© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Archive for the ‘spring’ Category
Springtime sparrow
Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged Canon 7D, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 150-600mm, white-throated sparrow, Woodbridge VA, Zonotrichia albicollis on March 29, 2026| 2 Comments »
Fish for breakfast
Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged Canon 7D, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Osprey, Pandion haliaetus, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA on March 28, 2026| 7 Comments »
The ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) are definitely back at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge after spending the winter in warmer locations. I captured these images last week of an osprey as it was enjoying a freshly caught fish. I tried to vary the angles a bit for the individual shots, but moved slowly and carefully so that I did not disturb the osprey during its breakfast.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Spring Azure butterfly
Posted in Photography, Insects, Nature, wildlife, Butterflies, spring, tagged Tamron 150-600mm, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Woodbridge VA, Spring Azure, Spring Azure butterfly, Celastrina ladon, Canon7D on March 25, 2026| 3 Comments »
Butterflies are already starting appear at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, including this tiny Spring Azure butterfly (Celestrina ladon) that I photographed there on 20 March. These little butterflies look pretty nondescript when their wings are close, but when they are flying, you can see the beautiful blue coloration of their inner wings.
Spring Azure butterflies are almost always the first butterflies that I see in the spring. A few other species, like Mourning Cloaks, overwinter as adults, but Spring Azure butterflies spend the winter in the pupal stage in a chrysalis and emerge as adults in the early spring.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Staring contest
Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged Bald Eagle, Canon 7D, eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, staring contest, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA on March 24, 2026| 12 Comments »
I got involved in a little staring contest with a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) last Friday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. I moved slowly and deliberately to get some photos and then departed silently, leaving the eagle in peace on its perch.
Most of the time my first indication that there is an eagle in the area is when it takes off in response to my presence. In this case, however, the eagle looked right at me and seemed to decide that I did not represent a threat, so it stayed in place.
I like that kind of peaceful coexistence.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Springtime chickadee
Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged Canon 7D, Carolina Chickadee, chickadee, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Poecile carolinensis, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA on March 17, 2026| 2 Comments »
I couldn’t help but notice the sight and sounds of little birds last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge—they were really active. Of course, being aware of their presence did not magically result in photographs of them. As many of you know, one of the “secrets” of my wildlife photography is that I am unusually patient and persistent.
So I watched and waited and eventually managed to capture images of Carolina Chickadees (Poecile carolinensis), some of the smallest birds in our area. Here are a few of my favorites. In the first one, I managed to isolate the little bird from its cluttered background, which was a bit tricky, considering that the chickadee was perched on a small branch in the midst of a tangled group of branches.
The second photo was a little easier to take, because the bird was perched at the end of a branch in a more open area. The final photo was an unplanned one. As I was focusing on the chickadee, it took off and I instinctively pressed the shutter release. The photo is far from perfect, but I really like it.
I’m sure I’ll be taking more (and hopefully better) bird photos as we move deeper into spring and I’m looking forward to seeing a few dragonflies appearing in the next month or so.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Brown Thrasher in March
Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged brown thrasher, Canon 7D, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 150-600mm, thrasher, Toxostoma rufum, Woodbridge VA on March 14, 2026| 5 Comments »
I could easily hear this Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum) singing high in the trees this past Tuesday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, but I had a hard time getting an obstructed view of it because it was hidden in the branches. I waited and waited and eventually the Thrasher moved to a more open spot. I was delighted when I managed to capture a shot when it started singing again.
According to some naturalists cited on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website, “It is the opinion of many ornithologists that the song (of the Brown Thrasher)… is richer, fuller, and definitely more melodious than that of polyglottis” (the Northern Mockingbird).” I was also happy that I was able to get some good shots of the striking yellow eyes of the Brown Thrasher. Wow!
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Migratory birds in the spring
Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged Canon 7D, Cygnus columbianus, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Pelecanus erythrorhynchos, pelicans, Tamron 150-600mm, Tundra Swan, White American Pelicans, Woodbridge VA on March 13, 2026| 4 Comments »
At this time of the year, the skies are often filled with migratory birds. I live in Northern Virginia, which seems to be a kind of midpoint in the journeys of birds that spend their winters in warmer places and then fly northward for breeding.
