Travel | Mike Powell | Page 6

Feeds:: Posts; Comments

Archive for the ‘Travel’ Category

Nightfall in Vienna

Posted in Architecture, Photography, Travel, Winter, tagged Canon SX50, Museum of Natural History, Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna Austria on December 13, 2017| 1 Comment »

In the middle of December, it starts to get dark really early in Vienna. As I was exploring one of the Christmas markets late in the afternoon a few days ago, my eyes were drawn to the interplay of light and shadows on the top of the building of the Museum of Natural History (Naturhistorisches Museum). Natural light was rapidly fading and the artificial lights began to come on, highlighting some of the architectural details of this magnificent building.

Folks passing by probably wondered why I was staring at this scene for an extended period, sometimes with my camera to my eye and sometimes with my naked eyes. We photographers are a peculiar breed.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

Vienna Christmas Market 2017

Posted in Christmas, Landscape, Photography, Travel, Urban, tagged Canon SX50, Christmas 2017, Christmas market, Rathaus, Vienna, Vienna Austria on December 12, 2017| 1 Comment »

I am in Vienna, Austria for a brief work trip and had a chance to stop by the Christmas Market in front of the Rathaus (City Hall). Even on a Monday afternoon, the market was crowded with shoppers. The market is noisy, busy, and a bit gaudy, but despite all of the commercialization, I could still feel the spirit of Christmas.

As the big sign in front of the market states in German, “Merry Christmas.”

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

Egyptian Goose in Brussels

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Travel, wildlife, tagged Alopochen aegyptiaca, botanical garden of Brussels, Brussels Belgium, Canon SX50, Egyptian Goose, goose on September 8, 2017| 1 Comment »

When I spotted this odd-looking bird yesterday at the Botanical Garden in Brussels, I couldn’t make my mind up if it was a duck or a goose. It seemed too big to be a duck, but its markings seemed too colorful for a goose.

After a lot of searching on the internet, I have concluded this is probably an Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca). As its name suggests, this species is native to Africa south of the Sahara and the Nile Valley and is an introduced species in Europe, according to Wikipedia. There are in excess of 250 breeding pairs in Belgium, primarily around Brussels and the Flanders area, according to a posting on birdforum.net.

This bird did not hang around for very long, so I did not have a chance to see if, as The Bangles famously sang, it walked like an Egyptian (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv6tuzHUuuk).

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

Read Full Post »

Original French Tacos in Brussels

Posted in food, Humor, Travel, Urban, tagged Brussels Belgium, Canon SX50, O'Tacos, original French tacos on September 7, 2017| 7 Comments »

Initially I did a double take when I saw the sign for a restaurant in Brussels called O’Tacos and I figured it was some kind of Irish-Mexican fusion cuisine. I almost burst out laughing, however, when I read the words, “Original French Tacos.” French tacos? Who knew?

I did some further investigation when I returned to my hotel and found out that O’Tacos is a chain that is now worldwide. OK, but what exactly is a French taco? A review on foodrepublic.com described it in these words—”Less like a taco and more like a pressed San Diego-style burrito, the French taco is stuffed with fries, a white creamy cheese sauce, a protein (choices include grilled chicken breast, nuggets, tenders, ground beef or sausage), an additional sauce (mustard, Tabasco, ketchup, mayonnaise, barbecue) and other ingredients (cheese, mushrooms, grilled veggies, an egg, bacon, ham and more) all wrapped up in a flour tortilla.”

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

Read Full Post »

Migrant Hawker in Brussels

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Travel, wildlife, tagged Aerosmith, botanical garden of Brussels, Brussels Belgium, Canon SX50, dragonfly in Brussels, dragonfly in flight, male Migrant Hawker, Migrant Hawker on September 5, 2017| Leave a Comment »

The most colorful dragonfly that I have spotted in Brussels during this trip has been a spectacular male Migrant Hawker dragonfly (Aeshna mixta) that was flying patrols over a small pond at the botanical garden. It spent a lot of time in the air, but occasionally would perch for a short while. Every now it then it would hover over the water, which let me capture the second shot of the dragonfly in flight. My Canon SX50 is a little slow in acquiring focus, so I didn’t think that I would be able to capture any action shots of the dragonfly. However, I kept trying and eventually was able to get a reasonably sharp shot. When I checked out the shooting data for the image, I realized that the shutter speed had dropped to 1/100 second because of the dark water, so it’s almost a miracle that I stopped the action at all—I was shooting in aperture priority mode and was letting the camera choose the shutter speed.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

