Sky Meadows Nature

Sky Meadows State park, in Delaplane, Virginia, is famous for it's view of the sky. Every few months, astronomers gather there with their huge telescopes to see far-away stars and planets, and lots of people come to get a view through their telescopes. These are called "Star parties", and if you like space, you may want to attend one. Here is a link to their schedule: http://www.novac.com/wp/observing/sky-meadows/

My family and I were attending on the September 19 evening. But I had heard that the rare Red-headed Woodpeckers live in the park, so we came early to catch a glimpse of one. It didn't take long for us to find the Woodpeckers. They were pecking on the dead trees, trying to remain inconspicuous. We had a great view with the binoculars, but my camera couldn't zoom far enough to take a good picture. As we were watching the woodpeckers on the roadside, I saw a beautiful insect, (maybe a praying mantis) land next to me. Here is a picture of it.

The insect remained on the roadside for a while. But then a car came. The insect took flight, but it was too late. It got a few feet of the ground, but then it was rolled over and killed. I saw it all happen. I should have moved it off the road. Later I saw other mantis that were killed by cars. Cars really are destroying the environment. Walking is better than driving.

A little later, I thought of a way to get a zoomed-in picture of the Red-headed Woodpecker. I would take a picture of it through the binocular lens! I did that, and here is a picture I got of the woodpecker:

Right now I am trying to earn money to get a nikon D3200 with a 55-300mm lens. When I get it, I will really be able to take some good pictures!

Sky meadows is an awesome park, and their small admission fee is really worth it. To learn more about the park, please visit http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/sky-meadows.shtml#general_information

Happy birding!