The most common birds that I see are Canada Geese, but this past Tuesday I was delighted to spot a couple of less common Species. In the first photo are some members of a large flock of American White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos). Although the photo makes it look like the birds were flying in a military-like formation, the grouping was often quite disorganized and was slow-moving. I couldn’t help but notice the “horn” on the upper bill of several of the pelicans that they will eventually shed after the birds mate and lay their eggs.
A short while later, I spotted a small group of Tundra Swans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos), as shown in the second photo below. I noted that these swans fly with their necks fully extended, unlike the herons and egrets that I am more used to seeing that fly with their necks tucked in, creating an S-shape.
Tuesday was a warm, beautiful spring day and I managed to spot some additional birds in the trees and in the underbrush that I will feature in blog postings in the next few days.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
First spring flowers
Posted in Flowers, Nature, Photography, spring, tagged Alexandria VA, crocuses, g. Crocus, g. Galanthus, iPhone 16 Pro Max, Needlework Show, snowdrops, Woodlawn Plantation on March 7, 2026| 12 Comments »
I was delighted yesterday to spot my first spring flowers of the year during a visit to Woodlawn Plantation in Alexandria, Virginia. Woodlawn is a 126-acre estate that was originally part of George Washington’s Mount Vernon. The main Federal-style house was designed by the architect of the U.S. Capitol, Dr. William Thornton, and constructed between 1800 and 1805 as the plantation house for Washington’s nephew, Major Lawrence Lewis, and his wife, Eleanor “Nelly” Custis Lewis, according to the website savingplaces.org.
During the month of March, 63rd Annual Woodlawn Needlework Show is taking place at this location, reportedly the largest judged needle arts show in the nation, featuring hundreds of embroidered works by artists from around the world. As I was walking from the parking lot to the main building, I spotted a patch of snowdrops (g. Galanthus) and a few purple crocuses (g. Crocus) already in bloom. I did not have my “real” camera with me, but managed to capture these images with my iPhone.
Winter may not be completely over, but the weather forecast for the upcoming weather indicates that the high temperatures may reach the upper 70’s (25 degrees C). I hope to be outdoors as much as I can, soaking up the warmth of those days. Within a month, I hope to start seeing dragonflies again, one of my favorite subjects to photograph.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Odd duck
Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged Bucephala albeola, bufflehead, Canon 7D, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA on March 5, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Buffleheads (Bucephala albeola) are small sea ducks that I sometimes observe during the winter in the waters off of Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The males have a large white patch on their heads that makes them relatively easy to identify. From a distance these males often look to be black and white. When the sun is shining from the right directions, as it was last week when I captured this image, you can see that their heads are actually a glossy green and purple that really helps to set off their distinctive white patches.
In addition to being able to see the colors, the straight-on angle of this shot shows the odd shape of the head of this bufflehead’s head. It may be a bit of an optical illusion, but it looks to me like the lower portion of its head is considerably bigger than the upper part.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Spring is here…or almost
Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged astronomical spring, Bald Eagle, Canon 7D, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, meteorological spring, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA on March 2, 2026| 4 Comments »
Yesterday, 1 March, marked the start of meteorological spring for those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere. Meteorologists divide the seasons into three month increments for easier data tracking, although in the United States we generally use the astronomical calendar that ties the start of spring to the vernal equinox, which is on March 20 in 2026. No matter how you calculate the start of spring, there are definite signs that the seasons are changing.
After a brutally cold period of weather in most of February, we had an unusually warm day on Saturday, the last day of the month. The sun was shining brightly throughout the day and temperatures soared to over 60 degrees (15.5 degrees C). I generally don’t go out with my camera on the weekends to avoid the inevitable crowds, but I couldn’t resist the pull of the beautiful weather and headed off to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
There were quite a few people at the refuge and most of the wildlife that I encountered was out of camera range, but that didn’t really matter. Like the turtles that had risen up from the bottom of the ponds, I enjoyed simply basking in the warmth of the sun.
I did manage to capture a shot of a distant Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). Many of you know that I rarely pass up an opportunity to photograph an eagle, even when they are far away. As you can see from the blurry branches in the foreground, I had to bend and twist my body to get a clear view of the eagle through the thicket of branches that mostly blocked my view.