Read Full Post »

Dog walking in Vienna

Posted in animals, Dog, Nature, Photography, Travel, tagged Canon SX50, dog walking, Donau-Auen National Park, Vienna Austria on May 11, 2017| 2 Comments »

Walking two dogs simultaneously while riding a bicycle? I am not sure that I would try it, but this man in Vienna was somewhat successful in doing so.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

Read Full Post »

Swans in Vienna in May

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, Travel, wildlife, tagged Canon SX50, Cygnus olor, Donau-Auen National Park, Mute Swan, swan, Vienna Austria on May 10, 2017| Leave a Comment »

I was hoping that I would be in Vienna at the right time of the year to see baby swans, but I guess my trip brought me here a bit too early. At the lake at Donau-Auen National Park, I could see one Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) swimming around and wondered if it was alone. When I walked further around the lake, I spotted what appears to be its mate, partially hidden by the vegetation, sitting on a nest.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

Read Full Post »

Damselflies in Vienna

Posted in damselfly, Dragonflies, Nature, Photography, Travel, tagged Canon SX50, damselflies, Donau-Auen National Park, Vienna Austria on May 8, 2017| 1 Comment »

Nature photographers are a peculiar breed of people. How else could I explain why I headed off to the Donau-Auen National Park within hours of my arrival in Vienna, Austria. I am staying in the center of the city, virtually surrounded by historic buildings and monuments, yet I feel more drawn to explore nature than history.

Saturday was a warm, sunny day and I was hoping to encounter dragonflies as I explored some of the areas of the park that I have visited before. It may be a little early in the season or that I was simply not lucky, but in any case I did not encounter a single dragonfly. I was, however, quite fortunate and saw quite a few damselflies. These beautiful little creatures are tiny and elusive and like to hide perch on vegetation, so it is often challenging to get clear shots of them.

I was shooting with my Canon SX50, a superzoom point-and-shoot, which helped me sometimes to get shots without scaring off the damselflies. In some cases, though, it was really tough to get the camera’s focus to lock onto the target.

The shapes and colors of the damselflies are somewhat familiar and may be related to the species that I see at home, but I am not even going to try to identify them. I hope that you can enjoy the delicate beauty of these damselflies that I encountered during my most recent adventures in the national park here in Vienna.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

Read Full Post »

Multi-purpose facility?

Posted in animals, Humor, Photography, Travel, tagged Canon 24-105mm, Canon 50D, car wash, dog wash, Fort Benning GA, humor, humour on February 24, 2017| 2 Comments »

I couldn’t help but do a double take when I saw this sign at Fort Benning, Georgia. I was filled with visions of dogs on automatic conveyor belts being sprayed with soap and slapped with moving towels. Was hot wax an option for dogs?

I did a little checking and learned that the dog wash is a separate facility adjacent to the car wash. It is the first of its kind on a US military installation and includes a coin-operated, do-it-yourself, climate-controlled booth that offers washing, drying and flea and tick bathing options. The booth is then automatically sterilized after each use.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

Echoes of the past in Wheeling

Posted in Architecture, Landscape, Travel, Urban, tagged B&O Railroad, Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Bell Telephone, Canon SX50, Marsh Wheeling Stogies, West Virginia, Wheeling, Wheeling WV on February 22, 2017| 5 Comments »

During my recent trip to Wheeling, West Virginia, I repeatedly encountered symbols of the town’s glorious past. Trains no longer run to the historic Baltimore and Ohio train station. The beautiful building has now been converted for use by West Virginia Northern Community College.

A prominent sign indicates the availability of the buildings of Marsh Wheeling Stogies. Could this possibly be a reference to cigars? As I did a little research, I learned that Mifflin M. Marsh began producing cigars in Wheeling in 1840. His cheap cigars were favored by the drivers of the Conestoga wagons that carried pioneers West and “stogies” are a shortened version of the wagon’s name. According to the website Archiving Wheeling, in 1877 almost 24 million cigars were sold in Wheeling. In 2001, the plant was closed after Marsh Wheeling was bought by National Cigar.

