Shots By Shopes

Simple
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.in.north.carolina

A pileated woodpecker perches on a fallen tree in a field of yellow flowers.
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.in.north.carolina

Blue Ridge Bears! This mama bear, sporting a pair of last year’s cubs, moseyed along the Sunday morning.
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This male cardinal took a break from fending off a rival, perching right above me.
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Backyard birding at its finest! The American Robin posed perfectly on the wood pile behind the fire place.
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My latest video recapping my Top 10 Photographs of 2025 just posted to YouTube! Every year, it’s hard to find just 10 wildlife photographs to pick, but it’s fun reliving that last year behind the camera

Shots By Shopes 1 like. "Top 10 Photographs of 2025 | Canon Photography | Shots By Shopes"

The male American Goldfinch (often called a yellow finch) is a small, migratory songbird known for its striking seasonal plumage change. During spring and summer, the male is a brilliant lemon-yellow with a jet-black cap, black wings with white markings, and a white rump. In winter, it molts into a duller brownish-gray similar to the female, but retains a yellowish face and shoulder patches.
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“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Tree rings, or growth rings, are concentric layers of wood formed annually in a tree trunk, representing its age and environmental history. Each ring consists of a light-colored band (fast spring growth) and a dark-colored band (slower late-summer growth), with wider rings indicating favorable conditions and narrower rings indicating stress or drought.
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Ferncliff Peninsula Natural Area in Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania, is a 100-acre peninsula within Ohiopyle State Park, designated a National Natural Landmark for its unique microclimate and rare plant life, which thrives due to the Youghiogheny River’s meander and warmer gorge temperatures.
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Ohiopyle State Park has been on my bucket list of places to visit! Let’s just say it was worth the wait! Can’t wait to go back and photograph some wildlife in a few months
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