Thanksgiving | Mike Powell

Archive for the ‘Thanksgiving’ Category

Thanksgiving 2025

Posted in Birds, Inspiration, Nature, Photography, Thanksgiving, wildlife, tagged attitude of gratitude, Bald Eagle, Bald Eagle couple, Canon 7D, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 150-600mm, thanks, Thanksgiving 2025, Woodbridge VA on November 27, 2025| 4 Comments »

Happy Thanksgiving to all those celebrating this American holiday. Whether we are soaring high or resting at water’s edge, like this Bald Eagle couple (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), we are all blessed.

The Scriptures tell us we should “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances.” A recent sermon reminded me that we are called to give thanks “in” all circumstances, even when it may not be possible to feel thankful “for” all of them. It’s a matter of having what some have called an “attitude of gratitude.”

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Wild Turkey in October

Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, Thanksgiving, wildlife, tagged Canon 7D, Meleagris gallopavo, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 150-600mm, turkey, Wild Turkey, Woodbridge VA on October 7, 2024| 4 Comments »

At this time of the year holiday preparations become intertwined at retail stores. I have already seen lots of displays for Halloween and suspect that I will see Christmas decorations for sale as well if I look a little harder. Indigenous Peoples Day and Thanksgiving Day are also part of this autumn blitz.

So I guess that it is not that surprising that I immediately thought of Thanksgiving Day when I spotted this Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Turkeys are part of the lore of Thanksgiving and play a central role in the traditional feast, though commercial turkeys no longer bear much resemblance to their wild counterparts.

There are several flocks of wild turkeys at this wildlife refuge and I often encounter them foraging along the trails. When they see me, they usually move slowly into the undergrowth—I suspect that they have grown accustomed to the presence of humans, but do not want to interact with them most of the time. Strangely enough, that’s the same attitude that I display when I am out in the wild with my camera.

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What’s for dinner?

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Thanksgiving, wildlife, tagged Bald Eagle, Canon 7D, eagle nest, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA on November 24, 2023| 1 Comment »

This Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) must have decided that it wanted to celebrate Thanksgiving with poultry rather than fish. A Wild Turkey would have been too big, so it looks like the eagle settled for a duck.

As I approached the large eagle nest at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, I was shocked to see that there was an eagle in the nest. As I watched, the eagle moved about a bit, bobbing its head up and down. I assumed that it was making minor repairs to the nest, but I was wrong.

It was only when the eagle flew out of the nest that I realized that the movement I had observed had been feeding behavior. I did not get a good look at the prey that was dangling from one of the eagle’s feet as it flew away, but assumed that it was a fish. Once again, I made a wrong assumption. When I looked at the images on my compute screen, I could see that the prey was some kind of duck, though I did not get a good enough shot of the duck to identify its species.

I don’t know how often eagles prey on water birds, but this is not the first time that I have seen it happen. Check out my March 2023 blog posting called “Eagle grabs coot” in which I featured some photos of an eagle encounter with an American Coot.

When I looked out on the waters of Occoquan Bay, I noticed that several rafts of ducks were present. They were pretty far away, but I did managed to identify numerous Ruddy Ducks and Buffleheads in addition to a few Pied-billed Grebes. The size of these groupings of birds varies throughout the colder months, but I can usually count on seeing them during late fall and winter months. If the eagles feel lazy or want a change in diet, I suspect that it is much easier for them to grab a duck that a fish.

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Thanksgiving Day 2020

Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, Thanksgiving, wildlife, tagged Canon 50D, Meleagris gallopavo, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 150-600mm, Thanksgiving Day, Thanksgiving Day 2020, Wild Turkey, Woodbridge VA on November 26, 2020| 31 Comments »

How often have you heard the platitude that you should cultivate an attitude of gratitude? Many of us will nod our head in agreement when we hear those words and then continue on in our self-centered lives, firm in our conviction that we are independent and self-sufficient, and that all that we have is the result of our own efforts. Wikipedia describes a platitude in these words, “A platitude is a trite, meaningless, or prosaic statement, often used as a thought-terminating cliché, aimed at quelling social, emotional, or cognitive unease. The statement may be true, but its meaning has been lost due to its excessive use.”

In the United States, one day a year is set aside to give thanks, Thanksgiving Day. Traditionally Americans will gather around a table and before they eat, each person will be asked to name one thing for which they are thankful. Some people find it difficult to be put in that position.

Why is it so tough to be thankful? Our society bombards us with messages that we should never be satisfied with what we have and should always want more—we can easily be trapped into focusing on what we do not have rather than on what we do have.

Last night at a Zoom church service I heard again the words of Scripture that reminds us to give thanks “in everything.” In everything? Yes, we should be thankful in absolutely everything. The experience of the last nine months has caused me to reexamine a lot of things that I had previously taken for granted. All of the sudden I was increasingly thankful for essential workers, for fellow citizens who wore masks and stayed at home, for the food that was present on the almost empty shelves at the grocery stores, for my relative good health, and for the roof over my head.