I suppose that Verizon now owns the Bell Telephone building in Wheeling, but Verizon is definitely not know for having buildings as interesting and beautiful as this one.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

Faded signs in Wheeling, West Virginia

Posted in Architecture, Art, Landscape, Photography, Travel, Urban, tagged Canon SX50, faded signs, painted signs, Wheeling, Wheeling WV. West Virginia on February 19, 2017| 8 Comments »

This past Thursday I made a quick trip to Wheeling, West Virginia and fell in love with the signs that had been painted long ago on the sides of some of the brick buildings in the downtown area. Here are a few of my favorite ones.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

The Joy of Travelling Slowly

Posted in Inspiration, Nature, Travel, tagged Roger Pocock, Windows into Hostory on January 16, 2017| 2 Comments »

In addition to following bloggers whose photography I admire, I enjoy reading the words of bloggers who prompt me to think more deeply. Here’s one such posting from Roger Pocock’s blog Windows into History that recently had such an effect on me.

Windows into History

Selborne, as pictured in A History of the County of Hampshire: Volume 3, 1908.

Snippets 98. Richard Le Gallienne (1866-1947) was a poet and writer of books and essays on a wide variety of topics. In his 1900 work, Travels in England, he explains why he feels that travelling close to home, and at a measured pace, is such an important thing to do (he was born in Liverpool, resident in England at the time, although he would later move to the USA, and the “Le” in his name was an affectation). This might prove inspiring for those who also, like myself, derive just as much pleasure from exploring Great Britain as travelling abroad.

It is then in this spirit of ready wonder that I mount my wheel, and invite I know not what of new and dangerous in the ten miles between Hindhead and Selborne. Were I…

View original post 554 more words

Read Full Post »

Transition

Posted in Christmas, Photography, Travel, Urban, tagged brussels, Brussels Belgium, Canon A620, Christmas tree, Grand-Place on January 13, 2017| 1 Comment »

A few colored lights still stretch across some of the streets here in Brussels, but the signs of Christmas have gradually disappeared during my short stay here. The massive Christmas tree has disappeared from the Grand-Place—all that is left to remind us of the impressively beautiful tree is a hole in the ground and several sections of the tree’s trunk.

Seasons change and life quickly moves on, no matter how much we want to slow it down to better savor its special moments.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

Another mural in Brussels

Posted in Art, Photography, Travel, Urban, tagged Brussels Belgium, Canon A620, Georges Remi, Hergé, mural, The Adventures of Tintin, Tintin on January 12, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Here’s a photo of another wall mural that I came across here in Brussels. This one I recognizes as a scene from The Adventures of Tintin, a comic book series by Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi, who wrote under the pen name Hergé. This scene shoes Tintin, his dog Snowy (Milou), and Captain Haddock, his best friend, a seafaring Merchant Marine Captain.

It’s a little sad to see the ugly graffiti that has defaced the bottom part of this beautiful mural, but that is the unfortunate reality in many parts of this city.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

Looking up in Brussels

Posted in Architecture, Photography, Travel, Urban, tagged brussels, Brussels Belgium, Canon A620, Grand-Place on January 11, 2017| 5 Comments »

Every time that I walk through the Grand-Place in Brussels I end up with a sore neck. The ornate architecture of the buildings that surround the square is so amazing that I can’t help but spend an extended period of time with my neck outstretched as I take in the beautiful architectural details. This image shows the view that I had earlier this week as I approached the square from one of the side streets and suddenly was treated to the sight of an overwhelming number of spires and statues on one of the buildings.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

Mural in Brussels

Posted in Architecture, Art, Photography, Travel, Urban, tagged brussels, Brussels Belgium, Canon A620, mural, Tin-Tin, urban art on January 10, 2017| Leave a Comment »

One of the cool things about wandering through the narrow winding streets in the center of Brussels is that I will occasionally come upon wall murals that cover the entire side of a narrow building. They most often appear to depict scenes from comic book series like Tin-Tin, but most of them are unfamiliar to me.

