Hi everyone,

One of my favorite birds is the osprey. Ospreys are nesting at Edwin B. Forsythe Wildlife Refuge and this year they’ve installed a camera on the nest! You can watch the ospreys LIVE on this webcam, 24 hours a day.

Here is the link to the live cam:

http://www.conservewildlifenj.org/education/ospreycam/

After you watch the cam, write me back and tell me what you observed! Did you see mating? Nest building? How many birds are on the nest? What foods do the ospreys bring to the nest?

To learn more about ospreys, go to one of my favorite sites for bird identification:

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Osprey/id

http://earthsky.org/tonight/all-solar-system-planets-bedeck-december-2012-night-sky

We’ve been talking about the sun, the moon and their relationships with the Earth.

Have you noticed the days getting shorter? Why do you think this is happening?

Here are a few websites for you to do some research about the shortening days.

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/astronomy.html?n=2222

http://www.calendar-updates.com/sun.asp?PostalCode=08232&Submit=Get+Sunrise+%2F+Sunset+Times

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/sunlight/fall2012/update120112.html

Hurricane Sandy did a number on our shore. The coastline took a direct hit and the damage is extreme. The beaches and dunes are completely changed and don’t even look like the same locales. Sigh.

My sister Kathy and I went to one of my fav beaches this past Sunday, Corson’s Inlet State Park, Strathmere, New Jersey. I brought Scruffy and she brought her very large puppy, Nova. We had an interesting walk in the unseasonably warm weather. Scruffy enjoyed his time off the leash and ran and rolled to his heart’s content. I collected trash and took photos of the mass erosion. It was difficult at times to see how much damage was done by Sandy.

John, his daughter Brianna and i visited Rickett’s Glen State Park in Benton, Pennsylvania on July 8th. My great-niece Camryn had her 1st birthday party at the lake there. It was a gorgeous day with gentle winds and cooler temperatures after days of 100 degree weather!

Rickett’s Glen is known for its hiking trails and waterfalls! We had a really nice time exploring the woods and the trails. I hope you all enjoy the photos!

Click here if interested in learning more about this beautiful place!

Here is the second set of photos from yesterday’s trip. I hope I was able to get everyone in a photo! Please choose your favorite photo and place it on your blog.