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Cormorant in flight

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged birds in flight, Canon 7D, cormorant, Double-crested Cormorant, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Phalacrocorax auritus, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA on January 2, 2023| 6 Comments »

Normally I see only a few Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) at a time, but last Thursday I spotted several dozen of them in the waters off of Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. I see cormorants throughout most of the year, but this group may have been migrating through our area and were heading for destinations further south.

I was delighted to be able to capture some in-flight shots of one of the cormorants as it zoomed by, flying low over the water. I was particularly happy to capture enough detail that you can see the bird’s striking aquamarine eyes. I highly recommend that you click on the images to get a better look at the amazing colors of the eyes. Wow! It was a nice bonus to be able to capture the reflection of the cormorant in the water.

As the winter progresses, I hope to be able to hone my skills in tracking birds like this with my long telephoto zoom lens. During the warm months, I use a macro lens a lot and my tracking abilities may have atrophied a bit. It takes some practice for me to be able to be able to find a bird in the camera’s viewfinder when my telephoto lens is fully extended.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Ruddy Duck (Male)

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged Canon 7D, male Ruddy Duck, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Oxyura jamaicensis, Ruddy Duck, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA on January 1, 2023| 8 Comments »

Most of the Ruddy Ducks(Oxyura jamaicensis) that I spotted last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge were gathered together in the deep water, asleep in a group with their heads tucked at an angle. One male, however, was grooming himself near the shore and I managed to capture this fun little portrait when he paddled by me.

The bright white cheek patch of male Ruddy Ducks make them pretty easy to identify. I have never seen the breeding behavior of this species, but I could not help but laugh when I read this description on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website of a 1926 account about the Ruddy Duck that stated, “Its intimate habits, its stupidity, its curious nesting customs and ludicrous courtship performance place it in a niche by itself…. Everything about this bird is interesting to the naturalist, but almost nothing about it is interesting to the sportsman.” I am much more of a naturalist than a sportsman, so I like this little duck.

Happy New Year. It is hard to believe that 2023 is already here. Thanks so much to all of you who have supported and encouraged me throughout this past year. The world is very much a crazy place these days and I very much value the sense of community and camaraderie that I have found in the blogosphere. This blog allows me to express myself more fully, genuinely, and creatively than I am able to do in many aspects of my life, where filters, pressures, and expectations often constrain my freedom of action.

Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2023.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Northern Shoveler in December

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged Canon 7D, Northern Shoveler, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Spatula clypeata, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA on December 31, 2022| 2 Comments »

I have recently started to see a lot of migratory ducks and geese in the waters off of Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Some of them probably are just passing through, but others will stay with us all winter. On a side note, it is duck hunting season and periodically my peaceful reverie is broken by the sound of shotguns going off from the blinds in the water, not far from the trails that I regularly follow.

One of the most distinctive ducks in our area is the Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata) and I was delighted to spot several of them last Tuesday. Northern Shovelers have bills that are so large that they look almost cartoonish at times. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, “The bill of the Northern Shoveler is big (about 2.5 inches (64 mm) long) and shaped like a shovel, but that odd-shaped bill also has about 110 fine projections (called lamellae) along the edges that act like a colander, filtering out tiny crustaceans, seeds, and aquatic invertebrates from the water.”

If you look really closely at the first photo, you can see some of those comb-like projections in the shoveler’s mouth. Northern Shovelers often swim slowly forward with their heads down and their bills partially submerged. Periodically they raise their heads, as in the second image, to let the water drain out of their mouths—perhaps that is when they swallow whatever they managed to catch.

The final photo shows the shoveler’s head-down position. It looks like it may have caught something in its mouth, but I cannot really tell what it might be.

The Northern Shovelers in these photos are probably all female, though there is a chance they might be immature males. I am hoping that I will soon spot some mature males, which have large black bills, bright white chest, rusty sides, and green heads. In case you are really curious to see what a male Northern Shoveler looks like, check out my January 2017 posting entitled “Goofy grin.”

