A few miles from where our eldest daughter lives in Nashville, among richly forested hillsides, lies Radnor Lake. With its abundance of wildlife, firm pathways, and many marked woodland trails, it is a marvellous place to walk at any time of year. Especially marvellous with four excited grandkids for company. And so it happened that on the Sunday morning of Labor Day weekend, before church, we set out on a mini adventure.

“What’s that?’ Charlotte said as we made our way from the car park on the path that led to the lake. I had seen nothing, too busy ensuring that the camera settings were correct. She pointed upwards to the left of the path. And there about 10 metres away sat a beautiful Red-tailed Hawk, totally untroubled by our presence. He posed long enough for me to take his portrait before with a languid flap of his wings he glided further into the forest. What a start to our hunt for wildlife!

A few moments later excited chatter from the girls indicated another precious find: a turtle (they are called Pond Sliders) enjoying the heat of the morning sun.

A Red-eared Pond Slider basking in the morning sun.

More turtles followed, taking advantage of handy logs to slip in and out of the water. These Red-eared Pond Sliders are the most popular pet turtle in the United States. Cries of “They’re so cute! Can I take one home?” were studiously ignored by all adults present and thankfully our walk continued along the southern shore of the lake as another discovery was made. A slim, elegant Double-crested Cormorant posed in the strengthening sunlight, drying rapidly after a successful fish breakfast.

My eye was drawn to a commotion out in the middle of the lake. The 200-600 lens was just enough to capture what was going on: another cormorant wrestling with a large fish.

In the hope that I might make it to Radnor I had decided to bring my biggest lens with me. In order to make this possible we had to share our hand luggage and so my long-suffering wife carried the large, heavy lens bag on and off four flights!

By this time the heat was beginning to make its presence felt and for most the adventure gave way to the thought of shade and cold drinks, leaving five adults to complete the circuit of the lake. In order to get to church on time we had to pick up the pace, which isn’t conducive for spotting wildlife, but we still managed some good sightings.

A pair of Wood Duck were preening themselves on a tree that had tilted to an alarming angle across the water. Then a chip monk scuttled into a patch of sunlight as we moved away from the lakeside. This was followed by a flock of Wild Turkeys, always a fun sight.

Finally, as the path wound back down to the lake side, a special moment: a Great Blue Heron standing tall close to the water’s edge,

I decided to return on my own very early the following morning, in the hope of seeing the Bald Eagles that nest at Radnor. The promised unbroken sunshine failed to materialise, replaced by murky, misty conditions. As I stepped out of the taxi I wondered if I had been guilty of poor judgement, especially as I immediately discovered there was no phone signal in the woods. How was I going to order a taxi back to the hotel?

Much to my relief, as I got closer to the lake the signal returned and so I could focus on making the most of the couple of hours before having to go back.

I wasn’t the only photographer hoping to capture something special. Many of the locals were out, all of them very friendly and willing to share tips and sightings with a stranger. “There’s a hawk just ahead on the left” one lady told me as she continued her photo walk. “There’s an otter’s den on the bank under there” said another, camera poised. And sure enough a splash confirmed it as an otter swam into view.

A bird I had never seen before sped across the lake. I managed a few photos and then asked another photographer what it was. “It’s a Killdeer”, he told me after viewing the image on the back of my camera.

And so it continued. “I’m trying to photograph the mink - did you hear them?” So that’s what all the rustling was along the bank. “Last week a young lad photographed a polecat taking a duck.” “The eagles were up yesterday but I haven’t seen them.”

A little boy shouted excitedly to his parents, “Look, it’s a hummingbird.” The blessing of young eyes once again! I waited until they passed me on the path and looked for myself. Sure enough, a Ruby-throated Hummingbird was flitting in its staccato fashion through the branches searching for the last of the summer nectar.

Wildlife photography demands many qualities. One is the ability to wait. Another is being ready. Many minutes would go by when there was nothing to see. Then suddenly a Green Heron was flying across the lake almost directly towards me, giving me only a second or two to raise the camera, focus, compose and take a few exposures before it disappeared into the undergrowth at the water’s edge. Fortunately it chose a branch close by for its perch and I was able to photograph it framed by the leaves.

The Green Heron reminds me for all the world of a punk rocker! At 600mm, ISO 6000, 1/640 sec at f6.3.

Some White Tailed Deer emerged from the forest for a drink.

The light was challengingly low. As a landscape photographer I am never comfortable photographing at more than ISO 800 but that was certainly not going to work here., especially for birds in flight. So for only the second time in my life I set the camera to ISO AUTO and concentrated on choosing the best shutter speed for the particular photo. I was amazed to discover that even at ISO 6000 the photo of the Green Heron was so sharp and clean.

Opposite me across the lake I noticed that some deer had emerged from the forest for a drink. In addition, a smaller bird was creating a great deal of noise with its piercing chatter. So I added the 1.4 converter to the 200-600 lens to see if with a reach of 840mm I could make some distant photos. Photographing the White Tailed deer was relatively straitforward, but the noisy bird took a little more work. Seeing it through the lens I realised that it was a Belted Kingfisher, another variety we don’t have in Ireland and a first sighting for me.

A flock of Green-winged Teal (I think!) at the opposite side of the lake. ISO12800, 840mm, 1/1250 sec at f9

All the time I was scanning the far bank for sightings of the Bald Eagles. Sadly none appeared. It was hard to feel disappointed after so many wildlife encounters. And I hope to be back!

The Bald Eagles of Radnor, photographed on a previous visit.

My thoughts were starting to turn to lunch and finding transport back when, reaching the end of lakeside trail I looked up and saw a large group of black vultures perched in the tree above my head. I decided to head for the carpark before their minds turned to lunch!

A Walk on the Wild Side: Radnor Lake

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A Walk on the Wild Side: Radnor Lake

Aurora

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