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Berry hungry

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged Alexandria VA, American Bittersweet, Canon 50D, Catharus guttatus, Celastrus scandens, Hermit Thrush, Huntley Meadows Park, Tamron 150-600mm on December 16, 2016| 14 Comments »

It was unusually cold when I set out this morning to go shooting, about 18 degrees F (minus 8 C). I always worry about birds in the wild being able to survive when it gets this cold, but somehow they manage.

As I was walking along the boardwalk at Huntley Meadows Park, I spotted a bird in the distance bobbing up in a tree. I couldn’t figure out what was going on until I got closer and could see that the bird was reaching up to grab some red berries that were just above its head.

At first I thought that this was an immature American Robin, but the more I look at the photos, the more I think that it is probably a different bird species. I would welcome assistance in identifying this mystery bird that obviously was berry hungry.

UPDATE: Thanks to several knowledgeable folks on Facebook, I have learned that the bird is a Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus) and the plant with the berries is an American Bittersweet vine (Celastrus scandens).

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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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.

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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.

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Demise of a snapping turtle

Posted in Nature, Photography, Reptiles, wildlife, Winter, tagged Alexandria VA, Canon 24-105mm lens, Canon 50D, chelydra sepentina, Eastern Snapping Turtle, Huntley Meadows Park, skeleton, snapping turtle, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto on February 26, 2016| 11 Comments »

As I was wandering about Huntley Meadows Park this morning, I came upon the remains of an Eastern Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) that quite obviously did not survive the winter. It looks to have been in place for quite some time not far from the water’s edge of a stream in a remote area of the park.

I don’t know if a predator consumed its flesh, but it looks like a lot of the bones were scattered around the skull of the turtle, as you can see in the first photo. I move the shell to nearby location to get shots of the the top and underside and also took a close-up shot of the skull.

Snapping Turtle

Snapping Turtle remains in situ

Snapping Turtle

Detailed view of the top of the shell

Snapping Turtle

Detailed view of the underside of the shell

Snapping Turtle

Detailed view of the skull

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Tiny appetizer for a Great Blue Heron

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged Alexandria VA, Ardea herodias, Canon 50D, Great Blue Heron, heron, Huntley Meadows Park, Tamron 150-600mm, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto on February 18, 2016| 4 Comments »

Sometimes a Great Blue Heron’s catch is big enough for a main course, but sometimes it’s only an appetizer. The good news is that appetizers are really easy for a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) to swallow.

I included the second photo, which sequentially was taken before the first one, because I like the expression on the heron’s face. The heron seems to be both amused and embarrassed at the small size of the fish.

It’s obvious, though, that the heron does not have a catch-and-release policy if the fish is not of a certain minimum size.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Pileated Woodpecker in February

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged Alexandria VA, Canon 50D, Dryocopus pileatus, Huntley Meadows Park, Pileated Woodpecker, Tamron 150-600mm, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto on February 14, 2016| 5 Comments »

Although the temperature was 20 degrees (minus 7 degrees C) and the wind was blowing yesterday afternoon, I got fooled into thinking the bright sunshine would warm me up a bit. Most of the creatures at the marsh were absent from view, probably trying to keep warm in sheltered locations.

I was excited, therefore, when I head the unmistakable sound of a Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) at work nearby as I was walking along a path. No other woodpeckers in our area can match the volume of a Pileated Woodpecker when it is burying its bill into a tree.

I managed to locate the woodpecker and was a little disappointed that it was high in a tree in a location where it was obscured by lots of branches. Eventually the woodpecker climbed higher in the tree and I was able to get a few relatively unobstructed shots, although I had to take them at a pretty sharp angle.

My favorite shot is the one in which the woodpecker looks like it is stalking a prey at the top of the tree. Its eyes are fixed on the target and it seems to be trying to sneak up on it. In reality, I have no idea what the woodpecker was doing, but it made for an unusual pose.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Congratulations, grasshopper!