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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On Frozen Pond

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged Ardea herodias, Canon 7D, frozen pond, Great Blue Heron, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA on December 30, 2022| 5 Comments »

The weather is warming up a bit now in Northern Virginia, but it was really cold on Monday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. I was bundled up and so was this Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) that I spotted at the edge of a small pond that was mostly frozen. It almost looks like the heron had wrapped itself in an extra cloak make of long feathers.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Post-Christmas Wild Turkey

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Portraits, wildlife, Winter, tagged Canon 7D, male wild turkey, Meleagris gallopavo, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 150-600mm, turkey, Wild Turkey, Woodbridge VA on December 29, 2022| 6 Comments »

Late on Monday afternoon I spotted this large male Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge as he was foraging in the leaf litter. The turkey was very focused on scratching about in the fallen leaves and let me get so close to him that I was able to take this shot at 250mm on my zoom lens that extends to 600mm.

The light was already starting to fade—the sun set at 4:53 pm that day—and I know that my relatively old DSLR does not handle low light very well, so I did not want to raise the ISO beyond ISO 800, for fear of introducing an unacceptable amount of graininess. Instead, I captured this image with an exposure of 1/40 second, a really slow shutter speed. Even though I was using a monopod for stability, many of my shots were blurry, but this particular image ended up pretty sharp.

I love the way that I was able to capture so many details of the turkey’s feathers. From a distance, the main feathers look to be a solid dark color, but up-close, they show a lot of color variation and patterns. I was happy too that I was able to get a good view of the turkey’s “beard.” I’ve read that you can estimate the age of a turkey on the basis of the length of its beard, but I am not confident that I could figure that out—all I can say is that the turkey appeared to be a mature male to me.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Golden-crowned Kinglet in December

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged Canon 7D, Golden-crowned Kinglet, kinglet, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Regulus satrapa, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA on December 28, 2022| 2 Comments »

When the trees are bare in the winter, I have a much better chance of detecting the movement of birds than in the spring and the summer. However, many of the birds that I spot move about frenetically and unpredictably, so it is not easy to photograph. The challenge is additionally complicated by the fact that a number of the birds that spend the winters with us are tiny.

One of the smallest birds is the Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa). It is larger than a chickadee and smaller than a hummingbird and is 3.1-4.3 inches (8-11 cm) in length and weighs 0.1-0.3 ounces (4-8 g). I love the description of the species on the website of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, “Tiny songbird with nervous, twitchy foraging style, given to hanging acrobatically from thin branches and twigs.”

In most of my photos of Golden-crowned Kinglets, the “crown” is not very visible, for I am generally shooting with my camera pointed upwards at a sharp angle. Last Tuesday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, I was fortunate to get an almost e-level view of a kinglet and captured this shot that shows off its golden crown nicely.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Chubby Cardinal

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged Canon 7D, cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis, male Northern Cardinal, Northern cardinal, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA on December 27, 2022| 5 Comments »

When the weather gets really cold, many small birds fluff up their feathers to try to retain as much of their body heat as possible. As a result, a lot of them look rounder than usual, like this handsome male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) that I spotted last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

Some birds have duller plumage during non-breeding times of the year, like the winter, but male cardinals shine bright throughout the year. Even though they often forage in deep vegetation, it is pretty easy to spot a male Northern Cardinal, though it is often a challenge to get a clear shot of one.

I had been following this one for quite a while when he finally popped out into the open and perched on a branch. Although he was facing me when I took the shot, he seemed to be keeping his eye on something to the side. If you look closely at the time of the little branch to the side of the cardinal, you may notice that it has a pointed red tip, an almost perfect match for the cardinal’s crested head.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Song Sparrow portraits

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Portraits, wildlife, Winter, tagged Canon 7D, Melospiza melodia, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, song sparrow, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA on December 26, 2022| 8 Comments »

On many cold winter days, sparrows are the most common birds that I see. No matter how inclement the weather may be, sparrows are busily foraging in the trees and on the ground. Last Tuesday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, on a day when it was sunny, but frigid, I was able to capture little environmental portraits of these three sparrows, all of which I believe are Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodia).