It will soon be nesting season for the eagles, so I’ll be checking out several locations at the wildlife refuge this month for signs of eagle activity.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mourning Cloak butterfly
Posted in Butterflies, Insects, Nature, Photography, spring, Summer, wildlife, tagged Camberwell Beauty, Canon 7D, Mourning Cloak, Mourning Cloak butterfly, Nymphalis antiopa, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA on June 18, 2025| 7 Comments »
Mourning Cloak butterflies (Nymphalis antiopa) are often one of the first butterflies that I see in early spring, because they overwinter with us as adults in a kind of hibernation. According to Wikipedia, Mourning Cloaks, known in Britain as the Camberwell Beauty, have a lifespan of 11 to 12 months, one of the longest lifespans for any butterfly.
In the springtime, these butterflies mate and I suspect that the butterfly in the photo below that I spotted in early June at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge is part of the “new generation.” I don’t know a whole lot about the entire life cycle of the Mourning Cloak, but from what I have read, their lives include periods of activity followed by long periods of inactivity. During the summer, for example, they enter into a “dormant” stage, known as aestivation that is somewhat similar to hibernation, and then become active again in the autumn.
I love the markings of this beautiful butterfly and was thrilled when it held its wings open for a few seconds and let me see the stunning blue markings on its inner wings that stand out among the mostly subdued colors on its body.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Great Crested Flycatcher
Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, Summer, wildlife, tagged Canon 7D, flycatcher, Great Crested Flycatcher, Myiarchus crinitus, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA on June 17, 2025| 2 Comments »
Earlier in June I spotted this cool-looking bird at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. I am not really sure what species it is, but I think it might be a Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus). The bird was mostly hidden in the foliage, but I managed to get a couple of reasonably clear shots of it.
I love the wash of yellow on its belly that gradually fades into the gray of its throat. There are a few other birds in the flycatcher family that are somewhat similar in appearance, so I could be off in my identification, but this is the one that most closely matches the descriptions and images in my identification guides.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Ebony Jewelwing damselfly
Posted in damselfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, spring, Summer, wildlife, tagged Alexandria VA, Calopteryx maculata, Canon 7D, Ebony Jewelwing, Ebony Jewelwing damselfly, female Ebony Jewelwing, Tamron 18-400mm, Wickford Park on June 16, 2025| Leave a Comment »
I spotted my first Ebony Jewelwing damselflies (Calopteryx maculata) of the year last week during a short visit to Wickford Park, a small suburban park with a creek that runs through it. Members of this species have distinctive dark wings and are generally found in shaded streams where the mixed lighting makes it challenging to photograph them.
Female Ebony Jewelwings have small white patches (known as pseudostigmas) on their wings that along with their terminal appendages make them easy to identify. The damselflies in these two photos are both female. I am not sure why the eyes of the damselfly in the first photo are so red in appearance—perhaps it is a result of the angle of the light or maybe it is related to the age of the individual. Whatever the case, the red eyes give the damselfly a devilish look.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
First Slaty Skimmer of 2025
Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, spring, Summer, wildlife, tagged Alexandria VA, Canon 7D, Libellula incesta, male Slaty Skimmer, Slaty Skimmer, Slaty Skimmer dragonfly, Tamron 18-400mm, Wickford Park on June 14, 2025| 5 Comments »
On Wednesday I visited Wickford Park, a small suburban park a few miles from where I live that has a creek that flows through it. In the past I have spotted a variety of dragonflies and damselflies at this location and once again I was rewarded with some new sightings.
I was pleasantly surprised to spot a male Slaty Skimmer (Libellula incesta), the first one that I have seen this year. During the summer, Slaty Skimmers are quite common at a number of the locations that I visit. The dark slate blue of the mature males of this species and their brown eyes make this species pretty easy to identify.
I thought about cropping this image closer to give a better look at the dragonfly, but decided that I really liked the twisting vegetation on which the dragonfly was perched and ultimately decided to keep the crop loose. What do you think?
