On The Road Again - Ives Run Campground - Ospreys

Finally, after what was planned to be a 6 to 7 week layover in New Hampshire that turned out to be a 13 week layover (see previous post), we are on the road again.  We left New Hampshire on August 9th and stayed at Saratoga Springs Casino in New York (see map below).  Most casinos allow free overnight parking for RV's.  The 10th we stayed at Tioga Downs Casino in Nichols, NY and from there we went to  Ives Run Campground and Recreation Area which is an Army Corps Of Engineers campground near Mansfield, PA.  We stayed there for 8 days.  From there we traveled  to Tionesta Recreation Area in Tionesta, PA (also a Corps Of Engineers campground) which is where we are now We will be here for a week and will post pictures of this place in a couple days. 

The following photos are from around the Ives Run Campground in Tioga, PA (Mansfield, PA area)

Our Campsite (Hammond Lake In Background) - no hookups but between the solar panels and the generator we were fine.

View Of The Campground

View Of The Campground

View Of The Campground From The Boat Landing

The Boat Landing

The Dam 

The Swimming Area

A mating pair of ospreys not far from our campsite - note the fish in the talons of the osprey on the right.  The osprey on the pole was vocalizing very loudly warning the incoming osprey of our presence.  The incoming osprey left with the fish and didn't return until we left the area.

The same osprey with the fish as she departed

Watching us like a hawk (maybe like an osprey)

Bumble Bees On A Thistle

Purple Loosestrife

Some kind of purple thistle - couldn't identify

Yellow Jewel Weed With Seed Pod

Eufaula Wildlife Refuge #3 - Ospreys - Alligators

We went to the 3rd section of the Eufaula Wildlife Refuge Friday and liked it so much we went back Saturday.  The first four photos are of a mating pair of ospreys that didn't want us near their nest (which was on top of a 60 ft. pole) and circled us the whole time we were in the area.  The female finally went back to the nest when we got about 75 yards away.

There are about a dozen birds and a couple alligators (way down the road)  in this photo (unfortunately I had the telephoto lens on the camera instead of the regular kit lens so the background is blurred) but this gives you an idea of the abundance of wildlife here

Typical road through the refuge

Common Egret

Common Egret

This guy was huge - I would estimate 13 to 14 feet - I got uncomfortably close to get this photo - this is probably the biggest alligator we have seen - we saw him again on the way out of the refuge

A flock of American Coots that decided to leave when we got near

Baby alligator with its characteristic yellow stripes

About an 8 footer

Common Egret - these birds are quite large - they are about 32" tall with a 55" wingspan

About a 6 footer

A group of egrets

More egrets facing into the wind prepared for takeoff if we got too close

Another alligator

A different view - head from the rear

This is often all you see

White Ibis

Cottontail rabbit hiding from us

10 foot alligator hiding under a lily pad

Great Blue Heron from the rear - I tried to get a good picture of one of these (there were lots of them) but they are very skittish and getting a photo is difficult - they are quite large - they average 38" tall with a 70" wingspan

The entrance to the refuge and our truck under the Spanish moss