This past weekend I stumbled upon this funny little scene on the side of a building. I am clueless about its context, but it made me smile as I stopped to examine it.

UPDATE: I did a little research and think this may be a depiction of Nero, the title character of a Belgian comic book series The Adventure of Nero.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

De-trimming the Christmas tree in Brussels

Posted in Christmas, Photography, Travel, Winter, tagged brussels, Brussels Belgium, Canon A620, Christmas, Christmas tree, Grand-Place on January 9, 2017| 3 Comments »

Under any circumstances it is a challenge to remove the ornaments and lights from a Christmas tree, but when the tree is several stories tall, a simple step ladder is not enough. Yesterday, when I arrived at the Grand-Place in the center of Brussels, workers had already removed the large red and gold ornaments from the tree and were working to take off the lights using a “cherry-picker.” They worked methodically to remove strand after strand of lights, carefully coiling them as they went along.

As I watched them work, I noticed the beautiful reflections of the square on the shiny surfaces of the spherical ornaments that reminded me of the images you would get with a fisheye lens. No matter which way I moved, my figure was always in the frame, so I decided to embrace the opportunity and create a kind of self portrait. The other images in this set feature the efforts of the workers from different angles.

It was a lot of fun trying to frame shots with my little Canon A620 point-and-shoot camera. As a result of its limited zoom range, I was forced to move about a lot, causing me realize that a big zoom lens tends to make me a little lazy in considering options for framing shots.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

Christmas is not over yet

Posted in Architecture, Christmas, Landscape, Photography, Travel, Winter, tagged brussels, Brussels Belgium, Canon A620, Christmas tree, Grand-Place, town hall on January 8, 2017| 4 Comments »

I was happy yesterday to see that the big Christmas tree was still up at the Grand-Place, the historic center of Brussels. It lent some light and color to an otherwise cold, wet day.

I am always disappointed when I see Christmas trees cast aside immediately after Christmas. When I was growing up, it was traditional to wait at least until Epiphany, the celebration of the arrival of the Magi, though I seem to recall some of my neighbors keeping their Christmas tree and lights going for an even longer period of time.

The Grand-Place is always so much fun to visit. The buildings on each side of the square are all different and different elements attract my attention each time that I visit. In the first photo below, you can see the tall town hall in the background. The second image shows the building directly opposite the square from the town hall.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

Freezing rain in Brussels

Posted in Architecture, Landscape, Photography, Travel, Winter, tagged brussels, Brussels Belgium, Canon A620, winter on January 7, 2017| 2 Comments »

Freezing rain has blanketed Brussels today, making footing treacherous, especially on the cobblestones in the center of the city. Needless to say, the outdoor cafes are not doing much business on a day like today.

I am in Brussels this week for work, so the photos that I post on this blog will be a bit different from my typical wildlife shots.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

Merry Christmas 2016 from Vienna

Posted in Architecture, Christmas, Landscape, Photography, Travel, Winter, tagged Canon SX50, Christmas, Christmas 2016, Christmas market, city hall, Rathaus, Vienna Austria on December 15, 2016| 2 Comments »

My short trip to Vienna, Austria is rapidly coming to a close and I want to leave you with this image of the entrance to the outdoor Christmas market at the Rathaus (City Hall), the tall building in the background.

Best wishes to all for a “Frohe Weihnachten,” German for “Merry Christmas.”

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

December night in Vienna

Posted in Architecture, Landscape, Photography, Travel, tagged Canon SX50, Hofburg Palace, nighttime photography, Vienna Austria on December 13, 2016| 6 Comments »

Nighttime in Vienna, Austria is incredible—there are so many beautiful buildings that are wonderfully illuminated. Capturing their beauty while hand holding my superzoom Canon SX50 is a bit of a challenge, but I try to stabilize myself by leaning against various poles, buildings, and other stationary objects.

This shot of a clock tower in one of the inner courtyards of the Hofburg Palace is my favorite image from yesterday evening while I was wandering around the city.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

Swan Lake in Vienna

Posted in Birds, Music, Nature, Photography, Travel, wildlife, tagged Canon SX50, Donau-Auen National Park, Mute Swan, swan, Swan Lake, Tchaikovsky, Vienna Austria on December 13, 2016| Leave a Comment »

It was not quite as elaborate as Tchaikovsky, but the Mute Swans (Cygnus olor) at the small lake at the Donau-Auen National Park in Vienna, Austria performed their own form of water ballet this past weekend. Here are a couple of shots of the acrobatic moves of one of the swans and an overall view of the “Swan Lake.”