Posted in Birds, Language, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged Alexandria VA, Canon 50D, Huntley Meadows Park, Mount Vernon Voice, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto on February 13, 2016| 18 Comments »

My good friend and photography mentor, Cindy Dyer, is spreading the news about the two-page photo spread of some of my recent photos that ran in a local community newspaper. What she doesn’t note is that she is a source of constant support, encouragement, and inspiration for my photography as well as for my blog. Thanks, Cindy.

Cindy Dyer's Blog

Congratulations to my dear friend Michael Powell for getting his photos published in a spread in the local Mt. Vernon Voice newspaper. He was out shooting at Huntley Meadows one cold morning and the co-editor of the publication happened to be there. He asked him if he would like his work to be featured in the newspaper. He had a two page spread available to fill and Michael had to get him photos pronto. Nice showcase for your work, grasshopper! You can see more of Michael’s work on his blog at https://michaelqpowell.wordpress.com/.

Michael Mt Vernon Voice

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Contemplating the new day

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Portraits, wildlife, Winter, tagged Agelaius phoeniceus, Alexandria VA, Canon 50D, Huntley Meadows Park, male Red-winged Blackbird, red-winged blackbird, Tamron 150-600mm, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto on February 13, 2016| 10 Comments »

As the early morning sunlight hit the cattails yesterday at Huntley Meadows Park, this male Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) seemed to be contemplating the start of the new day.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Great Blue Heron’s modest catch

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged Alexandria VA, Ardea herodias, Canon 50D, Great Blue Heron, heron, heron fishing, Huntley Meadows Park, Tamron 150-600mm, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto on February 9, 2016| 1 Comment »

I awoke this morning thinking I would see snow on the ground again, but it seems to have turned into rain. This photo of a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) and its modest catch reminds me of how snowy it was a mere two weeks ago in our area.

It’s interesting to me to see how the unusual angle of view and the low perspective make the heron’s bill seem unusually elongated and its long neck appears to be really short. The distorted perspective of the image may cause some viewers to look a second time at the photo to mentally reconfirm that this indeed is a Great Blue Heron.

I think that most photographers would agree that it is a good thing when viewers take a second look at their images or examine them more closely.

Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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I’m not your prey

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged Alexandria VA, Bald Eagle, birds in flight, Canon 50D, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Huntley Meadows Park, Tamron 150-600mm, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto on February 7, 2016| 15 Comments »

Yesterday, for the second day in a row a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) flew close to me at Huntley Meadows Park. Unlike the previous day, when the eagle simply soared by overhead, this one looked like he thought I might be a potential prey.

With the snow almost totally gone, I decided yesterday to hike out to some of the more remote regions of the park. I was following a familiar stream when I noticed a dark shape near the top of a tall tree on the opposite bank of the stream. I extended my lens to its full length and was surprised to see that it was a bald eagle.

I had time to shoot shoot only a couple of images when suddenly the eagle took off, initially heading right toward me. I kept firing as the eagle grew larger and larger in my viewfinder. I think I might have startled the eagle when I moved to bring the camera up to my eye and his instinctive reaction was to check out the movement.

Eventually the eagle veered off and flew in the opposite direction and my heart rate started to return to normal. I don’t think that I was actually at risk, but through a 600mm lens, it sure looked like the eagle was speeding toward me with talons extended.

I couldn’t help but notice that the eagle has a band on its right foot. Whenever I capture a shot of an eagle, I will have to check to see if I can see a band. I don’t know how many eagles hang out at our park, but eagle sightings have become much more common this last year than previously.

Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Bald Eagle overhead

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged Alexandria VA, Bald Eagle, birds in flight, Canon 50D, eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Huntley Meadows Park, Tamron 150-600mm, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto on February 6, 2016| 7 Comments »

Another eagle? I know that I posted some eagle photos a few days ago, but normally when I see a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), it is flying in the distance. Yesterday at Huntley Meadows Park, however, one flew almost directly over me while I was on the boardwalk.

This different perspective allowed me to get some shots that are much more detailed than usual, showing, among other things, the eagle’s tail feathers and fully-extended wings. The wingspan of this magnificent bird is amazing.

Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Winter fishing

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter on February 4, 2016| 13 Comments »

Last week, when we still had lots of snow on the ground, I watched a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) at Huntley Meadows Park catch a relatively big fish. Most times a heron simply tilts back its head and swallows a fish immediately, but this heron walked out of the water with the fish in its mouth, probably to make sure that his prized catch did not have a chance to escape.

The heron placed the fish in the snow and adjusted its position multiple times. After several abortive attempts to get the fish into the optimal position, the heron lifted the fish up one final time and swallowed it in one big gulp.

Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Bald Eagle in late January

Posted in Birds, Nature, Patriotism, wildlife, Winter, tagged Alexandria VA, Bald Eagle, birds in flight, Canon 50D, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Huntley Meadows Park, Tamron 150-600mm, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto on February 3, 2016| 5 Comments »

This past weekend at Huntley Meadows Park, I accidentally spooked a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) perched on a distant tree. As the eagle flew away, I was able to capture a few images that highlight some of its beautiful details.

These images were shot from a long way off and I had to do a lot of cropping. I am really happy, though, with the performance of my lens, even when zoomed out all the way, especially when the light is nice.

I continue to hold fast to the view that any day that I spot one of these majestic creatures is a wonderful day. I hope that today is wonderful for you, however you choose to define “wonderful.”

Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Portraits of a White-throated Sparrow

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Portraits, wildlife, Winter, tagged Alexandria VA, Canon 50D, Huntley Meadows Park, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto, white-throated sparrow, Zonotrichia albicollis on February 2, 2016| 8 Comments »

The White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) is one of the few sparrows that I can reliably identify, thanks to its distinctive markings. I love the little white “goatee” and the touch of bright yellow near its eyes.

Like most sparrows, White-throated Sparrows seem to spend a lot of time poking about in the underbrush, where they are hard to see. During this past week, when the ground has been covered with snow, I’ve managed to get some close-up shots of them in relatively exposed positions.

I really like the way that the green vine provides an organic framing element in the first image. The sparrow in the second image was awash with bright light as it perched on a rotten stump at Huntley Meadows Park. The details of the stump were blown away, but the bird itself seems to have been properly exposed (and the background is wonderful).

Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Red-headed Woodpecker in late January

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged Melanerpes erythrocephalus, Red-headed Woodpecker on February 1, 2016| 23 Comments »

I love the Red-headed Woodpeckers (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) at Huntley Meadows Park, though it is a strain on the neck trying to spot them, because they are always high in the trees. There an area along one of the paths at the park where I often hear the chatter of the Red-headed Woodpeckers, but it is rare for me to get an unobstructed view of one of them.

This past weekend, however, I managed to spot one of them poking about near the tip of a broken-off tree. It was a bit frustrating at first, because the bird kept its head pointed away for me, but eventually it turned its head and let me get a profile shot.

I lost sight of the woodpecker a few seconds and though it probably was hiding behind the tree. I was pleasantly surprised, however, when a bright red head suddenly peeked out from inside the tree cavity and I managed to capture that moment. Later, I was able to capture an image of a Red-headed Woodpecker with an acorn in its bill—at this time of the year, acorns seem to be one of the main food sources for these woodpeckers.

Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Fox on a frozen pond

Posted in animals, Nature, Photography, Portraits, wildlife, Winter, tagged Alexandria VA, Canon 50D, fox, fox on a frozen pond, Huntley Meadows Park, red fox, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto, Vulpes vulpes on January 31, 2016| 30 Comments »

Early yesterday morning I trudged through the crusted snow to my favorite spot at Huntley Meadows Park. Along the way I saw a Bald Eagle and a hawk, so I knew that it was going to be a good day.

My favorite spot is a beaver pond in a somewhat remote area of the park. l like to sit at the edge of the pond and watch and wait as a feeling of peace and serenity gradually envelops me. It seems so far removed from the hurried rat race characteristic of the Washington D.C. area and has a restorative effect on my overall well-being.

