Lake reflections - Birdsboro Reservoir

Lake reflections, originally uploaded by Berks_Awhile.

Birdsboro Reservoir is part of the Hay Creek Watershed.

The area offers a variety of recreation fun and is located along the Hay Creek and old (and closed) SR82.

Besides my favorites, photography and nature watching, fishing, hiking, biking, horseback riding, even a rock climbing wall are some of the activities.

Birdsboro Reservoir (First Spring)

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Birdsboro Reservoir, originally uploaded by Berks_Awhile.

Late afternoon at the Hay Creek Watershed was the remedy for a severe case of Spring fever. Sunny and temp around 75 amounts to perfect weather.

It felt great after a relatively inactive winter for Max and I to get out and take a photo walk. Two hours and over two miles in the park flew by as we saw all the usual sights.

The shoulders along old SR82 were cut short so very little activity there, at least above the surface.

The discharge from Birdsboro Reservoir was charging in it's path along the road. Nice sunlit shots were abundant.

Breezes at the reservoir added texture to the surface and abstracted the reflections.

The canal was deep and clear. A few frogs and a snake made an appearance as well an underwater salamander.

The Hay Creek was rushing full force and it was apparent it has receded from it's highest water for the shore lines were matted down from the past heavy and moving waters.

On our way out we passed about 20 people walking in to enjoy the weather and sights of the park.

Hay Creek - Tiger Swallowtail

tiger swallowtail, originally uploaded by Berks_Awhile.

A near-perfect weather morning was all the encouragement I needed to get out for a photo walk with Max.

A little too late for sunrise and morning mist, but just right for the morning magic hour lighting.

Max and I walked the mile to Birdsboro Reservoir and lapped it. Still waters with vivid reflections were at every angle.

After the reservoir we headed down to the little dam on Hay Creek for some potential stream subject matter.

Joe-pye weeds (as pictured) align Hay Creek Road which is a favorite of butterflies and insects, but in the morning the road is shaded by the hills so not the best for photography. However, along the canal and by the stream were lots of sun lit joe-pyes loaded with butterflies.

Two hours flew by with just a little over 2 miles covered.

Birdsboro Reservoir (Spring Afternoon)

Birdsboro Reservoir, originally uploaded by Berks_Awhile.

An afternoon photo walk with Max was long overdue and the Hay Creek Watershed was the perfect venue.

It was 74, sunny, and nearly bug-free. The lighting was rich, as you'd expect for about 6 PM.

I parked at the gate on Hay Creek Rd (aka SR82) and we walked about 1 mile to the Birdsboro Reservoir. The lake was calm and reflective. Little swallows were buzzing the surface feeding on the surface flies.

The road's shoulders that were cut back last year are growing back too so I expect to see more macro opportunities this summer and fall.

Throughout our walk we passed mountain bikers, hikers, and fishermen.

Birsboro Reservoir (Fall Colors)

Birdsboro Reservoir, originally uploaded by Berks_Awhile.

Max and I ventured out on an overcast afternoon.

Lighting was waning so I shot most shots with shutter priority setting between 1/30 and 1/60 of a second for trail shots deliberately underexposing them.

I estimate that only 20% of the deciduous trees were in color.

Temps were a fall-like 50, and the round trip walk is about 2 miles.

Birdsboro Reservoir (Afternoon Photo Walk)

Max and I spent a warm and sunny afternoon walking to the Birdsboro Reservoir. A few cars were parked at the SR82 dead end, which was more then I expected. Usually afternoons are really quiet.

Blue skies and puffy white clouds made picturesque landscapes. A steady breeze left ripples on the reservoir for dramatic reflections.

The shoulder along old SR82 was uneventful for most of the habitat and food for insects was mowed down last month. One Yellow Swallowtail butterfly was around, but not the dozens I expected. I only saw a couple milkweed plants too, not nearly the numbers that I remember. It will surely grow back, but might take a year or two.

I still enjoyed the outing even though the macro-world was lacking.

Hay Creek Watershed (Birdsboro Reservoir)

Another beautiful night for a walk (73 & sunny). By 6:30 along the old SR82, the road is completely shaded by the mountain and trees so photo ops were limited.

A secondary reason why there were few macro subjects was because the shoulders were mowed back about 4 feet. This was prime insect habitat or weeds depending on your perspective.

The Birdsboro Reservoir was calm and near mirror-like reflections were at every angle. Lighting is always tricky around the lake, for the skies are so much brighter then the trees causing high contrast situations.

Hay Creek Watershed (Birdsboro Reservoir - AM Splendor)

After a rain out Friday evening, I was still determined to make it to Hay Creek Watershed this weekend. On Sunday morning at 8:30 AM the road (old SR82) was shaded by the hill, so the focus was on catching the AM lighting on the Birdsboro Reservoir.

I love the road that leads up to the reservoir in the morning for the light rays are beaming through the canopy spotlighting the road and backlighting the mature trees.

It was so peaceful and spiritual befitting of a Sunday morning. After lapping the lake we walked back along the canal to the small dam, then climbed through the woods trail to old 82.

Birdsboro Reservoir (Spring Green!)