My favorite of these three images is definitely the first one, with its smooth background colors and the linear shapes of the vines. However, I also really like the way that the second and third images show the little birds in their environments, with one with a cool palette of colors and the other with a touch of sunshine and warmer tones.

Many of you know that I love to photograph large birds like hawks and eagles, but I equally enjoy capturing the beauty of smaller birds, like these sparrows. Beauty is everywhere.

A belated Merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate Christmas. I decided to turn off my computer yesterday and am starting to catch up today. On Christmas Eve, I played handbells in one church service and then sang in a choir for a second service. On Christmas Day, I ran the audio video portion of our service that we also broadcast on Zoom, so I have been pretty busy

In the Episcopal Church that I now attend, we have only just begun our celebration of Christmas and will continue to do so until Epiphany on 6 January, when we celebrate the arrival of the Three Wise Men. I grew up singing the song The Twelve Days of Christmas and thought that it referred to the twelve days leading up to Christmas. It was only later in my adult life that I learned that Christmas Day itself is the first day of Christmas. The radio stations may already have moved on from playing Christmas songs, but I will continue to do so for at least another 10 days or so (and I actually like singing Christmas carols throughout the year).

Merry Christmas and best wishes for a happy and healthy 2023.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Bald Eagle couple

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged Bald Eagle, Bald Eagle couple, bald eagle takeoff, Canon 7D, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA on December 24, 2022| 4 Comments »

When I spotted the Bald Eagle couple (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) on Tuesday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, they were perched closely together on a branch of a distant tree. My view of them was partially obscured by branches of vegetation, so I had to maneuver around to get a mostly clear shot of them.

I thought that the vegetation would mask my movement and the eagles would not detect my presence. I was wrong. As I was observing them through my long telephoto lens, one of the eagles, the larger of the two, took to the air without warning and I was fortunate to capture its departure from the branch. If you look closely at the perched eagle in the second image, it appears to be giving me a stern look of disapproval. A short time later, the second eagle also flew away.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Hooded Mergansers at dawn

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged Canon 7D, dawn, early morning light, Hooded Merganser, Hooded Merganser ducks, Lophodytes cucullatus, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA on December 23, 2022| 5 Comments »

The Hooded Merganser ducks (Lophodytes cucullatus) were already paddling into deeper water when I spotted them on Tuesday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The small ducks were swimming slowly, creating beautiful wakes in the still waters that were tinged in pink by the early morning light. Although you cannot see most of the details of the ducks, the image gives you a sense of the tranquility of the moment.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Mockingbird and Sumac

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Portraits, wildlife, Winter, tagged Canon 7D, Mimus polyglottos, mockingbird, Northern Mockingbird, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Rhus glabra, smooth sumac, sumac, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA on December 22, 2022| 2 Comments »

A patch of sumac berries at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge has providing nourishment for a lot of different birds as we begin the winter winter season. On Tuesday of this week, I photographed a Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) as it partook of the bounty of berries.

The day was cold, but sunny and the blue sky provided a beautiful backdrop for this little portrait of the mockingbird. The bird’s up-turned tail provided a nice visual counterbalance to the angled branch of the sumac plant and the visible berry in the bird’s open mouth was an extra bonus.

This morning as I was doing a little research on the sumac, I finally discovered the name of this type of sumac. I am pretty sure that this is a species know as Smooth Sumac (Rhus glabra). According to the plant database at wildfire.org, Smooth Sumac is the only shrub or tree species native to all 48 contiguous states. I have never been tempted to taste the little berries, but they are reported to be very sour and can be used to make a drink similar to lemonade.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Bluebird in flight

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged birds in flight, bluebird, Canon 7D, Eastern Bluebird, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Sialia sialis, sumac, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA on December 21, 2022| 10 Comments »

I wish that I could say that I planned this cool image of an Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) in flight, but the truth is that I did not even know that I had taken a shot like this until I was reviewing my shots this morning from yesterday’s visit to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

Most of the time when I am photographing birds, even those that are perched, I shoot in short bursts to try to capture different head and wing positions. In this case, the bluebird must have taken off as I was depressing the shutter button. In most situations like this, the resulting image is out of focus or shows only the back side of the departing bird.