As many of you know, I have been blessed to be able to continue to find refuge in nature and to share my photos and experiences in this blog. I recently noticed that I have done a posting every single day so far this year. I really want to all of you for your overwhelming support and encouragement, which has been one of the few constant factors in my life as the world around me has swirled out of control.

Whether you are in the United States or not, I hope that today you will pause for a least a few moments and reflect on those people and things for which you are truly thankful. Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving Day 2020.

In case you are curious, I photographed this handsome Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) earlier this month at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Some people hunt wild turkeys, but the turkey that I will consume later today will be one that I purchased at the supermarket.

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Without warning

Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, Thanksgiving, wildlife, tagged Bald Eagle, Canon 50D, eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 150-600mm, Thanksgiving 2018, Woodbridge VA on November 22, 2018| 10 Comments »

As I was observing a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) earlier this week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, something seemed to catch its eye and without warning the eagle took off into the air.

I was a little slow in reacting, but managed to capture an in-flight shot. The image you see is framed just as I took it. I was already partially zoomed out at 375mm on my 150-600mm, but that was not wide enough to capture the full wingspan of the eagle. When the action happens so quickly, it is hard to simultaneously track the moving subject and use the zoom—it is a bit like trying to rub your stomach and pat your head at the same time.

The second shot shows the eagle just before the takeoff. I like the tension of its body position and and the intense focus of the eagle’s eyes.

The final shot was taken before the other two and gives you an idea of how the eagle was perched as I approached it. There were a lot of branches surrounding the eagle and I tried to move slowly and cautiously to get a mostly unobstructed shot.

For those of you in the United States celebrating today, I wish you a very happy Thanksgiving Day. It is good to pause and reflect on all the blessings in our lives, not just on the one day each year that is set aside for doing so. I thank all of you for your continuous support and encouragement for me as I share my photography and my life in this blog. Over the last six years it has become part of my daily life and I consider many of you to be a part of my extended family.

“In everything give thanks.”

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Thanksgiving Day Muskrat

Posted in animals, Nature, Photography, Thanksgiving, wildlife, tagged Alexandria VA, Canon 50D, Huntley Meadows Park, muskrat, Ondatra zibethicus, Tamron 150-600mm on November 24, 2017| 3 Comments »

What was on your menu for Thanksgiving? No, I did not dine on muskrat for Thanksgiving dinner, but early in the morning yesterday this little muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) at Huntley Meadows Park decided to celebrate the holiday with some fresh greens. That was almost certainly a healthier meal than most of us consumed later in the day.

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Merlin at Huntley Meadows Park

Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, Thanksgiving, wildlife, tagged Alexandria VA, Canon 50D, Falco columbarius, Huntley Meadows Park, Merlin, Tamron 150-600mm on November 24, 2017| 4 Comments »

When I saw this bird in the distance being harassed by two blue jays on Thanksgiving Day at Huntley Meadows Park, I wasn’t sure what it was, but folks at What’s This Bird Facebook group identified it for me as a Merlin (Falco columbarius), a type of small falcon. I shot quite a few photos attempting to pbotograph the two blue jays flying by the merlin and perching close to it, but I am not sure how well I was able to capture the action. If I get a few that are reasonably clear, I may do another posting with the merlin, a bird that I believe that I had previously seen only once before.

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Thanksgiving Day Hawk

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Thanksgiving, wildlife, tagged Alexandria VA, Buteo lineatus, Cameron Run, Canon 50D, hawk, Red-Shouldered Hawk, Tamron 150-600mm on November 25, 2016| 4 Comments »

When I was walking yesterday along Cameron Run, a tributary of the Potomac River in Alexandria, Virginia, I was shocked to spot a hawk perched nearby in a small tree almost at eye level. I was on a paved bike trail that parallels the stream and there is a relatively steep embankment that slopes down to the water’s edge. The tree was located on that embankment.

When the hawk, which I think is a juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) eventually flew away and landed atop a building, it screamed out repeatedly at some circling crows. It makes me wonder if the hawk had previously been hiding from harassing crows and that is why it permitted me to get relatively close without initially taking off.

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Autumn harvest

Posted in Art, Autumn, Gardening, Nature, Photography, Thanksgiving, tagged Alexandria VA, Canon 50D, Canon 70-300mm telephoto zoom lens, Indian corn, Nalls Produce Center, pumpkin, squash on November 28, 2013| 6 Comments »

“Do you want to go photograph some produce?” How was I supposed to respond to this question posed to me early in November by my photography mentor and fellow blogger Cindy Dyer? How exciting can produce be?

I have grown up in a world in which I buy my produce in a supermarket. That produce has been scrubbed and processed and transported from far away. I was pleasantly surprised when Cindy took me to Nalls Produce Center, a local produce market that has a wide variety of items that I have never seen in a supermarket. Who knew, for example, that pumpkins were not always orange with smooth skins?

I was pretty uncertain about how to photograph the produce, so I just concentrated on shapes and colors and textures. It somehow seems appropriate to post this selection of photo on Thanksgiving Day, a day when Americans traditionally celebrate the bounty of the autumn harvest.