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Love is in the air
Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, spring, Summer, wildlife, tagged Arigomphus villosipes, Canon 7D, mating Unicorn Clubtail, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Unicorn Clubtail, Unicorn Clubtail dragonfly, villo, Woodbridge VA on June 13, 2025| 4 Comments »
A dragonfly couple in wheel formation flew by me during a recent visit Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge and landed on some nearby vegetation. This acrobatic position is the one used by most dragonflies for mating—sometimes they will mate while in the air and other times they will “do the deed” while perched.
I am not totally certain but I believe that these dragonflies are Unicorn Clubtails (Arigomphus villosipes), a species that I see from time to time in my area.
Happy Friday the 13th!
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Powdered Dancer damselfly
Posted in damselfly, Insects, Macro Photography, Nature, spring, Summer, Winter, tagged Argia moesta, Canon 7D, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Powdered Dancer, Powdered Dancer damselfly, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA on June 12, 2025| 5 Comments »
Most of the time that I see damselflies, they are perched in the vegetation. Powdered Dancer damselflies (Argia moesta), like this one that I spotted last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, however, like to perch on bare ground, emergent stones, and along trails. Immature male Powdered Dancers are tan to dark brown, turn darker with age, and becoming almost completely whitish at maturity.
The “powdered” color of this damselfly helped in to blend in almost perfectly with the sand and gravel on this trail at the wildlife refuge. If I had not seen it land, I suspect that I would have had real trouble spotting this Powdered Dancer damselfly.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Reaching for nectar
Posted in Butterflies, Insects, Nature, Photography, spring, Summer, wildlife, tagged Canon 7D, Eurytides marcellus, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA, Zebra Swallowtail, Zebra Swallowtail butterfly on June 11, 2025| 6 Comments »
This Zebra Swallowtail butterfly (Eurytides marcellus) had its wings fully extended as it reached for nectar from an unidentified plant last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. I love the way that the photo below shows the butterfly’s long “tails” that appear to be fully intact, making me wonder if this butterfly had recently emerged.
In my area of Northern Virginia Zebra Swallow tails tend to have at least two broods a year. According to the local Prince William Conservation Alliance, “The summer generation is larger and has proportionally wider stripes and longer tails than the spring generation.”
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Yellow-breasted Chat
Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, Summer, wildlife, tagged Canon 7D, Icteria virens, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA, Yellow-breasted Chat on June 10, 2025| 5 Comments »
Last Monday I spotted this beautiful Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria virens) at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. I thought that this was my first encounter with this bird species, but a search of my previous blog postings revealed that I got some long distance shots of one in 2022.
Many of the migrating warblers that are passing through my area have various yellow markings, so I assumed that this was simply another warbler. The reality, however, is hardly simple. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, “The Yellow-breasted Chat has always been a mystery to taxonomists—it looks similar to warblers but is larger, with a more varied repertoire of songs and calls, and also has other differences in behavior and anatomy. The species was placed in the warbler family (Parulidae) for decades, but in the late 2010s was given its own family (Icteriidae), in recognition of these differences.”
If that were not confusing enough, the name “chat” is used for a number of different birds throughout the world. According to Wikipedia, “Chats (formerly sometimes known as “chat-thrushes”) are a group of small Old World insectivorous birds formerly classified as members of the thrush family (Turdidae), but following genetic DNA analysis are now considered to belong to the Old World flycatcher family (Muscicapidae). The name is normally applied to the more robust ground-feeding flycatchers found in Europe and Asia and most northern species are strong migrants.”
All of this scientific explanation leaves me utterly confused. The only thing I know for sure is that the Yellow-breasted Chat that I photographed was a real treat for me—its bright yellow color immediately brought a smile to my face and lifted my spirits. For me, that is more than enough—I’ll leave the arguments about taxonomy and classification to others.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
American Redstart
Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged American Redstart, Canon 7D, immature American Redstart, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Setophaga ruticilla, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA on June 9, 2025| 4 Comments »
When I photographed this bird last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, I really had no idea what it was. Some aspects of its overall coloration reminded me a little of a Tufted Titmouse, but its shape and size were not right. Its mottled and patchy color suggested to me that this might be an immature bird and I wondered if it might be some kind of warbler.