Yesterday, however, I was very lucky and the bluebird flew to the side and remained more or less in focus. In wildlife photography, luck almost always plays some role in getting good images—yesterday it played a major role.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Out on a limb

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged Canon 7D, Downy Woodpecker, male Downy Woodpecker, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Picoides pubescens, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA on December 20, 2022| 1 Comment »

I am not sure what this male Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) saw on the tiny branch on which he was perched, but he was examining the tip of the branch closely when I captured the first image last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Gradually the little bird shimmied his way along the branch and pecked off the little branchlet near the end of the branch. I am not sure he found any insects there, but it seemed to make the perch in the final photo a bit more comfortable.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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American Robin in December

Posted in Birds, Insects, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged American robin, Canon 7D, European Robin, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, robin, Tamron 150-600mm, Turdus migratorius, Woodbridge VA on December 19, 2022| 3 Comments »

When I was growing up, American Robins (Turdus migratorius)were viewed as a harbinger of spring. In Northern Virginia, where I now live, I see them throughout most of the year. Last week I spotted this one almost hidden in the vegetation at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Despite the cluttered environment, the robin’s orange breast seemed to almost glow in the bright sunshine, making it easy to spot.

During most of my life I have been accustomed to calling this bird simply a “robin.” Since I started my blog, though, I have become sensitized to the fact that there are other robins in different parts of the year that share little in common with the American Robin other than their shared name. The European Robin, for example, is part of the flycatcher family, while the American Robin is part of the thrush family.

In November 2019 I was blessed to spot a European Robin as I was walking along one of the trails in the Bois de Boulogne in the outskirts of Paris. If you have never seen a European Robin, you may want to check out my blog posting entitled “European Robin in Paris,” that features a photo from that encounter.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Tundra Swan Takeoff

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged Canon 7D, Cygnus columbianus, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, running takeoff, swan, takeoff, Tamron 150-600mm, Tundra Swan, Woodbridge VA on December 18, 2022| 3 Comments »

As I was observing two Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus) last Tuesday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, a loud boat passed by and scared the two swans. I managed to capture some action shots of one of the swans as it was taking off.

Some waterbirds can lift off directly from the water, while others need to run across the surface of the water to generate some momentum before they can take off. The tundra swan seems to be in the latter group. As you can see from the splashes in the water in some of the photos, the swan was bouncing along as it flapped its impressively large wings. In the final photo, the swan was in the air and was able to retract its feet into a more aerodynamic position.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Flying at a distance

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged Bald Eagle, birds in flight, Canon 7D, Cygnus columbianus, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 150-600mm, Tundra Swan, Woodbridge VA on December 17, 2022| 1 Comment »

I usually try to zoom in on my subjects as much as I can, but it is also great to show their environment (sometimes by choice and sometimes out of necessity). I captured these long distance in-flight shots of a Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus) and a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) during recent visits to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The eagle was a bit closer to me than the swan, which is why the background was so much more blurry in the second shot than in the first one.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Framed bluebird

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Portraits, wildlife, Winter, tagged bluebird, bluebird of happiness, Canon tD, Eastern Bluebird, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Sialia sialis, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA on December 16, 2022| 10 Comments »

Bluebirds always make me happy and I will rarely pass up an opportunity to photograph one—I simply love that complementary color combination of blue and orange. I was doubly delighted on Tuesday to capture this image of an Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) perched on branches that formed a natural frame that highlighted his beauty.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Goldfinches and sweetgum

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged American Goldfinch, American Sweetgum, Canon 7D, goldfinch, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Spinus tristis, sweetgum balls, Sweetgum Tree, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA on December 15, 2022| 8 Comments »

As the weather grows colder, many sources of food begin to disappear and wild creatures have to work harder to find sustenance. On Tuesday I spotted a small flock of American Goldfinches (Spinus tristis) that were busily extracting seeds from the spiky balls hanging from an American Sweetgum tree.