Max and I headed out early for the forecast was for a hot day. It was mild, 50F, (headed for 85F), and still cloudy at 8AM when we arrived.

A handful of vehicles were there, mainly trout fishermen, but we did see a biker and a couple hikers though.

It has been several months since the last visit so the first glance at the mirror-like reflections when we crest the hill at Birdsboro Reservoir, invokes a happy sigh.

Max was thrilled too, to be outside walking and to be sniffing new scents. As we lapped the reservoir, the clouds passed and the sun became exposed. This created some depth to the scenes that I was photographing with flat light just a few minutes before.

It was a short 1:15 outing, but still a great morning nature fix.

Hay Creek Watershed was fresh on my mind since talking with Meredith Chalfant, the Executive Director, at the Reading Earth Day celebration last weekend. Fresh updates to their site keep the public informed about the honorable conservation efforts they are working towards.

Birdsboro Reservoir (Hay Creek Watershed)

I've been anxious to get back to the Birdsboro Reservoir and to see the streams and springs along the way to the lake. The shoulders of the dead end on SR82 were full of parked cars.

It was a mild 33 and sunny, so I expected some dark shadows. Compensating for shadows is a constant challenge to photographers.

Camera light meters can be programmed in different ways, but their main intent is to interpret the available light and calculate the best aperture and shutter settings to achieve a neutral gray light situation.

Many cameras today have preset compensation settings for sun, snow, and dark scenes. I will adjust using EV+/- to override the light meter and bracket too for insurance.

The Birdsboro Reservoir Lake was semi-frozen and a steady breeze kept the water surface moving.

Going to the Dogs
I do love visiting this area for the natural beauty, but I am less then thrilled by some of my fellow dog owners. They indiscriminately allow their dogs to drop in the road. Many are off their leashes and charge up to people and dogs to get a closer look, smell or even confrontation. I expect that this irresponsible ownership will lead to some not-so-dog-friendly rules.

Birdsboro Waters (Hay Creek Watershed) COLD!

Following the Saturday snow dusting, I wanted to see some snow on the shores of the Birdsboro Reservoir. The parking on SR82 was not maintained and packed down hard and slippery from recent traffic.

The road back to the lakes was snow covered. Max did pretty good initially, but by the end he was ready to get out of the cold and get to his blanket and seat warmer.

The lighting was beautiful, but conditions uncomfortable with a 29 air temp and 20+MPH wind gusts. Skies of blue with puffy white clouds were as much the subject as the water. No mirror-like reflections due to the constant wind, but the sky color was still present in the layers of little waves.

In my minds eye, the lighting looked spectacular, to the camera's eye it became confused. Nearly every shot had to be overridden to overexpose or underexpose due to the bright snow, dark shadow and trees and super bright sky. Many of the shots with the best potential needed a tweak in Kodak's Easyshare to reflect how I remembered them. The best advice for these lighting conditions is bracket and experiment. The keepers are well worth the additional editing.

Birdsboro Waters (Hay Creek Watershed)

It was a dreary looking afternoon at the Birdsboro Waters (Hay Creek Watershed), but the lack of blue skies and sun was not a hindrance to a great photo outing. The sky reminded me of light box for it's bright gray color and back lighting effect.

The shoulder of the road lacked the colorful flora and insects that were so prevalent just a month or two ago, but still had plenty of plants just in a different stage of their life cycle. The milkweed makes a great macro with all its wispy tailed seeds. Some of the fall leaves looked like they were individually lit.

Coincidentally it was the first day of anterless deer season for archers so the parking area was full of vehicles. I have never seen a deer, but plenty of their trails exist. In the fall, I wear a red fleece jacket for added visibility. Max has his bright blue harness.

The road to the Birdsboro Reservoir was lined with brightly colored leaves. The lake was calm, reflective and quiet accept for a noisy Kingfisher buzzing the water surface repeatedly.

From 4:00-5:30PM and a mild 55 degrees.

Birdsboro Waters (Hay Creek Watershed)

The old route 82 parking area looks rough and uninviting as usual. Past the fence is the "gauntlet of poo" for every dog needs to relieve themselves in the first 300 yards right in the road. Tread lightly and keep your head down. It's a very popular place for dog walking.

The Birdsboro Waters, part of Hopewell Big Woods and the Hay Creek Road and Watershed area, never disappoints. Such variety of photo subject matter as well the natural beauty make this a regular stop for a Photo/Nature Walk.

The shoulder of the road is where the photo action is today. Wildflowers and insect activity abound. Birding is possible, but not so good with a dog though.

Milkweed infested with bright orange Milkweed Bugs caught my eye. The Milkweed Bugs lived on the pod while the Tiger Caterpillars feasted on the leaves. Goldenrods were plentiful and populated with Locust Borer insects.

Today's journey included a walk down SR82, a lap around the Birdsboro Reservoir. When I crest the hill and get the first glimpse of the Birdsboro Reservoir I feel fortunate to live so close to this special place. Two groups of four horseback riders enjoyed the lake. The return trip was along the canal. I estimate about 2 miles for I've done this route many time with the pedometer. It's a fickle little tool and wasn't working this trip.

11AM-12:30, 65 degrees and sunny, camera, water bottle, t-shirt, shorts & hiking boots.