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

Swans on ice in Vienna

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Travel, wildlife, Winter, tagged Canon SX50, Cygnus olor, Donau-Auen National Park, Mute Swan, swan, Vienna Austria on December 11, 2016| 11 Comments »

Today I had some free time to wander about in the Donau-Auen National Park in Vienna, Austria.I am visiting Vienna for a few days on a business trip and decided that I did not want to fight the crowds at the numerous Christmas markets in the city.

It was cool and windy and I did not see as much wildlife as I did during a visit there last April. However I did manage to spot a family of Mute Swans (Cygnus olor). Two of them—one adult and one adolescent—landed on ice that had formed on the small lake and they struggled to walk across the slippery surface to reach open water. The adult, who was bright white in color, moved with much more confidence than the dusky-colored youngster, who moved in a cautious and tentative way. I suspect that it was the first time that the young swan had encountered ice.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

Sign or no sign?

Posted in Autumn, Inspiration, Landscape, Nature, Travel, tagged beach, Canon 24-105mm, Canon 50D, Maine, Ocean Park Maine, Old Orchard Beach, seascape on November 5, 2016| 28 Comments »

Is it distracting to have a man-made object in an otherwise natural landscape? The ocean really inspired me during my recent short trip to Maine. I am amazed at the number of beautiful images that I was able to capture. I particularly like the colors and simple composition of a shot I took of a small river that rises and falls with the tide.

As I was working on the image, I noticed that there was a solitary warning sign in the upper left-hand corner that alerts folks to the dangers of the tides. I actually like the juxtaposition of this hard vertical line with the gentle curves of the image and the hazy coastline in the background. I began to wonder, however, if others would see the sign as a discordant element in the image, so I created a second version of the image without the sign.

Which image do you prefer, the one with the sign or the one without it?

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

Covered bridge in Maine

Posted in Architecture, Autumn, Inspiration, Landscape, Photography, Travel, tagged bridge, Canon 24-105mm, Canon 50D, covered bridge, Maine, Ocean Park, Ocean Park Maine on November 4, 2016| 18 Comments »

One of my favorite places in Ocean Park, Maine is a small covered bridge that leads into a grove of beautiful trees. The bride crosses a stream and is barely wide enough for two people to walk through side-by-side. It was dedicated in 1944 as a war memorial.

Ocean Park is a special place for my family. My parents went on their honeymoon there and eventually retired to the small community. Those of you who read this blog regularly know that I was recently in Maine. Unfortunately it was not for pleasure, but was in connection with what proved to be a fatal heart attack for one of my younger brothers.

The final image of these three is my favorite, because it serves as a kind of visual metaphor for me of the passing of my brother Patrick.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

Tiny butterfly in Brussels

Posted in Butterflies, Flowers, Insects, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, Travel, tagged botanical garden of Brussels, Brussels Belgium, butterfly, Canon SX50 on September 12, 2016| 6 Comments »

It doesn’t really matter where I am—if I see a butterfly, I am almost certainly going to chase after it with the hope of capturing an image. That was certainly the case last week in Brussels when I spotted this tiny butterfly and managed to take this shot of it.

As some of you may recall, I am now using a superzoom Canon SX50 when I am travelling. I haven’t used it very often, so I am still learning its capabilities and limitations. I am pretty happy with the way the camera was able to capture some of the small details of this butterfly, including its extended proboscis, and the way that it rendered the out of focus flowers in the background. I am not ready to give up my DSLR, but I will certain consider taking the SX50 with me on those occasions when I just don’t feel like hauling my DSLR and multiple lenses.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

Read Full Post »

Ducks in Brussels

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Travel, tagged botanical garden of Brussels, Brussels Belgium, Canon SX50, ducks, mallard ducks on September 11, 2016| 2 Comments »

The sun was shining so brightly in Brussels one day last week that even the ducks looked to be wearing sunglasses. Although I can clearly see the eye in the white patch of feathers, my mind keeps getting tricked into thinking the eye must be hidden behind the dark lenses of the “sunglasses.”