Earlier this month I did a posting that featured a Carolina Chickadee that was also extracting seeds. In that case, the chickadee was actually hanging from the suspended seed balls. The goldfinches seemed to be taking a somewhat safer approach and were clinging to the branches and twisted their bodies to maneuver into the proper position.

As you can see from the first two photos, we finally had a sunny day after a seemingly endless streak of gray days. The bright blue sky really made the yellow feathers of the goldfinches pop—bright colors like these really help to lift my spirits. The final photo seems to have more a wintery feel to it, although it was taken at about the same time as the other two images. It is amazing how a different angle and different lighting can produce images with different vibes.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Two Swans A-swimming

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged Canon 7D, Cygnus columbianus, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, swan, Tamron 150-600mm, Tundra Swan, Woodbridge VA on December 14, 2022| 1 Comment »

I was thrilled yesterday to spot two Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus) a-swimming in the waters off of Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The light brown coloration and the pink that is still visible on their bills suggest to me that these are juveniles—adult Tundra Swans have white feathers and black bills.

I have seen Tundra Swans only a few times in the past. I think that we are relatively close to the southern boundary of the area in which Tundra Swans overwinter. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, “Tundra Swans breed on lakes, ponds and pools situated along river deltas in Alaska and Canada…wintering flocks gather on estuaries, lakes, bays, ponds and rivers, often situated close to agricultural fields where the birds feed.”

I do not know if there was a flock of swans nearby, but these two were the only ones that I saw. I was hoping to get better photos of the swans, but unfortunately they were scared away by a loud motor boat that ventured too close. It was a real challenge to get a shot of the two swans together as they swam in and out of the patches of bright sunlight at varying distances from each other. The second and third shots that show the two individuals were a bit easier to capture.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Almost monochrome

Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged Buteo lineatus, Canon 7D, hawk, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Red-Shouldered Hawk, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA on December 13, 2022| 3 Comments »

So many of my recent photos have been almost devoid of color. We have already entered into that extended season of the year when the landscape turns monochromatic and bright colors have all but disappeared.

Last Thursday, I was thrilled to spot this Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) that was perched motionless atop a broken-off tree. Somehow in the shadows I was able to spot the bird’s shape and correctly identify it as a bird. I am almost constantly scanning the trees for birds when I am out with my camera and will often take a shot of anything that looks remotely like a bird. I will take a look at my shot and sometimes find that it is a photo of a wasp nest, an unusually-shaped branch, or just a cluster of leaves.

Although this image is almost chromatic, there is a slight warmth in the feathers of the hawk that help to separate it visually from the tree. If you look closely at the image, you will also discover some light green color and texture in the lichen that was growing on the bark of the tree.

The beauty of nature in winter is often subtle, but it is definitely there, waiting to be discovered in the shapes and textures that reveal themselves when you slow down and pay attention.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Eagles on a floating log

Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged Bald Eagle, Bald Eagle couple, Canon 7D, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA on December 12, 2022| 13 Comments »

I was surprised and delighted to spot this pair of Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) perched on a floating log in the waters off of Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge last Thursday. As I draw closer to nesting season, I have been seeing more eagles in couples. Normally, of course, I see them in the trees, but I have gotten used to scanning the water as well—I never know where I might see a perched eagle.

Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Eagle and grebe?

Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged Bald Eagle, birds in flight, Canon 7D, Grebe, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA on December 11, 2022| 14 Comments »

As I was observing a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) last Thursday (8 December) at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, it suddenly swooped down to the water and snagged what I assumed was a fish. When I looked at my photos, however, the prey looked like it might be a duck or some kind of grebe. Yikes!

I have read that eagles will sometimes grab a waterfowl for meal, but I thought that was only as a last resort, for example, when the waters at a location are mostly iced over during the winter. At this time of the year, the waters are completely ice-free, so I am not sure what prompted the eagle to hunt for another bird rather than a fish. Perhaps the eagle was feeling lazy or was really hungry and did not want to go to the trouble of tracking and catching a fish.

