are interesting and worth visiting if you are in the area.

Tim Lynch reviewing photos

Wachapreague Sunrise

Had a great morning at Wachapreague VA, we had a gorgeous sunrise this morning.  Used an app called the Photographer's Ephemeris - Skyfire to predict the quality of the sunrise and it was dead on. I love this app for planning and setting up sunrise, sunset and night time photos.

Brown Pelicans - Fishermans Island VA

Bonnie Sue - Wachapreague VA

Another Sunrise on the Bonnie Sue

The wooden charter boat Bonnie Sue has been a constant at Wachapreague VA built by G L TURNER in 1947 the boat is 34 ft long. Captain Bobby Turner and the Bonnie Sue have bottom fished in the '40s and early '50s, ran offshore for tuna and marlin in the '50s and '60s  and now fishes inshore waters where they still fish today.

I wasn't able to find a whole lot of information on the details of the wood construction but I would love to know more.

Osprey - Magothy River

I can't remember when I have seen so many Osprey these days they seem like they are on every day-marker. I had the opportunity to watch these birds for about an hour from the boat. Osprey populations declined drastically in many areas in the 1950s and 1960s; this appeared to be in part due to the toxic effects of insecticides such as DDT on reproduction. The pesticide interfered with the bird's calcium metabolism which resulted in thin-shelled, easily broken or infertile eggs. Possibly because of the banning of DDT in many countries in the early 1970s, together with reduced persecution, the osprey, as well as other affected bird of prey species, have made significant recoveries.