When I returned home I searched though my identification guides and looked at lots of photos on-line and concluded that this was probably an immature male American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla). Some folks on Facebook confirmed my identification, which was helpful, considering that I had never before seen this species. As I suspected, this Redstart is a New World warbler—apparently there is also an Old World Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros) that is completely unrelated to the one that I spotted.
Each spring I am absolutely delighted to find any warblers at all. Often I hear the warblers singing in the leafy trees, but only rarely do I manage to catch a glimpse of their beauty.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Black Saddlebags dragonfly
Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged Black Saddlebags, Black Saddlebags dragonfly, Canon 7D, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Tramea lacerata, Woodbridge VA on June 7, 2025| 4 Comments »
I tracked this Black Saddlebags dragonfly (Tramea lacerata) in the air for quite some time on 2 June at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge until it finally landed and I was able to capture this shot of it perching in the vegetation.
Black Saddlebags are among the few North American dragonfly species that undertake migrations. Specifically, the offspring of the Black Saddlebag dragonflies migrate south in the fall, while some return north in the spring to breed. It’s impossible for me to know if the dragonfly in this photo started its journey somewhere to the south, but that is certainly a possibility.
One thing I do know for sure is that Black Saddlebags spend a lot of their time in the air, patrolling back and forth over an area. Most of the time when I spot them, they are flying, so it was nice to have a chance to capture a shot of one on the ground.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Blue-faced Meadowhawk (immature male)
Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged Blue-faced Meadowhawk, Blue-faced Meadowhawk dragonfly, Canon 7D, immature male Blue-faced Meadowhawk, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Sympetrum ambiguum, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA on June 6, 2025| Leave a Comment »
I was really surprised to spot this immature Blue-faced Meadowhawk dragonfly (Sympetrum ambiguum) on Monday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. In the past I have seen this species only in late summer and early autumn and by the bodies of those dragonflies have always been red in color and the face has had a distinctive blue tinge.
This dragonfly appears to have only recently emerged and that is its the body is tan rather than red—the color will change as he matures. The stripes on the abdomen and the eye color, though, helped me to identify it as a Blue-faced Meadowhawk rather than the somewhat similar Autumn Meadowhawk that has brown eyes.
I was curious to understand why I happened to spot this species a lot earlier than usual and have heard some other dragonfly enthusiasts speculate that the immature Blue-faced Meadowhawks “hide” in the woods and make an appearance only later in the season. One of the experts in Virginia Odonata Facebook group to which I belong noted that “They appear to have two different emergence periods, one in spring and one in late summer/fall.”
Whatever the reason for the early appearance, I was delighted to see and photograph this Blue-faced Meadowhawk, one of my favorite dragonfly species. A few long-time subscribers may recall that I was awarded second place almost ten years ago in a local photography contest for a macro close-up of a Blue-faced Meadowhawk. If you are interested in learning more about that experience and seeing the “award winning” image, check out my blog posting from December 2015 entitled “Second place in local photo contest.”
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Female Widow Skimmer
Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged Canon 7D, female Widow Skimmer, Libellula luctuosa, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Widow Skimmer, Widow Skimmer dragonfly, Woodbridge VA on June 5, 2025| 1 Comment »
On Monday I spotted this female Widow Skimmer dragonfly (Libellula luctuosa), my first one of 2025, during a visit to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Widow Skimmers have very distinctive dark patches on their wings that reminded the scientist who named them of the dark mourning crepe worn by Victorian-era widows during their initial stages of mourning and even their Latin name “luctuosa” means “sorrowful.”
The weather in my area has warmed considerably this week and already it feels like summer. Gradually the summer dragonflies, like this Widow Skimmer, are starting to appear. The hot days of summer are a bit uncomfortable for me, but seem to be preferred by many dragonfly species.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Big Bluet damselfly
Posted in damselfly, Insects, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged Big Bluet, Big Bluet damselfly, Canon 7D, Enallagma durum, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA on June 4, 2025| 8 Comments »
When I spotted these damselflies last week I was not sure what species they were. Most of the damselflies that I had seen near this location at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge in the past were Big Bluet damselflies (Enallagma durum), but the coloration of this one was different enough that I was not confident in identifying it. I posted a photo in a Facebook group that specializes in dragonflies and damselflies and one of the experts there confirmed that this is in fact a Big Bluet.
