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Archive for the ‘Birds’ Category

Cardinal portrait

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , on February 4, 2024| 12 Comments »

Photography does not have to be complicated. Sometimes all it takes is a well-executed image of a common subject in a simple composition.

If I were working as a portrait photographer for humans, I could choose an appropriate backdrop and set up studio lighting. I could instruct subjects on poses and position them carefully, shooting a variety of poses so that I would have multiple shots from which to choose the best ones. If I did not like a particular expression in a shot, I could reshoot the portrait until both the client and I were happy.

Life is much different for a wildlife photographer. I have to work with the available light and environment. Subjects are often skittish and uncooperative. I often have only a single chance to get a shot and may not get a second chance.

I feel blessed when things work out and I am able to capture simple portraits, like this one of a male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) that I photographed last Thursday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. I took multiple shots of this cardinal when I spotted his bright red feathers, but in almost every one of them, the cardinal was looking away. Finally, the cardinal looked toward me for a brief moment and I was able to get the shot.

It is certainly not a perfect shot, but it is a pleasing little portrait of this handsome bird and I am happy that I was able to capture the moment. For me, photography is primarily about capturing and sharing the beauty that surrounds us, a beauty that too often we ignore, because it is uncomplicated and unspectacular. As the old Shaker folk song reminds us, “Tis a gift to be simple.”

Northern Cardinal

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Huge eagle nest

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , on February 3, 2024| 4 Comments »

Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge are increasingly spending time in and around existing eagle nests. It probably won’t be long before eggs are laid and the eagles begin to sit on the eggs.

On Thursday I spotted an eagle perched high in a nest while its mate kept watch from a nearby tree, as you can see in the final photo. This eagle nest is huge and is by far the largest one at the wildlife refuge. The nest has been used for many years and each year the eagles seem to add another layer to it. It was very easy to spot this eagle, because its bright white head was sticking prominently out of the nest.

When the eagles begin incubating the eggs, however, they hunker down in the deep nest and it is usually impossible to know for certain when they are present. During that period of time I will sometimes watch and wait, hoping to be there for the “changing of the guard,” when one member of the couple takes over duties from the other, but I have been lucky enough to be there only a few times when that happened. Otherwise I have to wait for the eaglets to get big enough to poke their little heads out of the top edge of the nest.

On another part of the refuge, barriers have now gone up to protect the nesting eagles at that location. That nest is adjacent to one of the trails, whereas the large nest pictured here is far enough away from the trail that the authorities do not seem to think that the eagles require additional protection.

Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Walking heron

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , , on February 2, 2024| 14 Comments »

Great Blue Herons (Ardea herodias) often stand still for extended periods of time when fishing. I consider myself to be quite patient, but most of the time a heron’s patience exceeds my own and I will move on before he has made a strike to catch a fish.

Sometimes, though, herons will walk slowly through the water, carefully lifting their large feet to create minimum disturbance in the water. That was the case last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, where I spotted a heron slowing making its way through the shallow water—the waters in the Potomac River area are influenced by the tides and it was near low tide when I was observing the heron.

I captured this fun little image just as the tips of the heron’s visible foot cleated the water. If you look closely, you will notice that he claws on the heron’s visible foot were just touching the water. (I love to play with words, so you could say that the heron was “just scratching the surface.” Sorry.)

The angle at which I took the shot caused the heron’s two legs to blend together, so that it looks almost like there are two legs coming out of a single knee. The reflections further confuse the viewer, because it is not clear where the legs end (especially the back leg) and where the reflections begin. The net result, I think, is a positive one, prompting the view to linger longer on the image in an effort to resolve the visual confusion—many viewers scroll through photos really quickly and it is a real plus when something about an image causes them to pause for a moment and examine it more closely.

Great Blue Heron

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Kingfisher in action

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , , , on February 1, 2024| 4 Comments »

Belted Kingfishers (Megaceryle alcyon) are one of my nemesis birds. They are small and fast and incredibly skittish. I see (or hear) them quite often, but I am rarely able to get a decent shot of one.