Some birders on Facebook have suggested that the prey might be a small grebe, possibly a Horned Grebe, or perhaps a small duck, like a female Hooded Merganser.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Female Northern Cardinal

Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged Canon 7D, Cardinalis cardinalis, female Northern Cardinal, Northern cardinal, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA on December 10, 2022| 1 Comment »

We seemed to have already moved into the winter cycle of cold, gray days, when the images that I do manage to capture have a real starkness about them. The absence of color in the environment, though, makes any color in my subjects really stand out.

When I visited Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge on Thursday, most of the birds seemed hidden—I could hear them, but for the most part I had trouble spotting them. As I was walking along one of the trails, however, I heard some rustling in the underbrush and watched as a female Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) flew to a a perch amidst the vegetation.

My view of the female cardinal was partially obscured, but I managed to maneuver into a position from which I had a clear view of her head. I really like the way that I was able to capture some of the delicate details of this cardinal, like the tinges of red on the feathers of her crest, the fluffy feathers on her chest, and her extra long claws.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Male Downy Woodpecker

Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged Canon 7D, Downy Woodpecker, male Downy Woodpecker, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Picoides pubescens, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA on December 9, 2022| 4 Comments »

Most of the time when I see (or hear) a woodpecker hammering away at a tree, I can’t actually see the results of its work. Yesterday, however, I managed to capture this shot of a male Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge that shows the hole being probed by the little woodpecker. There is a bit of wood in the woodpecker’s beak, but as far as I could tell, he was not successful in locating any tasty insects.

How do I know that his woodpecker is a male? Only male Downy Woodpeckers have the small red patch on the back of their heads that you can see in this photo.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Vultures overhead

Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged birds in flight, Black Vulture, Canon 7D, Cathartes aura, Coragyps atratus, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 150-600mm, turkey vulture, Woodbridge VA on December 8, 2022| 2 Comments »

I often see vultures circling overhead when I am walking along the trails at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Although I have gotten used to their presence, I find them to be slightly spooky and I try to make sure I don’t stand still for too long a period, lest the vultures think that I am carrion.

Most of the vultures that I see are Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura), like the one in the first photo. Occasionally, though, I also see Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus). How do I tell them apart? As you can see in the second photos, Turkey Vultures have red heads, while Black Vultures have black heads. In addition, the pattern of the light feathers on the underside of the wings of the two vultures is different. Black Vulture have patches of light feathers near the tips of the wings and Turkey Vultures have light feathers along almost the entire length of the trailing edges of the underside of their wings.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Downy Woodpecker in December

Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged Canon 7D, Downy Woodpecker, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Picoides pubescens, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA, woodpecker on December 7, 2022| 4 Comments »

I had a lot of trouble trying to track this energetic Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) as it moved about among the branches of a tree last Friday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. It paused for a moment and I was able to capture this image in which it looks like the little woodpecker is posing for me and smiling.

Downy Woodpeckers are the smallest woodpeckers in my area—about six inches in length (15 cm)—and are the ones that I see most often. I am always struck by the high energy level and industriousness of these little birds that seem to be foraging all of the time.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Bluebird and sumac

Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged bluebird, Canon 7D, Eastern Bluebird, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Sialia sialis, sumac, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA on December 6, 2022| 8 Comments »

When there is an abundance of berries, how does a bird decide which one to eat first? I thought that a bird would select the one that was closest to it. However, when I watched an Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) last Friday in a patch of sumac at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, I realized that it had a different criterion for selecting berries.

I captured this little sequence of photos that showed a bluebird reaching down and carefully selecting a single berry that met its unstated criteria. After holding the berry in its beak momentarily, the bluebird swallowed the berry and, judging from the final berry, seemed to enjoy its flavor before choosing another one.

