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Who is PicsByPoppy?

Poppy, who I am affectionately called by my granddaughter Shanna, is me, Jay Whipple. I am in my 50's and happily married with five daughters and one granddaughter from our blended family. I became interested in photography just a handful of years ago, much later in life than many but my passion is strong. I started out experimenting with scenic mountain shots, landscapes, flowers, and anything nature as being outside is where I am happiest. 

PicsByPoppy is more than me, it is also my wife, Kathy. She is my partner and fellow nature lover, and we love getting out on our ’Nature Adventures’ as often as we can.  Through many of our quick outings, we became drawn to seeing and photographing wildlife. Once we started that venture, I became hooked on photographing birds, shorebirds, raptors, and wading birds. My wife and I visit local area parks, refuges, and any wetlands area we can find. On occasion, we can slip away to visit more distant destinations for our nature adventures.  My wife stays comfortable behind her binoculars, spotting, and scoping as I dial in on these beautiful animals and try to capture all that I can. I am still early in this hobby and because working full-time and taking care of our family take precedence over our passion, outings come anytime we can squeeze them in.

Through this hobby and passion, my wife and I have found that getting out and experiencing the beauty of nature, we have not only connected with each other in a new way, but we have also learned to genuinely appreciate what this wonderful world has to offer.

Where We Like to Enjoy Our Nature Adventures

My wife, family and I have lived on the east coast nearly all our lives and currently live in southern Maryland.  Being on the east coast, and close to the Atlantic, Maryland and the surrounding areas have many refuges and other water areas that our favorite subjects, birds typically visit throughout the year.  So, we try and get out as often as possible and visit our natural sanctuaries.

Our favorite backyard and local spots

Huntley Meadows Park, Alexandria Virginia

This gem of a wetlands is right in the middle of the city of Alexandria, Virginia, not as well-known as it should be by most Alexandrians. The largest park run by the Fairfax County Park Authority, 1,500 acres (about twice the area of Central Park in New York City), Huntley Meadows is in the Hybla Valley area of Fairfax County, Virginia, just south of the city of Alexandria. The park features a visitor center, a beaver-created wetland with a boardwalk, wildlife observation platforms, and an interpretative trail system. The park is home to abundant wildlife and is known for attracting many birds, amphibians, and plants that are considered less common in the region.

When my wife and I lived in Alexandria, Virginia, we visited this amazing wetland as often as we could.  The boardwalks that run throughout the wetlands allow for easy access to the abundant wildlife and there is activity year-round.  In our visits, we have seen wading birds like great blue herons, great egrets, green herons and night herons.  Raptors are typically in high numbers as well, including osprey, bald eagles, kingfishers, marlins and a variety of hawks.  More of our feathered friends include a large population of ducks like mallards, hooded mergansers, wood ducks, green-winged teal, and black ducks.  Then there is also a variety of songbirds and woodpeckers.  On a visit you could see flycatchers, warblers, swallows, wrens, red-bellied and red-headed woodpeckers, pileated woodpeckers and a variety of migrating birds.  Of course, you can’t forget our amphibian and reptile friends including snapping turtles, green tree frogs, bull frogs and a variety of snakes.

Huntley Meadows is paradise of tranquility hidden in city of Alexandria and we highly recommend planning a visit if you can.

Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge

For our quick trips, Bombay Hook is still our absolute favorite refuge to visit. With the many roads and paths, great viewing of wildlife and year-round wildlife activities, visits to this nature paradise never disappoint.

The Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge is a 16,000-acre National Wildlife Refuge found along the eastern coast of Kent County, Delaware, United States, on Delaware Bay. It was established on March 16, 1937, as a refuge and breeding ground for migratory and wintering waterfowl along the Atlantic Flyway.

Today, the refuge protects wildlife of all kinds, with emphasis on all migratory birds. The refuge also has the Allee House, a pre-revolutionary war farmhouse on the National Register of Historic Places. It is a stop on Delaware's Coastal Heritage Greenway.

Conowingo Damn

The Conowingo Dam is a large hydroelectric dam in the lower Susquehanna River near the town of Conowingo, Maryland. The medium-height, masonry gravity dam is one of the largest non-federal hydroelectric dams in the U.S., and the largest dam in the state of Maryland.

For photographers and wildlife lovers, the dam is most well-known for its visiting bald eagle population.  Bald eagles are at the dam year-round but are in greatest numbers during the colder months when they come down from the north in numbers when northern waters freeze.  Additionally, the dam does regular releases of water and when they do, the fish that come through the dam are ‘stunned’ creating a feeding frenzy for the eagles.  The flight show they put on is amazing to see. The eagles display constant dives of snatch and grab for fish, aerial battles with each other over a caught fish, regular fly byes, and perched consumption of their captured prey.