I spent a good amount of time last Friday at Huntley Meadows Park observing a male Belted Kingfisher trying to catch a fish. He was perched on some kind of board sticking out of the water and repeatedly dove into the water and returned to the same post. Eventually he caught a fish, but, alas, flew away with it before I could get a shot of him with his catch.

Unlike an eagle that grabs a fish with its talons without submerging itself, a kingfisher dives headfirst into the water, creating a big splash. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, “When it spots a fish or crayfish near the surface, it takes flight, dives with closed eyes, and grabs the prey in its bill with a pincer motion. Returning with its prize, it pounds the prey against the perch before swallowing it head first.”

I was perched on am observation platform some distance away, but had a clear line of sight to the kingfisher. Over time I was able to capture some relatively sharp shots of the kingfisher in action. The first shot is my favorite—the kingfisher was rising up out of the water, surrounded by water droplets, after what appeared to have been an unsuccessful attempt.

The second photo shows the kingfisher on its perch. I am not sure why this board was sticking out of the water, but noted several similar boards nearby. The subsequent images show the kingfisher in various stages of action. I was fortunate that the kingfisher made several attempts, sometimes diving to the left and sometimes to the right, so I had multiple chances to get shots. Actions shots are a tough, but fun challenge. The kingfisher would take off without warning and after it dove into the water, I was never sure exactly when and where he would reemerge.

Belted Kingfisher

Belted Kingfisher

Belted Kingfisher

Belted Kingfisher

Belted Kingfisher

Belted Kingfisher

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

 

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Eastern Towhee

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Portraits, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , on January 31, 2024| 14 Comments »

Usually when I hear some rustling in the leaves and see a flash of rust-colored feathers, I assume that it is an American Robin. I was delighted last Friday at Huntley Meadows Park to be wrong in my assumption. When I zoomed in on the bird that had attracted my attention, I realized that it was an Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus), a species that I see a lot less frequently than the American Robin,

This colorful little bird proved to be quite skittish and I managed to capture only a few shots of it before it flew deeper into the underbrush. Fortunately I was able to capture enough details that you can see the bird’s beautiful markings and coloration.

Eastern Towhee

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Female Greater Scaup

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , , on January 29, 2024| 3 Comments »

At various times throughout the winter, I can see rafts of migratory ducks in the waters off of Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Most of the time there are Buffleheads, Ruddy Ducks, and Hooded Mergansers, but sometimes these familiar friends are joined by members of other species.

Last week I spotted some Scaups, medium-sized diving ducks that tend to hang out in the deeper waters far from the shore. There are two different kinds of Scaups—Greater and Lesser—that are almost identical in appearance and I honestly have trouble telling them apart. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, there are “only slight differences in head shape: the Greater Scaup has a rounded head, the Lesser Scaup a peaked head.”

One of the female scaups ventured within range of my telephoto lens and I was able to capture this image. To me, her head looks rounded, so I am guessing that she is a Female Greater Scaup (Aythya marila). I love her distinctive white patches near her bill and her stunning yellow eyes.

Greater Scaup

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Regal eagle

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Portraits, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , on January 28, 2024| 9 Comments »

I never get tired of photographing Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)—it always feels special to catch sight of one of these majestic birds. In Northern Virginia, where I live, we are blessed to have a relative abundance of Bald Eagles and I see one or more of them quite regularly. Getting a good shot of one, though, is a bit of a challenge, because the eagles’ eyesight and reaction times are vastly superior to my own. A lot of the time my first indication of the presence of an eagle is when I see it flying away from me.

This past Tuesday I spotted a Bald Eagle perched on a broken-of branch of what appeared to be a small, dead tree at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. There was some vegetation between the two of us that hopefully hid me from view. Initially my view of the eagle was partially blocked, but by bending and twisting myself, I managed to find a clear visual tunnel.

When I captured the first shot, the “regal” one, the eagle appeared to be surveying its surroundings from on high, like a royal sovereign. A few seconds late, the eagle seemed to have become aware of my presence and stared directly at me. It is hard to interpret the facial expressions of an eagle, but “fierce” is a descriptive word that often comes to mind.

Although it might have been a little curious about me, the eagle seemed mostly unhappy that I was there. I can imagine the regal eagle thinking, “We are not amused.”

