Blog

The official photo blog of J. David Buerk Photography.

Devil’s Nose, WV - August, 2022

Toward the end of Summer 2022 I hiked Sleepy Creek Wildlife Management Area’s Devil’s Nose in Hedgesville, West Virginia.  It’s certainly not the longest, tallest, or most intensive hikes I’ve ever embarked upon, but it leads to a panoramic outcropping of rock with views of the mountains all around.  The hike starts with a stream crossing, and zags up the mountain carrying you past each layer of forest ecology.

I was lucky enough to be rewarded with a few pictures of myself on the hike.

Smithsonian National Zoological Park: August, 2016

Continuing with my focus on closing out personal projects from 2016, here are photos from a trip to the National Zoo.  This was only the second time I've been to DC's Zoo (I've been to the St. Louis Zoo many times), and I actually barely remember my first time, which was in middle school. The only thing I remember from that field trip was we had to do some lame scavenger hunt, and we finished at the prairie dogs before getting back onto the bus.  This trip was much more enjoyable, however I STILL have not seen a panda, and this trip was on Bao Bao, Bei Bei, and Tian Tian's birthday; I saw the cake but not the pandas!  Same goes for the elephants; the exhibit was completely open, but the elephants were nowhere to be found.

I thought the most fascinating birds were the Roseate spoonbills, which apparently are very common in Central America, and into parts of the US' Gulf Coast.  These guys were not very intimidated and would freely walk close by.