The pond is frozen now, so I am able to sit on one of the logs that make up the beaver dam and extend my feet over the ice. I place a big plastic bag on the log and sit on a folded towel, so it’s pretty comfortable, even when the temperature is below freezing, as it was yesterday.

As I was looking toward a Great Blue Heron to my left, I detected some movement out of the corner of my right eye. I stopped breathing for a moment when I saw that a Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) was standing on the ice. It looked like the fox had been planning to cross the pond and stopped when it spotted me.

Our eyes met for a moment as I took a few shots. Then the unthinkable happened. I pressed my shutter button and the shutter did not engage. Glancing down at my camera, I saw that the battery had died—several hours of freezing temperatures had temporarily drained the battery. This had happened before, although never at a critical moment, so I had another battery in my pocket.

I tried to change the battery as quickly as possible, but the additional movement spooked the fox a little and and it turned around and made its way back to the far bank of the pond. I managed to get a final shot of the fox after the battery change. The fox’s face is not visible, but at least you can see its bushy tail.

Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Blackbird in white snow

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged Agelaius phoeniceus, male Red-winged Blackbird, red-winged blackbird on January 30, 2016| 3 Comments »

Several male Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) were calling out loudly in the cattails yesterday morning at Huntley Meadows Park as I walked crunchy snow on the boardwalk. There was no way that I could sneak up on the birds for a closer shot, so I was content to photograph them from a distance.

I love the look of birds against a snowy backdrop and decided to leave a lot of literal white space around the blackbirds to give a sense of the setting in which I found them. Temperature are going to soar in the next few days, so I am going to take advantage of the snow while it is still present in our area.

Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Song Sparrow in the snow

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged Alexandria VA, Canon 50D, Huntley Meadows Park, Melospiza melodia, song sparrow, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto on January 29, 2016| 13 Comments »

Are sparrows cute? Normally I don’t think of them as “cute,” but this Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) that I spotted hopping around earlier this week at Huntley Meadows Park was simply adorable.

I really like the simple white background provided by the snow and the organic shapes and texture of the small stumps that were sticking out of the frozen waters of the pond. Those simple elements add interest to the images without detracting from the main subject, the cute little sparrow.

Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Great Blue Heron in the great white snow

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged Alexandria VA, Ardea herodias, Canon 50D, Great Blue Heron, heron in snow, Huntley Meadows Park, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto on January 28, 2016| 7 Comments »

Yesterday I came upon this Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) in one of the back areas of Huntley Meadows Park during my first visit there in a week. There was an area of open water in an ice-covered pind and I watched the heron catch several fish. I’m still going through my photos and may post some shots of his catches later. For now, I’ll leave you with this image of the heron walking toward the edge of the water.

Although the park was technically open throughout this recent snowstorm, the gate at the entrance to the parking area was closed. A Facebook posting from a friend yesterday morning noted that the parking lot was being plowed and I immediately headed out to my favorite park. Wednesday is normally a work day for me, but I had decided to take the day off to avoid a commute that promised to be hellish.

The park is still covered with lots of snow, including the boardwalk, but was passable with some effort. In some places, there is a narrow packed snow path where others have walked. My favorite places, though, were literally off of the beaten path and I found myself wading through a foot of wet slushy snow to get to them. The only other tracks I saw in these areas were those of animals.

I’d love to return to the park today, but will probably have to go to work instead with what could be a hellish commute. Local schools have finally decided to call it quits for the entire week after several days of announcing daily closures. Even the federal government is opening with a three-hour delay today.

I feel so much more energized now after having the chance to get out in the wild yesterday with my camera. I guess that I hadn’t realized how much I had missed the experience and how important nature photography had become in my life.

Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Mountaintop flag

Posted in Patriotism, Photography, Urban, Winter, tagged Alexandria VA, Canon A620, flag, Runnymeade, snow, winter on January 27, 2016| 5 Comments »

As the first one to scale this mountain of snow outside my house, I planted the flag yesterday. I wonder if I get naming rights for the mountain.

Parking is a bit cutthroat in my neighborhood right now as folks put traffic cones and other objects in the spots they have cleared in an effort to “reserve” the open parking space in which they are parked.