Be sure to click on the second image to get a closer look at the eagle’s face. How do you interpret that expression?

Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

 

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Environmental portraits

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Portraits, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , , on January 27, 2024| 6 Comments »

Have the rules changed or have I simply changed? When I first starting getting into wildlife and nature photography, one of the basic “rules” that I learned was I should try to fill the frame with my primary subject. I acquired longer lenses and worked to become more stealthy so I could get closer and closer to my subjects. My “ideal” shot was a sharp “portrait” image with a soft creamy background.

I still like those kind of images, but I began to realize that I was removing the birds and bugs from their environments. I am now pushing myself to try to include more of the relationship between the subject and its surroundings and ideally the interaction between the two. What that means is that I am growing increasingly comfortable with images in which the primary subject takes up only a small portion of the frame.

In the first image, for example, I could have easily cropped this shot of Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) much more tightly to draw the viewers’ eyes to the bird’s feather details. Instead, I limited the cropping in order to show all of the dried vegetation hanging from the branch on which the sparrow was perched.

In the second image, the Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) was quite far away. In the past, I might not have taken the shot, because I knew I would not be able to capture a detailed view of the heron. In this case, I instantly knew that I wanted to capture the mood of the moment by showing the heron in its environment. I was happy to be able to convey a sense of the peacefulness of the moments that I shared with this beautiful heron, a time for reflection both literally and figuratively.

Rules and guidelines are undoubtedly helpful for beginners, because they establish a general framework for understanding what makes a “good” photograph. Over time and after spending countless hours with my camera and my computer, I have learned that “good” is a relative term and that “beauty” is often subjective. Most importantly, however, I have developed a greater sense of what types of photos I personally like and become more skilled in creating these kinds of images.

Nothing is static, though, and I know that my tastes and preferences and those of my readers are likely to change over time. Artists of all types are prone to introspection and are more likely than most other people to explore their inner landscape for inspiration and understanding. Whatever output those artists create is often the result of the interplay between their inner world and the outer world—the “environment” really matters in understanding the context of a work.

Song Sparrow

Great Blue Heron

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

 

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Prelude to eagle nesting

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , on January 26, 2024| 7 Comments »

It won’t be long before the Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) begin to incubate their eggs at one of several nests of which I am aware at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The smallest nest was used for the first time last year and I was curious to see if the eagles would return to it. I was therefore quite happy to spot an eagle on Tuesday perched in that nest in what looks to be a sycamore tree. Usually eagles sit much lower in the nest when there are eggs present, so I suspect that this eagle was checking out the nest, possible as a prelude to renovating or enlarging it.

I was a pretty good distance away from the eagle and was partially hidden by vegetation and trying to be stealthy, but the eagle detected my presence. I captured the second image right after the eagle flew out of the nest. I managed to get only a single decent shot, because the eagle descended and was immediately hidden by the abundant branches—if the eagle had flown upwards I might have had a better chance of getting several clear shots.

Last year the authorities at the refuge eventually blocked the trail on which I was traveling to keep the eagles from being disturbed during the nesting season. I would not surprised to find the trail blocked the next time I visit the refuge. During the period of time before the trees begin to leaf out, I may still be able to keep track of the nest, albeit from a slightly greater distance from it.

Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Not smiling

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Portraits, snow, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , , on January 25, 2024| 5 Comments »

Despite my best efforts, I could not get this White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) to smile for me during a mini-portrait session on Tuesday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The sparrow seemed to think that a serious look was more appropriate for his LinkedIn profile photo.

Birds were much more active on Twitter before its name was changed to X, but now are searching for new social media fora. Are postings on X still called “tweets?”

White-throated Sparrow

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Is it good enough?

Posted in Birds, Blogging, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , , , , on January 24, 2024| 20 Comments »

When it comes to posting photos, where do you you draw the line? Do you carefully curate your images and post only the ones that make you look good as a photographer? Do you worry about your “image” and reputation? I remember someone telling me once that the true sign of professionals is that they present only their absolute best work to the public.

I am proud to say that I am not a professional by that definition and I post photos that I find interesting, cool, or quirky, irrespective of the supposed quality of the images. I do not really care all that much about my personal image and have never had a goal of attracting a large audience of “followers.” I post images that appeal to me in some way and hope that some viewers will have a similar reaction

My photos (and my blog) are a reflection of the way that I see the world and my simple objective is to use my images and words to share my perspectives with others, i.e. to help them to see the world through my eyes. For me, the natural world is full of endless wonder and unlimited beauty, a place to explore and channel my curiosity and creativity.

I have gone off on a bit of a tangent in this posting, but I woke up this morning in an introspective mood and wanted to share some of what is going on in my head at this moment. The three images below are ones that I have taken over the past two weeks at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge and are a bit more “artsy” than my usual images, which tend to be more detailed and close-up.

The first image shows a pair of Hooded Merganser ducks (Lophodytes cucullatus) flying away from me over the water. I really like their shadowy reflections and the parallel lines of the water. The second photo shows a Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps). Although I captured the details of the bird pretty well, it is the rippled reflection that really grabbed my attention.

The final photo is a minimalist environmental portrait of a Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon). Silhouettes work best when the shape of the subject make it immediately recognizable, which I think is the case here. I like the way that the angular protrusions of the branch match those of the bird. The image is mostly black and white, but I really like the way that you can see a bit of the blue sky peeking through in the upper right corner of the frame.

So what do you think? Would you have thought to capture these images? Would you have been willing to share them with others? Where do you draw the line?

Hooded Mergansers

Pied-billed Grebe

Belted Kingfisher

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Song Sparrows in the Snow

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Portraits, snow, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , , on January 23, 2024| 1 Comment »

I observed Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodia) foraging for food on the ground at multiple locations last Thursday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Most of the time they would fly away as I approached, but occasionally one of them would choose a new snow-covered perch that was still within range of my long telephoto zoom lens.

The two photos below are mostly monochromatic, composed primarily of various shades of brown and white. The warmth of the browns helps to warm up the photos a little, despite the abundance of snow. I think the photos would have felt cooler and more stark if I had converted them to black and white.

Song Sparrow

Song Sparrow

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Flicker of January

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Portraits, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , on January 22, 2024| 7 Comments »

Most of the woodpeckers in my area have black and white feathers in varying patterns, but the Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) is a notable and colorful exception to that general rule. I spotted this male Northern Flicker—only males have the black “mustache”—last Thursday perched high in a dead tree at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

The sky was clouded over when I captured this image, so I chose to overexpose the shot to reveal the amazing colors and patterns of the flicker’s feathers. These camera settings caused the background to be almost totally blown out and the resulting white background makes this look like it was shot in a studio.

Like most of the birds that I photographed in our recent frigid weather, the flicker had fluffed its feathers in an effort to retain heat. If you look closely at the image, you may notice that the feathers cover most of the flicker’s feet, with only the tips of the toes visible.

Northern Flicker

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Snow bird

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, snow, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , on January 21, 2024| Leave a Comment »

This Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) looks like it was buried in deep snow, but was merely hidden by a small snowdrift between the two of us as it foraged for food in a small open patch on Thursday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

This photo reminds me of my childhood days growing up in New England. After a snowfall, we would build snow forts and have massive snowball fights. We would crouch behind the walls of our forts and periodically peer over the top of the walls (like this sparrow) before raising up to launch another volley of snowballs. These days I am more likely to build a snowman than a snow fort, although, alas, I did not take advantage of the opportunity to do so this past week.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Angry Sparrow?

Posted in Birds, Nature, Portraits, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , on January 21, 2024| 2 Comments »

This White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) seemed unhappy about something on Thursday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Maybe it was complaining about my presence there or maybe it was calling out to its mate or expressing its displeasure about the cold, snowy weather. Who knows?

It is a real bonus when I can capture a bit of action in my photos of birds, even when it is hard to interpret what that action means. In many of my shots of sparrows, their heads are buried and out of view as they forage for food, so it was nice here to see the bird with its head lifted up. In this shot you actually get a glimpse of the inside of the sparrow’s mouth and a tiny tongue—you may need to click on the image and enlarge it to see these details.

We are still in the midst of a frigid spell, well below the freezing level all of today, but by Thursday we are supposed to warm up to 60 degrees (17 degrees C) and rain is in the forecast, so most of this snow will be gone in a week or so.

White-throated Sparrow

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Acrobatic cardinal

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , , on January 20, 2024| 6 Comments »

I am not sure exactly what this male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) was doing on Thursday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge when I captured this image. Perhaps he was trying to nibble on a bud on the branch on which he was perched—it was definitely too cold for there to be bugs out in the open. Whatever the case, I love the way that the cardinal extended his wings to maintain his balance.

The acrobatic moves of the cardinal and my shooting angle from below combined to distort the shape of his body, making it look almost cartoonish. All in all, this image makes me smile and I hope that it has the same effect on you.

Northern Cardinal

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Sparrows in the snow

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , , , , on January 20, 2024| 1 Comment »

I finally got out of my house on Thursday and visited Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Large numbers of sparrows were busily pecking on the ground alongside the trails, many of which were still partially covered with snow. The sparrows would scatter as I approached, often disappearing deep into the surrounding vegetation, but occasionally one would stay still long enough for me to take its photo.

The first image shows what I believe is a White-throated Sparrow, surrounded by a bounty of berries. The second image shows a Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia), foraging in the snow-covered grasses. I photographed the House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) in the third image in my neighborhood, but decided to include it here among its fellow sparrows.

The last two photos show a rotund White-throated Sparrow—like so many birds at this time of the year, this sparrow has puffed up his feathers to try to stay warm in the frigid weather. The final photo shows a blurry Northern Cardinal foraging in the background, a visible indication of the peaceful coexistence of multiple species as they searched for food.

White-throated Sparrow

Song Sparrow

House Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Great Blue Heron With Tiny Fish

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , on January 19, 2024| 2 Comments »

Birds have to work really hard to find even the smallest amount food during the winter, as this Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) demonstrated last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Alas, the fish that the heron pulled out of the water turned out to be a tiny one, nothing more than an appetizer. After gulping the fish down, the heron patiently returned to its fishing and I moved along.

As you can probably tell from the blurred foreground of the photo, I was crouched in some vegetation adjacent to a small pond and did not have an unobstructed view of the heron. I generally try not to disturb my wildlife subjects and am even more careful during the cold months, not wanting to cause the subject to expend excess energy in escaping me that it might need to find food.

Great Blue Heron

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Cardinals in the snow

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Portraits, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , on January 18, 2024| 9 Comments »

There is something iconic about a photo of a Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) in the snow and every time that we have a snow storm I try to capture images of these bright red birds. Fortunately I did not have to travel far to find some cardinals—I captured all three of these images in the suburban townhouse community in which I live.

Given the bright color their plumage, it is not hard to spot male cardinals, but they tend to be pretty active and don’t sit still for very long, so I had to react quickly when I managed to get an unobstructed view of one. I tried to frame my photos so there was at least a little bit of snow visible in the shot and more or less succeeded in doing so.

The weather forecasters predict that we will have some more snow tomorrow, so I will probably spend a little more time getting acquainted with my neighborhood birds this weekend.

Northern Cardinal

Northern Cardinal

Northern Cardinal

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

 

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Junco in the snow

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, snow, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , on January 17, 2024| 12 Comments »

We ended up getting 4-5 inches (10-13 cm) of snow in the storm that concluded yesterday. That may not sound like a lot of snow, but it was enough for the federal government and all of the school districts in the Washington D.C. area to be closed for the day. The roads were icy in my neighborhood, so I played it safe and did not venture out in my car at all.

However, I did go for a walk in my townhouse community in search of birds. It felt a little strange to be carrying a long telephoto zoom lens in such a heavily populated area and I alternately between feeling like a Peeping Tom and a member of the paparazzi.

I was happy to find a few birds in a strip of woods in our community, including this Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis). It was initially foraging on the ground when I spotted it, as you can see in the first photo, and then flew into some trees when I took a few steps closer.

