“May you approach this season with gratitude and with a deeply rooted hope that every day will teach you something that is an integral part of your growth.” – Morgan Harper Nichols.
nature
On The Lookout
Five-hundred feet above the Hudson River, a pair of Peregrine Falcons share a perch at State Line Lookout State Park in New Jersey today.
The female, pictured here, is larger than the male in this species.
Peregrine Falcons are the fastest animals on earth. They can descend at speeds of up to 200 MPH.
Bald Eagles and Peregrine Falcons offer a story of hope for us as they have made a great comeback after the use of the pesticide DDT was banned in 1972.
Fall hawk migration is now under way. Thousands of hawks like this Red-tailed Hawk are now heading south for the winter.
“You can never have enough nature.” – Henry David Thoreau
Montauk’s Lighthouse
Commissioned by George Washington, Long Island’s Montauk Lighthouse has endured wind and water for close to 250 years.
“Everything that is brittle shatters; everything that is cynical rots. The only way to endure is to forgive, over and over, to give back that openness and possibility for new beginning which is the very essence of love itself.” – Cynthia Bourgeault
Shine On
“Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.” – Anthony J. D’Angelo
Inwood Hill Park
At the north end of Manhattan, a young Harbor Seal has become a local celebrity at Inwood Hill Park this summer, attracting small crowds of awed onlookers. Yesterday, we respected the seal’s privacy by speaking in hushed voices while we watched. 
The seal seems very much at home as it lounges on rocks while gazing toward the upcoming sunset.
After an uphill walk into the nearby woods, after sunset, our group was able to spot this Eastern Screech-Owl, seemingly mesmerized by the light of a flashlight. Far more often heard than seen, we were lucky to have done both.
Like Clouds & Snowflakes
No two sunsets are ever the same. Here are the ones we watched in Westerly, Rhode Island this past weekend.
“Whatever is true, whatever is good, and whatever is beautiful in nature and in human culture participates in Him, reflects Him, and finally leads back to Him.” – Bishop Robert Barron
Fuzzy Plover
A Piping Plover chick at Milford Point in Connecticut this weekend. The parents don’t feed the Plover chicks. Instead, the chicks hop out of the nest and forage for food themselves.
A Semipalmated Plover catches the late afternoon sun at Napatree Point Conservation Area in Westerly, Rhode Island on Friday.
Sunset at Little Narragansett Bay in Westerly.
“Never lose an opportunity to see anything beautiful, for beauty is God’s handwriting.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Western Beauties
Sunrise at Utah’s Bryce Canyon National Park. The colorful and steep cliffs at Zion National Park are the result of millions of years of force upon layers of sandstone by wind, ice and the flowing Virgin River.
The view from Grand Canyon’s North Rim in Arizona
The entrance to Zion National Park from the east – where sweeping rock meets billowing clouds.
“Nature is a painting for us, day after day, pictures of infinite beauty.” – John Ruskin
Night Sky at Bryce
Far from any light pollution, Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah is a sanctuary for natural darkness. The Milky Way and thousands of stars are visible but the camera, coupled with a long exposure, captures even more stars than we can see. The tree on the left points to the planet Jupiter in this photo taken on a moonless night last week.
“Metaphor for the night sky: A trillion asterisks with no explanation.” – Robert Brault
