Early autumn morning at the marsh

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Early autumn morning at the marsh

October 17, 2015 by Mike Powell

As the sun gradually illuminates the trees and burns off the mist on the water, Huntley Meadows Park is especially beautiful, especially at this time of the year, when the trees are showing off their changing colors. The park was silent when I arrived in the early morning darkness, but gradually I could hear the sounds of birds singing and I couldn’t help but notice the arrival of a small flock of Canada Geese (Branta canadensis).

The colors of the foliage here in Northern Virginia are not as bold and striking as in some other parts of the country, but there is an understated beauty in the muted tones or red and yellow. I am not used to taking landscape-style shots (and a 150-600mm lens is probably not optimal for doing so), but I tried to capture some different scenes to give you a sense of the park where I take so many of my photographs. It’s a wondrous location, particularly when you consider that it is found in a suburban location.

Posted in Autumn, Birds, Landscape, Nature, Photography | Tagged Alexandria VA, autumn colors, Branta canadensis, Canada Geese, Canon 50D, Huntley Meadows Park, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto | 11 Comments

11 Responses

on October 17, 2015 at 9:22 am | Reply Lyle Krahn

You are fortunate to have such a beautiful place nearby. Great photos.
- on October 17, 2015 at 9:26 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Lyle. It’s only about 5 miles from where I live, which is one of the reasons why I visit it so often.
on October 17, 2015 at 9:34 am | Reply New Hampshire Garden Solutions

I love the shot of the mist near the beaver lodge. It’s a very New England scene and the foliage colors enhance that feeling.
I almost missed the great blue heron in the first shot. I wonder if he stood there all night.
I agree with Lyle; you’re lucky to have such a beautiful place so close to home.
- on October 17, 2015 at 6:06 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Allen. Though it looks like a beaver lodge, the branches you see are only a brush pile that was put there to provide additional habitat for birds and fish and other swimming creatures.
on October 17, 2015 at 11:16 am | Reply Lee

Yes, the colors in the Smokies were a little bit disappointing. Looks like your birds didn’t mind though.
on October 17, 2015 at 1:17 pm | Reply Inger

Such a lovely place – especially love the morning mist on the water:)
- on October 17, 2015 at 1:26 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks so much. I was worried that I would not be able to capture the mist and am happy that you can see it. When I did a little tweaking of the photo, I was really careful no to make the mist accidentally disappear.
on October 17, 2015 at 2:23 pm | Reply Charlie@Seattle Trekker

Such a gorgeous autumn sequence; I do love to see the geese flying in formation this time of year.
- on October 17, 2015 at 6:04 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Charlie. The local marsh is a way station for migrating and we often have geese coming and going. Sometimes it seems as busy as an airport.
on October 17, 2015 at 4:46 pm | Reply svtakeiteasy

What a great set of images . The colours in the trees are superb. You are very lucky to have such a beautiful place near you and it is nice to see your surroundings. Is that a beaver lodge in the second shot?
- on October 17, 2015 at 6:03 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Chris. There are at least three beaver lodges that I know of at the park, but what looks like a beaver lodge in the second shot is merely a brush pile. A couple of years ago we had a major marsh reclamation project and one of the things that was done was to dig some deeper pools to help retain water during dry periods. In those pools, they placed some brush piles held together with cables to provide additional habitat for fish and other swimming creatures and for birds as well.