It is sunny out today and the roads are mostly clear, but that is a bit deceptive, because the temperature was only 14 degrees (-10 degrees C), the last time I checked. Yikes! I have not reviewed all of my photos from yesterday, so I probably will stay inside and finish that review, rather than venture out with my camera today.

Dark-eyed Junco

Dark-eyed Junco

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Sub-adult Bald Eagle

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , , on January 14, 2024| 5 Comments »

I was thrilled to be able to capture a few shots of this sub-adult Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) last Monday as it soared overhead at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Judging from the fact that there are light feathers in the wings, which are completely dark for adults, and dark feathers in the tail, which are completely white for adults, I’d guess that this eagle is about 3-4 years old. Bald Eagles take almost five years to fully develop the “look” that we normally associate with this species.

Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Downy Woodpecker and poison ivy

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , , on January 11, 2024| 2 Comments »

I love the beautiful markings of this male Downy Woodpecker that was acrobatically snagging some poison ivy berries when I spotted him on Monday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Downy Woodpeckers, the smallest woodpeckers in North America, feed primarily on insects, although they supplement their diet with seeds and berries, especially during winter months, when insects are much harder to find.

I can’t help but admire the intense focus of these little dynamos that are in constant motion as they forage for food. I usually see them pecking away at the bark of trees, but have always seem them on bushes and cattails.

In case you are curious, it is easy to distinguish a male Downy Woodpecker from a female, because only the males have the small red patch on the back of their heads, a feature that is visible in both of these photos.

Downy Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Hermit Thrush in January

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Portraits, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , , on January 10, 2024| 5 Comments »

When I first spotted this little bird on Monday as it perched high in a tree at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, its shape caused me to think that it was an American Robin. As I got a little closer, though, I could see that the bird’s breast was spotted and did not have the distinctive orange color of “our” robin.

I remembered that the American Robin is a member of the thrush family, so I assumed that this bird was another kind of thrush. (The European Robin, by contrast, belongs to the chat subfamily of the Old World Flycatcher family—check out this November 2019 blog posting to see a photo of a European Robin that I photographed in Paris.) When I returned home and checked by bird identification guide, I was able to determine that this is probably a Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus), a species that I have encountered only a few times.

As I was looking up information on the Hermit Thrush, I discovered that this bird played a an important role in “When Lilacs Last In The Dooryard Bloom’d,” an elegy on the death of Abraham Lincoln by noted American poet Walt Whitman. The thrush, along with lilacs and a star, is one of the recurring elements in the poem and seems to represent a kind of reconciliation with death and its song is described as “Death’s outlet song of life.” I am providing a link to the entire poem in case you are interested in reading the beautiful poem in its entirety. As a foretaste, I will leave you with one small section of the poem in which Whitman first introduced his readers to the Hermit Thrush:

“In the swamp in secluded recesses,

A shy and hidden bird is warbling a song.
Solitary the thrush,
The hermit withdrawn to himself, avoiding the settlements,
Sings by himself a song.
Song of the bleeding throat,
Death’s outlet song of life, (for well dear brother I know,
If thou wast not granted to sing thou would’st surely die.)”

Hermit Thrush

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Looking up

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Portraits, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , , on January 9, 2024| 3 Comments »

Something caught the attention of this Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) yesterday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge and caused it to momentarily look up towards the sky. The upward tilt of the heron’s head helped it to be better illuminated, allowing me to capture this little environmental portrait of one of the year-round inhabitants of the refuge.

Great Blue Heron

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Odd duck

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , , , on January 8, 2024| 17 Comments »

Hooded Mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus) are strange-looking ducks—no other ducks that I see regularly look like them. The shape and proportions of their heads and bills are so unusual and cartoonish that they look like they were created at Disney Studios.

Most of the time when I see Hooded Mergansers, they are in small groups, but last week I spotted only a solitary male during a short visit to a suburban pond not far from where I live. The “Hoodie” seemed to be content to swim around alone, not interacting with the other ducks on the pond and not spending any noticeable time fishing—Hooded Mergansers dive for fish, crayfish, and other food, seizing it in their thin, serrated bills.