I sure hope nobody removes my flag and parks in the mountaintop spot with a great view.

Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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My unknown neighbor

Posted in Photography, Winter, tagged Alexandria VA, Canon A620, neighbor, Runnymeade, snow on January 26, 2016| 12 Comments »

Who is my neighbor? Can you imagine moving into an unoccupied house in a townhouse community this week and being confronted by two foot drifts of snow on your stairs and walkways?

I’ll have new neighbors soon and decided to help them out, even before they have arrived. I don’t know their names and that doesn’t really matter to me—they are already my neighbors. The photo gives you an idea of the amount of snow that fell in our area.

I’ve noticed that this giant snowfall has brought out the worst in a few people, who have done nothing but incessantly complain. It has been gratifying, though, to see that the storm has brought out the best in a much larger group of people, with neighbors helping neighbors as we dig out together.

I hope to return to nature photos soon and hope that readers have not been too disappointed with all of the snow photos.

Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Shoveling by moonlight

Posted in Photography, Urban, Winter, tagged Alexandria VA, Canon A620, KIA Soul, Runnymeade, snow, winter on January 25, 2016| 4 Comments »

In the pre-dawn hours of Monday morning, I finally finished digging out my car. It was quite enjoyable shoveling in the moonlight. When the sun finally rose, here’s what my car looked like, followed by a shot of one of the main streets in the neighborhood.

It’s now 4:00 p.m. and I have finally given up shoveling for the day. I’ve been at it off and on for almost 10 hours and my body is starting to protest a bit.

One of the nicest things about snowfalls like this one is that it gives me a chance to meet the people who live around me. Most of us are so busy with our individual lives that we don’t even know our neighbors. Today was especially gratifying as I witnessed so many of them working together to help dig out from the storm.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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The morning after the storm

Posted in Nature, Photography, Winter, tagged Alexandria VA, Bless My Soul, Canon A620, KIA Soul, Runnymeade, snow, winter on January 24, 2016| 18 Comments »

At 6:00 this morning in the neighborhood, it was clear and cold and the moon was shining brightly. Thank God we made it through the blizzard without losing power and for the fact that the snow is powdery and relatively light, even if there is lots of it to clear away.

All told, I think we had somewhere between 24 and 30 inches of snow (61 to 76 cm), with drifts much higher. It snowed almost continuously for almost 30 hours, sometimes accompanied by howling winds that blew the snow sidewards.

In some areas of North America, that amount of snow might be a normal occurrence, but here in Northern Virginia, it is almost a record-breaking amount for the area. I live in a townhouse area, and there is simply nowhere to put all of this snow. Already I have a pile of snow almost as tall as I am.

The sun is shining now and it will soon be time to return to digging out. Normally I would be getting ready for church now, but there’s no way I can make it through the neighborhood streets that are covered still with well over a foot of snow.

My car’s license plate, however, is a constant reminder for me and a continuous prayer—I drive a KIA Soul.

Here’s what the entire car looked like yesterday during a period when the snow was falling slowly. We got another foot or so after I took this photo. It will be dug out in a short while, but I don’t think I will be driving anywhere for at least a couple more days.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Feeling like a beaver

Posted in Landscape, Nature, Photography, Winter, tagged Alexandria VA, beaver lodge, Canon 50D, Canon 70-300mm telephoto zoom lens, Huntley Meadows Park, winter on January 23, 2016| 7 Comments »

I woke up this morning feeling a bit like the beavers in the lodge I photographed yesterday morning at Huntley Meadows Park. They were snug and warm in their little house, surrounded by a world of snow and ice, with plenty of food at hand.

As for me, there is well over a foot of drifted snow on the ground and more is still falling. Eventually I will need to get as busy as the proverbial beaver and remove some of the snow, but for now at least, it’s nice to enjoy it from the comfortable insides of my warm and cozy house.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Calm before the storm

Posted in Landscape, Nature, Photography, Winter, tagged Alexandria VA, Canon 50D, Canon 70-300mm telephoto zoom lens, Huntley Meadows Park, winter landscape on January 22, 2016| 13 Comments »

Early this morning the skies over Huntley Meadows Park were glowing red, adding a beautiful pinkish tinge to the icy landscape. The calm before the storm.

