A female Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) lifted her head as I approached her last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, but then went back to work extracting seeds from the spiky sweetgum balls. The seedpods were so numerous that they reminded me of a well-decorated Christmas tree festooned with hanging ornaments.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter | Tagged Agelaius phoeniceus, American Sweetgum, Canon 7D, female Red-winged Blackbird, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, red-winged blackbird, sweetgum balls, Sweetgum Tree, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA | Leave a Comment »
The sun was so low at 3:15 in the afternoon last Friday that I cast a really long shadow as I wandered the trails at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge with my camera and telephoto zoom lens attached to a monopod. This is my favorite type of selfie, a genre of photos that I do not feel compelled to share daily, unlike several of my younger friends.
Happy Solstice Day! Astronomically speaking, today marks the beginning of winter in the northern hemisphere and of summer in the southern hemisphere. In the north, it is the shortest day and the longest night of the year while in the south it is the longest day and the shortest night of the year. Time moves slowly at this time of the year—the time of sunrise doesn’t change much over the next month, but gradually the time of sunset gets a tiny bit later.
I look forward to days when I see long shadows, for it means the sun is shining. For much of winter the sky is grey here, so moments of light are a welcome reprieve.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Autumn, Landscape, Photography, Portraits, wildlife | Tagged iPhone, iPhone 11, long shadow, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, shadow, solstice, winter solstice, Woodbridge VA | 4 Comments »
I am always thrilled when I get a look at the “crown” of a Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa), one of the smallest birds in our area. I photographed this cute little kinglet last Friday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Golden-crowned Kinglets are frenetically active, so it can be tough to get a decent shot of one.
Surprisingly, the kinglets overwinter with us. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, “The tiny Golden-crowned Kinglet is hardier than it looks, routinely wintering in areas where nighttime temperatures can fall below –40° Fahrenheit (-40 degrees C).”
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter | Tagged Canon 7D, Golden-crowned Kinglet, kinglet, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Regulus satrapa, Tamron 150-600mm | 4 Comments »
As I walking along one of the trails last Friday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, I spotted a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) perched in a distant tree. I had a pretty clear view of the eagle across an open, marshy area, but I couldn’t get closer without totally blocking my area. I decided to stop and to observe the eagle, hoping that the eagle would fly across the open area if it decided to take off.
In my experience, eagles generally fly away from me or behind trees, so many of my shots of flying eagles show their tail feathers or a blurry silhouette of the eagle with branches in focus. Getting a proper exposure can be a little tricky, especially when the light is bright, and it is easy to blow out the highlights in the white head or lose feather details in the shadow areas.
I watched and waited and was prepared when the eagle took off in my desired direction, flying across my field of view. Although the eagle initially flew behind some trees, I managed to keep my focus on the bird, as you can see in the last photo—amazingly the eye of the eagle is in focus. (As you can probably tell, the photos are presented in reverse chronological order.)
I continued to track the eagle as it flew into the open sky. In a number of my shots, the eagle’s wings blocked its head or hid it in the shadows—wing positions really matter, so I took a lot of shots. The second shot does a nice job of showing the interplay of light and shadows, which can be a particular problem in the middle of the day, when shadows are harsh, compared with the softer light near dawn and dusk.
This is one of the best sequence of images that I have managed to capture of an eagle in flight, but I will try to do even better in the upcoming months. In YouTube video reviews of some of the new high-end mirrorless cameras, I have seen pro photographers demonstrate amazing focus systems that allow them to lock and hold focus on the eyes of moving birds and animals.
I personally find it hard to justify spending that amount of money on a camera system—the combined cost of a top-end camera and long telephoto lens is about as much as I paid for my car—and am content for now to use a hands-on approach with my more “primitive” DSLR set-up. It’s a challenge, but a fun challenge, to try to photograph birds in flight and it is such a thrill when everything comes together and I am successful.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter | Tagged Bald Eagle, Canon 7D, eagle in flight, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA | 11 Comments »
It is always a joy and a challenge to photograph tiny birds, like this cute little Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) that I spotted last Friday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
Even when they are perched, these chickadees are a bundle of energy and seem to be constantly changing head and body positions. As you can see from these two shots, the chickadee was surrounded by branches, so I had to bend and stretch a lot to get a clear shot. Lighting was also an issue, because the little bird often had its head pointed down and was covered with shadows.