I am happy to identify this species, but I must confess that I am even more happy with the images that I was able to capture. For all three images, I believe, I had to focus manually as I tried to compose the images, which can be a real challenge with a digital camera. When I first started taking photos back in the pre-digital age, I remember that my single-lens reflex film camera had a split prism area that you had to adjust and you knew that the subject was in focus when the two halves of the image aligned.
My telephoto lens was extended fully to 400mm, so I was a pretty good distance from the damselflies when I composed these shots. I particularly like the first image, in which the branch at the top third of the shot gradually falls out of focus, allowing the viewer to focus on the damselfly clinging to the leaf.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Great Spangled Fritillary butterfly
Posted in Butterflies, Insects, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged Canon 7D, Great Spangled Fritillary, Great Spangled Fritillary butterfly, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Speyeria cybele, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA on June 3, 2025| 7 Comments »
I was excited last week to see a lot of Great Spangled Fritillary butterflies (Speyeria cybele) that appear to have recently emerged at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Great Spangled Fritillaries are large orange-colored butterflies with dark-colored markings on the inner wings and prominent silvery white spots on the underside of the hind wings, i.e. the “spangles” in the name of the species.
Most of the ones that I saw appeared to be feeding on the trails, as you can see in the two photos below, rather than feeding on the nectar of flowers, as I have typically seen them do in the past. Perhaps they need minerals from the ground when they first emerge or were attempting to drink water from the damp soil.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Needham’s Skimmer dragonfly
Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged Canon 7D, female Needham's Skimmer, Libellula needhami, Needham's Skimmer, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA on May 31, 2025| 4 Comments »
I was delighted yesterday during a visit to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge to spot this beautiful female Needham’s Skimmer dragonfly (Libellula needhami), my first of the year. Later in the year, Needham’s Skimmers will become the most frequent dragonfly that I will encounter at this location but the dragonfly in the photo below was the only one that I saw yesterday.
Needham’s Skimmers are quite distinctive in appearance. Mature males are reddish-orange in color and stand out from the males of other species. Females and immature males have a body coloration that is shared with some other species, but the golden yellow veins at the leading edges of their wings distinguishes them from the others.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Late-season Blue Corporal dragonflies
Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged Blue Corporal, Blue Corporal dragonfly, Canon 7D, Ladona deplanata, male Blue Corporal, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA on May 27, 2025| 4 Comments »
Blue Corporals (Ladona deplanata) are an early-season dragonfly—they appear in April and are usually gone by the beginning of June. I was therefore happy to spot some Blue Corporals in mid-May during a visit to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Blue Corporals perches frequently on low flat surfaces, often on the ground, so they are sometimes hard to see when the ground is cluttered, as it often is at this time of the year.
The dragonfly’s “corporal” stripes on his thorax are really visible in the first photos, so I could immediately identify his species. A short time later I was surprised when I saw a Blue Corporal land on a rusty bit of metal sticking out of the water at the edge of a small pond—I haven’t seen Blue Corporals flying over the water very often. I think this might have been a fence post or some kind of marker, because it appeared to be attached to some concrete.
I was absolutely delighted to be able to captures the texture of the rusty metal and the orange-blue complementary colors make this image particularly eye-catching.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Spangled Skimmer dragonfly
Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged Canon 7D, Libellula cyanea, male Spangled Skimmer, Orkney Springs VA, Shrine Mont, Spangled Skimmer, Spangled Skimmer dragonfly, Tamron 18-400 on May 26, 2025| 2 Comments »
There are quite a few blue dragonflies where I live, so I can’t always rely on color to tell them apart. Fortunately, it is relatively easy to identify a male Spangled Skimmer (Libellula cyanea), because it has a lighter-colored spot beside a black spot on the outer leading edge of each wing—as far as I know, no other dragonfly in our area has multi-colored stigmata, the technical name for those spots.
The stigmata are not there for decoration, but reportedly serve an important role in the flight of dragonflies. I do not really understand the physics of flight, but have read that the stigmata are heavier than the adjoining cells and help to stabilize the vibrations of the wings.