The weather was cold, gray, and windy on the day I captured these images, conditions that are quite typical during the winter here. Weather forecasters predict that today will be mostly sunny, so I hope to have a chance to get out in nature with my camera and exercise both my body and my soul. As Vincent Van Gogh once wrote in a letter to his brother Theo, ““Always continue walking a lot and loving nature, for that’s the real way to learn to understand art better and better.”

 

Hooded Merganser

Hooded Merganser

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Northern Pintail

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , , on January 7, 2024| 6 Comments »

There is something really elegant about male Northern Pintail ducks (Anas acuta). Some other ducks are more flashy and colorful, but the beautiful combination of grays, browns, and white give the Northern Pintails a more refined beauty that is emphasized by their long white neck stripe and very long, pointed tails.

I don’t see Northern Pintails very often, because they prefer the kind of shallow wetland that is not common at my usual stomping grounds. Recently, however, I spotted a solitary male Northern Pintail amidst a group of Mallard couples a the edge of a reed-filled creek at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The pintail mostly stayed in the shadows, but occasionally swam into the light, allowing me to capture a couple of images.

I really like the minimal palette of earth-tone colors in these two images. The texture in the background and in the ripples in the water help to add some additional visual interest without distracting a viewer’s eyes.

Northern Pintail

Northern Pintail

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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One more eagle image

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , on January 6, 2024| 11 Comments »

Quite often when I review my photos a second time I find photos that I missed during my initial look, like this photo of a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) that was just starting its liftoff from a tree last Saturday morning at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

When I spotted this pair of eagles in a distant tree, I watched and waited, hoping that they both would turn in my direction. However, the eagle in the back kept looking in the opposite direction and branches were also blocking my view. Suddenly the eagle in the front raised its wings to take off and I was able to react quickly enough to capture the moment when it was just starting to push off from the branch.

As you can probably tell from the lighting in the photo, this was another early morning encounter with bald eagles. I was very fortunately to have multiple encounters that morning. It will soon be nesting season for the eagles and I hope to able to capture some images as the eagles work on preparing the nests for another season—there are three nesting locations at the wildlife refuge, although one of the nests looks like it may have disappeared, possibly because one of the main supporting branches collapsed.

Bald Eagle

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Sidewards glance

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , , , on January 6, 2024| 1 Comment »

An industrious male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) was foraging for food last Saturday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge and gave me a quick sidewards glance to determine if I was a potential threat. Deciding that I posed no danger, the cardinal resumed its search for food.

Cardinals are one of my favorite birds, especially during the winter season where the world turns mostly monochromatic. My spirits are always lifted when I see the bright red plumage of a male cardinal.

Northern Cardinal

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Through the branches

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , on January 5, 2024| 1 Comment »

Last Saturday morning I spotted a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) perched in the middle of a tangle of small trees at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. My view was partially obscured by a large number of branches, but I still managed to focus on the eagle.

I captured this sequence of shots when the eagle unexpectedly took off. The eagle had to maneuver its wings carefully until it was away from the branches and in the final photo the eagle was finally able to display its impressive wingspan.

Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Winged monkey?

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , , , , on January 3, 2024| 6 Comments »

Two Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) were perched together in a distant tree early in the morning last Saturday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. One of them suddenly decided to take off and I captured this fun shot. I encourage you to click on the image to get a closer views of the details, including the expression on the eagle that was in mid-air.

Somehow the eagle’s pose reminded me of the winged monkeys in the Wizard of Oz. I guess it has something to do with the dangling legs that look like they could easily snatch up Toto.

The early morning light gave this image a glow that I really like. Photographers sometimes refer to this time of the day as the “golden hour,” though it often lasts for a much shorter period of time.

Bald Eagle

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Turkey trot

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , , on January 2, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Most of the time when I see Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, they are in small groups, but when I spotted this one last Friday it was alone. Initially the turkey was slowly strolling down the trail ahead of me on which I was walking. Somehow, though, it sensed my presence and picked up its pace until it seemed to be trotting.

I captured this image mid-stride, as the turkey seemed to be looking over its shoulder to see if I was still there. The photo is relatively sharp, though if you look at the turkey’s right foot, you can see a bit of motion blur, which enhances the sense of movement.

Wild Turkey

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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