Weather forecasters predict that the Washington D.C. metropolitan area will be hit with a major blizzard starting later today, with a total snow accumulation of two feet (61 cm) or more. The area will undoubtedly be paralyzed for at least several days.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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How low can you go?

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged Alexandria VA, Anas acuta, Canon 50D, Huntley Meadows Park, male Northern Pintail, Northern Pintail, Northern Pintail Duck, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto on January 22, 2016| 3 Comments »

How low can you go? This male Northern Pintail duck (Anas acuta) stretched himself out almost completely flat as he skimmed food from the top of the water recently at Huntley Meadows Park.

It almost looks like he is sniffing out his food like a hound, but I am not even sure that birds have a sense of smell.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Foraging in the cattails

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Portraits, wildlife, Winter, tagged Agelaius phoeniceus, Alexandria VA, Canon 50D, female Red-winged Blackbird, Huntley Meadows Park, red-winged blackbird, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto on January 21, 2016| 5 Comments »

A female Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) paused for a moment to pose as she foraged for food in the cattails of Huntley Meadows Park earlier this month.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Northern Pintail female

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged Alexandria VA, Anas acuta, Canon 50D, female Northern Pintail, Huntley Meadows Park, Northern Pintail, Northern Pintail Duck, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto on January 20, 2016| 5 Comments »

Male birds generally have brighter colors and more distinctive patterns than their female counterparts and therefore tend to get a lot more attention from photographers. The females, though, have a beauty and elegance that often equals or surpasses that of the males, like this female Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) that I spotted earlier this month at Huntley Meadows Park in Alexandria, Virginia.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Foraging sparrows

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged Alexandria VA, Canon 50D, Canon 70-300mm telephoto zoom lens, Huntley Meadows Park, Melospiza melodia, song sparrow, sparrow on January 19, 2016| 9 Comments »

How do birds manage to survive when it is so cold outside? I asked myself that question early yesterday morning as I walked along the exposed boardwalk at Huntley Meadows Park. The wind was blowing hard and the temperature was about 20 degrees F (minus 7 degrees C).

The landscape was empty and desolate and seemed to have little to offer as potential sources of food. Suddenly I noticed a small group of sparrows. They would fly to a spot together and then individually forage among the dried out plants, including those sticking out of the ice. After a short period of frenetic activity, they would move on to another spot.

Initially, I knelt and tried to get some shots of the sparrows that were standing on the ice and reaching up into the vegetation. A bit later, I was able to capture some images of a sparrow perched on some plants in a more exposed position.

I am not really sure what kind of sparrows these are. Earlier in the day I saw some sparrows that I could identify as White-throated Sparrows, but these birds seem to have a different set of markings. After looking at my guidebooks, I have concluded that these may be Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodia) and would welcome comments from more experienced birders on the identification, especially if I have misidentified the birds.

How do these little birds survive during the winter? From what I can see, they do their part by working hard as they forage for food and God provides for their needs.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Sparrow on ice

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged Alexandria VA, Canon 50D, Canon 70-300mm telephoto zoom lens, Huntley Meadows Park, ice, sparrow on January 18, 2016| 5 Comments »

Early this morning, it was really cold and windy and most of the birds and animals showed great common sense in staying in sheltered spots. This little sparrow, however, seemed to be having a good time hopping, skipping, and skating across the frozen pond.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Winter landscape

Posted in Landscape, Nature, Photography, Winter, tagged Alexandria VA, Canon 50D, Huntley Meadows Park, ice, mist, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto, winter landscape on January 9, 2016| 16 Comments »

After several days of frigid temperatures, ice formed on the ponds at Huntley Meadows Park. Yesterday morning, it was finally above freezing and mist was rising from the ice, joining the low-hanging fog.

The sunlight was not strong enough to pierce the thick gray clouds and the winter landscape was almost monochromatic, filled with a sense of bleakness and desolation.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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