I especially like the chickadee’s pose in the first photo, in which he was looking upward and the light was illuminating his face.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, Portraits, wildlife, Winter | Tagged Canon 7D, Carolina Chickadee, chickadee, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Poecile carolinensis, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA | Leave a Comment »
I was delighted to spot this stunning male Redhead duck (Aythya americana) on Friday in the waters off of Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. I have seen this species only a few times, so I initially was not able to identify it. However, as I was capturing these shots, I was pretty sure that the duck’s stunning brown head, black-tipped bill, and distinctive yellow eyes would make it easy to find in my bird identification guide—I was right.
According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Redheads are exceptionally gregarious and gather in large flocks in the winter, especially in the Gulf of Mexico. On this occasion, however, this Redhead appeared to be by himself.
The Redhead was quite far away, so I had limited options for composing my shots as I walked along the water’s edge. I managed to incorporated some of the environmental elements to come up with a couple of images that I really like—although it may appear that the duck is perched on rocks, I think that they may be portions of a waterlogged tree trunk or stump.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, Portraits, wildlife, Winter | Tagged Aythya americana, Canon 7D, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, redhead, Redhead duck, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA | 8 Comments »
The coloration of female Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) is not as bold and flashy as their male counterparts, but I think they are equally beautiful, like this one that I photographed recently at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
I do love bright colors—I drive an Ignition Orange KIA Soul—but I think there is something more refined and sophisticated when those colors are used in moderation as accents. That is why I really like the way a female cardinal has reddish streaks in her crown and on the outer portions of her wings.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, Portraits, wildlife, Winter | Tagged Canon 7D, Cardinalis cardinalis, female Northern Cardinal, Northern cardinal, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA | 7 Comments »
Birds have to work really hard to find food during the cold season. This female Red-wing Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) decided that it was worth her effort to try to extract some seeds from the spiky seed pods of a sweetgum tree earlier this month at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
Some of you may be wondering how this can possibly be a Red-winged Blackbird. After all, this bird is not at all black and her wings are not red. When I first started getting serious about my photography more than 11 years ago, I would often go out shooting with my mentor Cindy Dyer, who loved to photograph flowers and sometimes insects. She rarely photographed birds and I had no experience identifying them.
During one such outing I photographed a bird on a rebar trellis at one a botanical garden. I assumed that it was one of the many types of sparrows that I lumped together as “little brown birds.” When I posted the shots in a Facebook birding forum, I was shocked to learn that it was a female Red-winged Blackbird. (Check out my 27 September 2012 blog posting called “Intense bird” for more details on that adventure, including my first ever shots of a female Red-winged Blackbird. I also remember that 2012 encounter well because I was shooting with a Nikon D300 that Cindy had lent me along with a Tamron 180mm macro lens. I did not switch from Canon to Nikon, but immediately orders the Canon version of the lens, which continues to be one of my favorite lenses.)
I am a lot more knowledgeable about birds now and have reconciled myself to the reality that many species derive their names from the males, who tend to be more colorful in appearance. As most of you know, I love to photograph insects, particularly dragonflies, but they have now completely (or maybe almost completely) disappeared from the scene, so I will be focusing my camera and my attention mostly on birds in the upcoming cold months.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter | Tagged Agelaius phoeniceus, Canon 7D, female Red-winged Blackbird, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, red-winged blackbird, sweetgum balls, Sweetgum Tree, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA | 1 Comment »
White-throated Sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis) always remind me of Santa Claus. They show up in the winter, have white beards, and are often chubby. I spotted this White-throated Sparrow last Friday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
I thought that perhaps it was the angle at which I photographed this bird that made it look rotund, but the sparrow looked just as spherical when it changed its pose, as you can see in the second photo.
The bird reminds me of the time when the priest at my church remarked that he used to worry about getting into shape until he realized that round is in fact a shape. More recently I saw a meme that stated that Thanksgiving is the time of the year when many men decide to get in shape—in shape to play Santa Claus.
Have a wonderful day!
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Birds, Christmas, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter | Tagged Canon 7D, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Santa bird, Santa Claus, Tamron 150-600mm, white-throated sparrow, Woodbridge VA, Zonotrichia albicollis | Leave a Comment »
One of the most distinctive ducks that migrates into my area for the winter is the Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus). The male has a curious-looking head that is black and the white and the female has an orange-brown hairstyle that literally sticks out.
Sometimes Hooded Mergansers arrive in groups and I have seen some recent photos by local photographers of males competing for the attention of the females. In this case, cover, I spotted only one couple at the small suburban pond not far from where I live. The ducks dozed a bit and occasionally preened their feathers, so there was not a whole lot of action to capture. I was content to capture a few “record” images and hope I will have some more chances to see these little diving ducks in the upcoming months.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, Portraits, wildlife, Winter | Tagged Canon 7D, Hooded Merganser, hooded merganser couple, Hooded Merganser duck, Kingstowne Lake, Kingstowne VA, Lophodytes cucullatus, Tamron 150-600mm | 10 Comments »
There are almost always a few Great Blue Herons (Ardea herodias) at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Most often I see them patiently fishing in the water, but sometimes I have to scan the tangled vegetation surrounding the ponds to find them, as was the case last Friday. Some herons are very skittish and fly away as soon as they sense my presence, but this heron remained in place while I carefully composed this image and continued silently along the trail.
Unlike the Great Egrets, Green Herons, and Ospreys that leave our area in the winter, Great Blue Herons are with us year round. Now that the weather is getting colder and we have already had our first snowfall (it was less than a half-inch (1 cm) or so), I suspect that it is getting harder for herons to find food. I am sure, though, that I will continue to see herons foraging for food, including in the frigid waters of the ponds and the bay—even when the surface of the water freezes, there is enough movement in the water that there are some open areas.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, Portraits, wildlife, Winter | Tagged Ardea herodias, Canon 7D, Great Blue Heron, heron, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA | 1 Comment »
Luck often plays a role in my wildlife photography. This past Friday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, this male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) was perched when I initially pressed the shutter release on my camera. A split second later, the cardinal took off and I captured this fun image as he flew right towards me.
I often shoot in short bursts, which helps explain how I managed to get this shot. The shutter speed was only 1/250 of a second and that is why the wings are blurred. Amazingly the head, which is the most important element in most wildlife shots, is in relatively sharp focus, especially considering the fact that I took the shot from a long distance away—my EXIF data indicate that I took the shot at 483mm, near the long end of my 150-600mm telephoto zoom lens.
Luck by itself, of course, does not guarantee good photos, nor does having expensive gear—I am fond of saying that patience and persistence are the most critical requirements for getting good shots. I have to be out as often as I can and remain constantly prepared to react appropriately to whatever fortunate circumstances in which I find myself. In that sense, I have to make my own luck.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged Canon 7D, cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis, male Northern Cardinal, Northern cardinal, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA | 11 Comments »
What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you look at this photo? Are you attracted to the autumn colors in the background? Do you notice the texture in the rotten tree and how it matches the feathers of the little Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)?
The sparrow’s pose is what caught my attention. As my eyes examined the image, I was suddenly transported to a medieval era and imagined a sentinel positioned along the top of a castle wall, vigilantly keeping watch, alert to any danger.
Yes, I have an overly active, often child-like imagination. Wouldn’t it be fun to be able to experience the wonders of the world with the energy and curiosity of a child? Our adult lives are often way too complicated—I encourage you to find joy today in simple things.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged Canon 7D, Melospiza melodia, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, sentinel, song sparrow, sparrow, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA | 2 Comments »
Ruddy Ducks (Oxyura jamaicensis) “feed most actively at night, so you’ll often see Ruddy Ducks sleeping during the day, head tucked under a wing and tail cocked up,” according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. I spotted a small group of them, including the sleeping male Ruddy Duck in the first photo, on Tuesday at a small suburban pond in Kingstowne, a community only a couple of miles from where I live.
Earlier this month I spotted a much larger flock of Ruddy Ducks in the waters off of Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. As you can see in the second photo, many of the ducks were sleeping. The ducks were quite a distance from shore, but the bright white cheek patches on some of the males made them easy to identify. Eventually one of the ducks swam a bit closer and I captured the final image—judging from its coloration, this appears to be either a female or an immature male.
I read on-line that the breeding colors of the male are spectacular, with a sky-blue bill, shining white cheek patch, and gleaming chestnut body, but I have never seen Ruddy Ducks during breeding season. As I read further in the entry for the species on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website, I could not help but chuckle:
“The bright colors and odd behavior of male Ruddy Ducks drew attention from early naturalists, though they didn’t pull any punches. One 1926 account states, “Its intimate habits, its stupidity, its curious nesting customs and ludicrous courtship performance place it in a niche by itself…. Everything about this bird is interesting to the naturalist, but almost nothing about it is interesting to the sportsman.” ”
UPDATE: A sharp-eyed Facebook friend noted that the position of the duck in the first photo is a bit more upright than it would be if he were sleeping and suggested the duck was in the process of grooming.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged Canon 7D, Kingstowne Lake, Kingstowne VA, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Ruddy Duck, sleeping Ruddy Duck, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA | 6 Comments »
Most of the time when I see Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus), they are actively fishing, repeatedly diving deep into the water and surfacing after and extended period time under the water. On Tuesday I spotted this cormorant at a small suburban pond and it seemed content to float about amidst a large flock of Ring-billed Gulls. As you can see in the first photo, it made for a strange pairing to have such different-looking birds together.