I spotted these ducks in the same little pond adjacent to the botanical garden of Brussels where I saw the dragonflies that I wrote about in an earlier posting. These ducks sort of look like mallards, but the colors are really different, especially those of the black and white duck. Perhaps these are hybrids or domesticated ducks.

I’d welcome comments and thoughts about the identification of these ducks that were a welcome sight for me as I explored Brussels. I realize that I really miss nature and wildlife when I am in an urban setting.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

Read Full Post »

Moorhens in Brussels

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Travel, tagged botanical garden of Brussels, Brussels Belgium, Canon SX50, Eurasian Common Moorhen, Gallinula chloropus, moorhen on September 10, 2016| Leave a Comment »

When I am traveling, all of the new species that I encounter seem rare and exotic, even if they are common in the local area. That may well be the case with these Eurasian Common Moorhens (Gallinula chloropus) that I encountered in Brussels this week. I love the way the bright colors of the adult’s bill are enhanced by the contrast with its rather drab plumage.

When I saw some younger birds pecking about, it didn’t immediately strike me that they might also be moorhens. When I studies my photos, however, I could see the start of the bright coloration on the bills and a similar bill shape, so I think this final photo is of an immature common moorhen.

I took these photos with my superzoom Canon SX50 at a small pond adjacent to the botanical garden of Brussels, not far from Place Rogier in the center of the city.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

Read Full Post »

Dragonflies in Brussels

Posted in Dragonflies, Insects, Nature, Photography, Travel, tagged Aeshna mixta, botanical garden of Brussels, brussels, Brussels Belgium, Canon SX50, dragonflies, dragonfly, Migrant Hawker on September 8, 2016| 11 Comments »

Today was a beautiful sunny day in Brussels, Belgium and I had some free time to explore the city. I have been in Brussels for short business trips a number of times in recent years and have already visited many of the attractions in the center of the city. Today I decided to look for some of the kinds of wildlife that I love to photograph, so I made my way to a park that leads to the Botanical Garden of Brussels.

I was encouraged a little when I saw some ducks and turtles in the small pond there and my level of excitement really soared when I spotted some dragonflies flying about. The only problem was that the dragonflies refused to land. When I have my normal DSLR and my favorite lenses, I’ll try to capture in-flight shots, but when I am traveling for work, I tend to leave all that gear at home and use a point-and-shoot camera. My current travel camera is a Canon SX50. It has an amazing zoom lens, but really is not responsive enough to photograph moving dragonflies.

A bit later, I made my way to the opposite side of the tiny pond and discovered the staging area for the dragonflies. Every now and then a dragonfly would perch very briefly on the vegetation. It took quite a few tries, but eventually I got a few shots. I don’t know anything about European dragonfly species, so I can’t really identify the ones that I photographed today. They look pretty similar to ones that I have seen at home and certainly they belong to the same families, but I’d sure welcome assistance in identifying the species.

Today was a day full of unexpected treats. I don’t expect to see bright days full of sunshine during trips to Europe and I didn’t really expect to find dragonflies in Brussel’s urban center.

UPDATE: I have done a bit more research on the internet and it looks to me like the dragonflies in the first two photos below may be Migrant Hawkers (Aeshna mixta).

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

Read Full Post »

Reflection of Vienna

Posted in Landscape, Photography, Travel, tagged Canon SX50, cityscape, reflection, tuba, Vienna Austria on May 2, 2016| 16 Comments »

I love trying to capture unusual reflections, like this cityscape of Vienna that was reflected last week in the tuba of a band that was playing in the center of the city.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

Imitating Mom

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Travel, wildlife, tagged Anas platyrhynchos, Canon SX50, ducklings, mallard, mallard duck, Vienna Austria, Volksgarten on May 1, 2016| 12 Comments »

I am now home from Vienna and as I was reviewing my photos from the trip I came across this image. What could be more adorable than a baby duckling trying to imitate its mother, especially with Mother’s Day only a week away?

I took this shot last week in Vienna, Austria at the Volksgarten, where a family of Mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) had taken up residence in a fountain.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »