What a Day of Baseball!

Some days when you’re behind the camera you just don’t know what you’re going to see. Today I got charged by a groundhog, witnessed incredible wind gusts, saw an acrobatic catch over the outfield fence, and photographed the East Stroudsburg Warriors’ Baseball Team sweep a doubleheader against Lock Haven!

The bullpen catcher, during the game, said, “Here he comes.” A groundhog charged his way from the outfield, down the line toward me, jumped over a piece of trash, ran along the dugout, behind home plate, and slipped under the visitor’s dugout! The rodent stole the show and gained the attention of the amused fans, players, and umpires for a few moments!

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The wind gusts stopped the game momentarily at one point so the players could regain their visibility.

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A defensive play in left field was a game-saver. Left Fielder, Casey Saverio, went back to his right, on a long-hit ball deep into the outfield. It looked like the ball was going to clear the fence and be a homerun, but Saverio leaped up and snagged the ball out of the air as he toppled over the top of the fence! It was an absolutely incredible play! And there was still more to come!

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Both games of the doubleheader were well played by the Warriors. Strong pitching, consistent defense, and aggressive bats made the difference, and resulted in the two victories.

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All-in-all, it was quite a day of baseball at ESU!

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Dragonflies and a Groundhog

Today I was photographing in Merkle Wildlife Sanctuary, which is located in Marlboro, Maryland. Denise and Lydia were at Six Flags, Maryland, but since I am not one who enjoys amusement parks, I was encouraged to leave them alone. It was hot; real hot!

The dragonflies didn’t mind the heat at all. They were flying around, chasing each other, and once in a while landed on a stalk of grass. I was not able to catch any in-air flights, but I did get a lot of photos of the dragonflies.

Later on I found a groundhog where I first saw a nice den. These critters can do an awful lot of damage to farm equipment like wagons when a wheel is swallowed up by one of these dens. Here at the wildlife sanctuary the groundhog is left alone and allowed to keep his deep-holed den. I first spotted him when I was quite a ways from him–maybe about 30 yards. I slowly, ever so slowly and casually, move quietly closer. One slow step after the other brought me closer and closer. I don’t know if wearing my camo shirt helped or not, but he didn’t move as I inched closer. This groundhog seemed like a model of sorts as it was positioned on his haunches looking around.

Here are some photos I captured today.

Wet Groundhog

Staying with my theme that you never know what  you might see out in the wild, here is a photograph of a very wet groundhog I saw last month in Elk County. I was photographing the turkey when I happened to see this little dude looking for some food. It was comical to me. He was running around and looked almost like a drenched rat. He found plenty to eat though!

Groundhogs were a nuisance back where I grew up in Lancaster County. They like to burrow and they make large holes in the fields. Farmers do not readily see these large holes and can damage a hay wagon or other machinery when  a wheel drops down in one. A broken wheel or axle and an angry farmer is not a pretty sight for a groundhog!

This little guy was not creating much damage, at least on this day. He was just out in the rain looking for food. Again, I wish I had a larger zoom lens to fill the frame more, but at least this shot reminds me of that day and the wet groundhog!