I highly recommend visiting this place if you are ever in the area. For more information on visiting Conowingo Dam for eagle and wildlife viewing, please visit this article.

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens

A National Park Service site found in the northeastern corner of Washington, D.C., and near the Maryland state border. Nestled near the banks of the Anacostia River and directly west of the Baltimore–Washington Parkway, Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens preserves a plethora of rare waterlilies and lotuses in the cultivated ponds near the river. The park also has the Kenilworth Marsh, the largest remaining tidal marsh in Washington, D.C., and an adjacent recreational area.

During the Summer months, the bird activity at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens is in good numbers. The main draw to this paradise in the middle of Anacostia are the Lotus blooms.  Fields and fields of these flowers are in bloom throughout the Summer, and it is an amazing site to see.  Another highly recommended place to visit to take in another one of nature's beauties.

Other Distant Places We Love to Visit

Airlie Gardens, Wilmington North Carolina

My wife and I discovered this gem of a garden when exploring parts of North Carolina during our nature get-a-way trips more than 5 years ago.  The natural beauty of this sanctuary cannot be overstated.  You can explore 67 acres of formal gardens, wildlife, ten acres of lakes, more than 75,000 azaleas, the tall Airlie Oak which dates to 1545, and the seasonal butterfly house.  You can walk the trails or ride a tram to discover landscapes where something is always in bloom.

Whenever my wife and I make it down to North Carolina, we never miss at least one trip to this amazing place.  We highly recommend paying Airlie Gardens a visit if you ever get the chance.

Oriental, North Carolina

Back, before my wife and I started on our nature adventures, a friend of ours told us of Oriental North Carolina.  Offering her condo for a quick trip, we took her up on it and have never regretted it since.  The slow paced, peaceful nature of the area, along with the genuine, kind residents of the town, Oriental is truly a wonderful place to visit.

Oriental, the sailing capital of North Carolina where there are more sail boats per capita than people, is an amazing place to visit.  From relaxing by the water, cruising on a fishing charter on the Neuse River, taking the family on a paddling adventure, having a delicious meal at the many local restaurants or just enjoying a relaxing bike ride around the town, Oriental offers many activities and things to do for fun and relaxation.  Oriental is also the location for the annual Croakerfest event held on the first weekend in July every year.  They have arts and crafts, food and fun, and a parade is held on Saturday of the event weekend.  Our family had the pleasure of experiencing this event and even took part in the annual parade.  Our girls had a wonderful time, and we will never forget our Oriental North Carolina Croakerfest experience.

Ocracoke, Noth Carolina

With our many trips to North Carolina, we decided to take our first trip out to Ocracoke Island back in 2017.  My wife Kathy loves ferry rides and the 2-hour 15-minute ride from Cedar Island to Ocracoke was reason enough to go in her mind.  The beaches, the birding, the natural trails, shelling, the Ocracoke Lighthouse and all the surrounding areas offered my wife and I so much to do.

Our favorite trip was when we stayed at Captain’s Landing Waterfront Inn, centrally located in the heart of Silver Lake Harbor.  We met some new friends staying at the inn as well, having their yearly Ocracoke fishing trip.  A group of older gentlemen that were so friendly and kind, and they made our trip all the better as we hung out and shared stories, laughs and yummy shrimp caught on their boat.  Nothing beats good people, beautiful weather, shared laughs, and delicious food.

Since our first trip to Ocracoke to our last, we have enjoyed all that Ocracoke Island has to offer.

Wrightsville Beach, Wilmington North Carolina

On one of our trips to Airlie Gardens, we met a fellow photographer that told us of the nesting birds that roost at Wrightsville Beach every Spring.  Beach-nesting species make their long journeys from their wintering grounds in South America and the Caribbean, venturing all the way to the North Carolina Atlantic seaboard.  At Wrightsville Beach you can see nesting and breeding activities of Least Terns, Black Skimmers, American Oystercatchers, Common Terns and Willets.

Since Airlie Gardens is a stone’s throw from Wrightsville Beach, we decided to check out the nesting activity at Wrightsville Beach the very next day.  It was not a disappointment.  We spent hours watching the nesting behaviors of the many bird species at this sanctuary.  We saw courting behaviors, nest building, bird species hunting for fish, parents rearing their young, fish play and other bird activities.  We have been back to this sanctuary many times since and our visits are always a wonderful nature experience.