I spotted this male Spangled Skimmer as he was perched in the vegetation at the edge of a small pond at Shrine Mont, an Episcopal Church retreat center, in Orkney Springs, Virginia. Most often I try to get side views of dragonflies in order to get most of the body in focus, but in this case I deliberately tried to focus on the dragonfly’s large, compound eyes, knowing that much of the body would fall out of focus. This allows the viewer’s attention to be drawn immediately to those eyes.
I encourage you to click on the image to get a closer look at the dragonfly’s amazing eyes.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
More flying Common Baskettails
Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged Canon 7D, Common Baskettail, Common Baskettail dragonfly, Epitheca cynosura, Orkney Springs VA, Shrine Mont, Tamron 18-400mm on May 24, 2025| 4 Comments »
I was away in the mountains last weekend at a church retreat at Shrine Mont, and Episcopal retreat center in Orkney Springs, Virginia. We had a wonderful time of rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation in a really beautiful setting.
There was a small pond at the site where I spotted a number of dragonflies, including some Common Baskettails (Epitheca cynosura) that were patrolling back and forth over the surface of the water. I felt compelled to try to capture images of these dragonflies and had a modest amount of success, as you can see in the photos below. I ended up focusing manually most of the time, because the backgrounds were often cluttered and the focus system had trouble acquiring the dragonflies.
I really like the way that this little series shows the varied backgrounds at the pond. I was also quite happy to focus well enough on the dragonflies that the backgrounds were blurred and non-distracting. In case you are curious, these Common Baskettails were relatively cooperative, hovering a bit over the water and allowing me time to focus on them.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Ospreys in action
Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged Canon 7D, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Osprey, osprey mating, osprey nest, Pandion haliaetus, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA on May 22, 2025| Leave a Comment »
When I first spotted two Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) sitting in a large eagle nest last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, I assumed that one of them was sitting on eggs. I was therefore a bit surprised when one of the ospreys mounted the other in what I assume was an act of mating. That suggests that there are not yet any eggs in the nest.
After a brief period of activity, the one that is probably the male flew away from the nest and I managed to capture a couple of photos of his departure. Both of the ospreys are in the frame in the second and third photos below and I really like the way that I captured the wing span of the departing osprey and his spread tail feathers. I encourage you to click on these two images to get a closer look at the ospreys, particularly the male.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
First Blue Dasher of 2025
Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged Blue Dasher, Blue Dasher dragonfly, Canon 7D, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Pachydiplax longipennis, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA on May 21, 2025| 5 Comments »
I usually try to get close-up shots of dragonflies, but sometimes that is not possible. In those cases, I try to be creative and frame and/or isolate the subject with elements of the environment, as I did with this Blue Dasher dragonfly (Pachydiplax longipennis) that I spotted last Monday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, the first one that I have spotted this year.
I really like this composition, despite the fact that the dragonfly is very small in the photo, thanks largely to the undulating green waves of the leaves and the out-of-focus branches in the background. What do you think? Should I have cropped the photo a bit more?
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Goldfinch in plain sight
Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged American Goldfinch, Canon 7D, goldfinch, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Spinus tristis, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA on May 20, 2025| 9 Comments »
As I have noted in several recent posts, I have real troubles spotting birds when the trees are fully leafed out. In other seasons, when the trees are bare, birds tend to fly to new perches when they detect my presence and I can often track them when they are in flight and follow them visually to their new perches. Now, however, the birds seem to remain in place and sing loudly, but remain invisible to my eyes.
Last week I managed to capture an image of an American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) when he popped into view momentarily outside of the tree canopy at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The little goldfinch was visible for only a short period of time, but fortunately I was looking in the right direction at that moment.
Later in the day I spotted another goldfinch perched in a distant tree. For some reason, the tree had no leaves, so it was easy for me to see the bird. I grabbed a shot and tried to move a little closer, but the bird could see my movement and immediately flew away. I hesitated to post the second photo below, because the bird is so small in the frame, but decided that I really liked the contrast between the bright yellow of the bird and the starkness of the branches and the white sky, a nice counterpoint to the lushness of the vegetation in the first photo.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
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Mike Powell 