Little did I know when I woke up this morning that today is the eighth annual Nature Photography Day as proclaimed by The North American Nature Photography Association.

I was alerted to this fact this afternoon in an email from Mary Jane, who is our fantastic newsletter editor with the Vienna Photographic Society, a group that I am a member of. Wanting to participate, I headed for our newest birdhouse that is designed to look like a bluebird.

NANPA says the following about this special day on its Web site : “NANPA encourages people everywhere to enjoy the weekend by using a camera to explore the natural world. A backyard, park, or other place close by can be just right. Walking, hiking, and riding a bike to take photos are activities that don’t lead to a carbon footprint. And fresh air can do wonders for the spirit!”

My wife noticed that a momma bird had just taken up residence at the birdhouse located in our backyard in the last week or so. This afternoon I patiently waited with a telephoto until I was able to get this shot of a house wren resting on the top of the house. For a photo that shows what the entire birdhouse looks like, see below.

I purchased the birdhouse at the Deep Creek Lake (MD) Discovery Center. It is one of the many items made by and sold to benefit the

Western Garrett County State Park Volunteers, Inc. Garrett County State Park Volunteers is a group of incredibly talented and dedicated individuals who work very hard to enrich the park experience in Garrett County. If you visit the Discovery Center,please be sure to check out the handmade birdhouses that are for sale. The houses are all unique and very affordable and you will be supporting a great cause.

For you Marylanders and baseball Oriole fanatics, another birdhouse created by the volunteers is painted to resemble a Baltimore Oriole.

Brief technical note : this photo was taken in deep shade without a flash. By setting the white balance on shady, I was able to add a little more color and warmth to the image.

Be sure to celebrate Nature Photography Day this weekend.