Alligator Farm, St. Augustine Florida

Few places offer the type of bird activity and photography opportunities that you will find at the St Augustine Alligator Farm.  Why I have nick named it a ‘Photographer’s Portrait Paradise’.  During the Spring months, from late March through late May, Alligator Farm is busy with hundreds of visiting birds that are there to nest, court, breed and raise their young.  Birds have been coming to Alligator Farm for decades as it is a safe place to raise their young.  The place provides a safe sanctuary due to the large population of alligators that give this farm its obviously named title.

During our first visit to Alligator Farm, I obtained a photographer’s pass which allowed me to enter the park an hour prior to general public admission.  From outside the park, you could hear the raucous cacophony from hundreds of birds and chicks that greet you once you have entered the park and wind your way through, along the boardwalk to the rookery.  What amazed me most was how accustomed to the people the birds are and how, in some cases, birds were just an arm’s length from me as I took captures of their activity.  Initially, I had a hard time taking pictures because the activity was constant and everywhere, and I was a bit overwhelmed, not sure where to start.

In the end, it was an amazing visit and I walked out of Alligator Farm with my camera storage card full of images and many smiles on me and my family members faces.  We will definitely be coming back to this bird and alligator paradise.

Venice Audubon Rookery Park, Venice Florida

While at J.N. Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge with my wife on our first trip to Sanibel, I heard from a fellow photographer about this bird rookery in Venice, Florida and how we had to pay a visit while we were in Florida.  Not needing much encouragement, Kathy and I planned the very next day a quick trip up to Venice to see what the rookery was all about.

An easily accessible roosting and resting area for a variety of wading birds, the Venice Audubon Rookery Park is great for families and for those who like to sit and watch as nature unfolds in front of you. Offering a covered pavilion for shade and plenty of pond-side grassy areas for lawn chairs, this small site has become a mecca for bird photography. During nesting months, usually beginning in December and lasting through May, daytime bird activity includes Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets, Anhinga, Snowy Egrets, Cattle Egrets, Glossy Ibises, Green Herons, Tricolored Herons and Black-crowned Night-Herons busily building or enhancing nests, courting, incubating eggs, and raising chicks.

When we first arrived, it was before sunrise, and you could not see much of anything, but you could hear the almost thunderous chatter of birds that were just out of sight in the darkness.  As the sun began to rise, you could finally see where all the chatter was coming from.  As you see in the image below, the rookery is a small pond that has a small, yet crowded collection of bushes at its center that the birds use as their temporary home to breed and raise their young.

The pond and rookery are safe for the birds to raise their young as the pond is full of American Alligators, and they keep all other predators away.  Just watch your step feathered friends as a single misstep can be disastrous.

This place has become one of our favorite distant destinations when it comes to getting out for our nature adventures.  Again, another place we highly recommend if you enjoy being outside with nature and all it has to offer, as we do.

J.N. ‘Ding’ Darling Wildlife Refuge, Sanibel Florida

This 5200-acre refuge was established in 1976, to protect one of the country’s largest undeveloped mangrove ecosystems.  The refuge is well known for its migratory bird populations and birdwatching opportunities.  On a single visit you can expect to see Redish Egrets, Rosette Spoonbills, White and Brown Pelicans, Wood Storks, Great Blue Herons, Anhinga, Black and Yellow-Crowned Night Herons, a variety of woodpeckers, Osprey, Bald Eagles, Kites and many species of songbirds.  It is also home to raccoons, bobcats, river otters, alligators and marsh rabbits.  For visitors to the refuge, you can walk, bike or drive the four-mile Wildlife Drive or access three walking trails.

My wife Kathy and I took our first trip down to Sanibel and the refuge in February 2020 and at once fell in love with it.  The complete peace and tranquility this place offers are like no other.

Merrit Island National Wildlife Refuge

Of all the places we have had the pleasure to visit, I would be hard pressed not to say that Merritt Island was the most memorable.  Thanks to my wife, Kathy, and her continued effort in researching for new and wonderful places to visit, she found this amazing gem of wildlife, beauty and relaxation on the east coast of Florida, adjacent to the city of Orlando.  Our first, and only visit to date was planned in secret by my wife as a one-week trip 55^th birthday present to me.  We stayed in a very nice condo just minutes from the refuge and spent 8 amazing days visiting the refuge and the surrounding areas.  We made stops at the main trail, Black Point Wildlife Drive many times, but also visited Scrub Ridge Trail, Bio Lab Road and Haulover Canal.  The weather was beautiful the entire trip and the wildlife activity was better than we could have possibly imagined.  It was a wonderful birthday surprise, and we had such an amazing time, we have decided to make it an annual trip, every February when the birds are in full breeding colors.  We highly recommend paying this magnificent island and refuge a visit if you ever have the opportunity.