I am absolutely delighted to see bluebirds at this time of the year, when the number of birds has been steadily decreasing. These little birds, along with Northern Cardinals, add a burst of color during the long, gray days of the winter months.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Chickadee and Sweetgum Ball

Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged American Sweetgum, Canon 7D, Carolina Chickadee, chickadee, Liquidambar styraciflua, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Poecile carolinensis, Sweetgum, Sweetgum Tree, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA on December 5, 2022| 6 Comments »

I generally have trouble identifying trees, but one that I can often pick out is an American Sweetgum tree (Liquidambar styraciflua), thanks to its distinctive spiky balls. At certain times of the year the ground in various part of Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge is carpeted with the spiky seedpods, making walking a bit uncomfortable.

Last Friday I watched a Carolina Chickadee as it extracted seeds from some of the spiky sweetgum balls still hanging from the tree branches. The chickadee would hang from its claws from one of the balls and thrust its beak into the center of the ball. Sometimes the long stem of the ball would sway a bit, but I never saw one give way—either the stem is really strong or the chickadee is really light (or both).

The chickadee was high in the tree, but I managed to capture this cool shot of the little bird in action.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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European Starling in December

Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, Portraits, wildlife, tagged Canon 7D, European Starling, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, starling, Sturnus vulgaris, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto, Woodbridge VA on December 4, 2022| 7 Comments »

During the winter months it is not uncommon for me to see large flocks of European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris). When the lighting is poor, they appear to be entirely black in color. When the sun is shining brightly, however, I am sometimes able to see the speckles in their feathers and a shiny iridescence that often looks greenish or pinkish in color.

This starling was part of a flock that I spotted on Friday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The birds were foraging high in the trees and most of them flew away as I approached. This one hung around for a bit longer than the others, allowing me to capture these shots that highlight markings pretty well.

According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, “All the European Starlings in North America descended from 100 birds set loose in New York’s Central Park in the early 1890s. The birds were intentionally released by a group who wanted America to have all the birds that Shakespeare ever mentioned. It took several tries, but eventually the population took off. Today, more than 200 million European Starlings range from Alaska to Mexico, and many people consider them pests.”

Another fun fact that I learned on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website relates to the feathers of this cool-looking bird. “Starlings turn from spotted and white to glossy and dark each year without shedding their feathers. The new feathers they grow in fall have bold white tips – that’s what gives them their spots. By spring, these tips have worn away, and the rest of the feather is dark and iridescent brown. It’s an unusual changing act that scientists term “wear molt.””

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Two eagles in December

Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged Bald Eagle, bald eagle nest, Canon 7D, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA on December 3, 2022| 3 Comments »

It had been over a week since I last went out with my camera, so I was thrilled yesterday to walk the trails at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. One of the first places where I usually look for activity is the large eagle nest shown in the second photo. It may be a little early for the eagles to begin nesting, but an eagle couple is often in the surrounding area at this time of the year.

I scanned the trees in the immediate area, but came up empty-handed. As I continued down the trail, however, I spotted the bright white head of a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). As I maneuvered about, trying to get a clear shot, I suddenly realized that there were two eagles partially hidden in the trees. I don’t know for sure if the eagles were a couple, for they seemed to be perched far apart for a couple—maybe the pandemic has caused the eagles to practice social distancing.

I was happy to be able to capture an image that shows both of the eagles pretty well. As I have said many times before, any day when I am able to photograph eagles is a good day.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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One more hawk

Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged Buteo jamaicensis, Canon 7D, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Red-tailed Hawk, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA on December 2, 2022| 6 Comments »

I hear hawks crying out more often than I see them. Quite often when I do manage to spot one, it is soaring high in the sky and my photos show only the underside of the hawk.

Last week, however, I managed to capture this image of a hawk as it flew by at treetop level at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. I think that the bird is a Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), but I must confess that I sometimes have trouble distinguishing between Red-tailed Hawks and Red-shouldered Hawks.

It almost looks like I was at eye level with the hawk when I took this photo, but I can confirm that my feet were firmly planted on the ground at that moment. I love the way that I was able to capture both wings in good positions as the hawk was flying and the determined, intensely-focused look on its face.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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