When I circled around the pond a second time the cormorant (or possibly a second cormorant) was hanging out on a man-made structure sticking out of the water in the pond that is probably part of the water filtration system. Often when I see cormorants out of the water, they have their wings spread wide to dry them out, but this cormorant had its wings closed and just seemed to be chilling out. Generally I avoid including man-made objects in my wildlife photos, but I like the juxtaposition of the curves and warm color of the cormorant with the straight lines and cooler cooler colors of the structure.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged Canon 7D, cormorant, Double-crested Cormorant, Kingstowne Lake, Phalacrocorax auritus, Ring-billed Gull, Tamron 150-600mm | Leave a Comment »
It was cold and gray and last Friday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Most of the birds seemed to be inactive, like this sleeping Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) that was partially hidden by the vegetation in a field adjacent to a small pond.
I have often wondered if birds sleep with their eyes closed. I do not have a definitive answer, but if you click on this image to enlarge it and look closely at the heron’s eye, it sure looks like it is closed. I wonder too how birds can sleep in trees without falling over, but this heron was on solid ground, so I do not think that it was at risk of falling. As for me, I think that I have dozed off while standing, but don’t think that I have fallen into a deep sleep.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged Ardea herodias, Canon 7D, Great Blue Heron, heron, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, sleeping heron, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA | 6 Comments »
Yesterday I made a quick trip to a local suburban water retention pond, where several migratory bird species overwinter with us. I was shocked to see that no Canada Geese were there, but did spot two Double-Crested Cormorants, a few Ruddy Ducks, and several pairs of Ring-necked ducks (Aythya collaris). All of these are diving birds, so they mostly hung out near in the deeper waters at the center of the pond.
I spent a good amount of time watching one Ring-necked Duck repeatedly dive into the water and would try to guess when and where he would resurface. Male Ring-necked Ducks have a distinctive appearance, with yellow eyes, a striped bill, and a strangely pointed head.
Clouds would drift across the sun from time, causing patterns on the surface of the water to shift and change. I really got caught up in these reflections and these three photos give you a sense of the swirl of colors and patterns that provided an amazing backdrop for these cool-little ducks.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, Portraits, wildlife | Tagged Aythya collaris, Canon 7D, Kingstowne Lake, Kingstowne VA, male ring-necked duck, Ring-necked duck, Tamron 150-600mm | 8 Comments »
It is hard to take good photos when the light is limited. It was heavily overcast on Friday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. In many of my photos, the sky looked white and the subjects looked like silhouettes. I made a few adjustments to my camera to increase the amount of light hitting the sensor, but the conditions were challenging.
I was excited when I came upon a flock of foraging Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum). Recently I had encountered only a few of these cool-looking birds, but this was the first time this year that I have seen a whole flock of them. Some birds are really territorial, but these waxwings seemed to have no sense of personal space and were almost on top of each other as they reached for the hanging berries.
These photos are a little flat and dull, but I like the way that I was able to capture a sense of this foraging activity. In the final photo, you can even see a bit of the waxy red secretion on the wings of the center bird that gave rise to the “waxwing” portion of the common name of this species.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged Bombycilla cedrorum, Canon 7D, Cedar Waxwing, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA | 15 Comments »
Male Buffleheads (Bucephala albeola), a type of sea duck, often appear to be black and white, but when the light is right, you can see the glossy green and purple feathers on their heads. I spotted a distant group of Buffleheads during a recent visit to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge and captured this image that shows two male and a female (or possibly an immature male). I encourage you to click on the image to see the beautiful colors of these Buffleheads.
At this time of the year, large rafts of ducks gather on the bay, usually a long way from the shore. So far I have seen Ruddy Ducks and Scaups, in addition to the Buffleheads shown here. In past years I have also spotted several kinds of grebes and other water birds. Throughout the winter, I try to keep an eye out for these groups of birds, hoping that some of them will drift within range of my camera.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged Bucephala albeola, bufflehead, bufflehead duck, Canon 7D, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA | 2 Comments »
I often find myself returning to the same spot where I have previously seen a bird or a dragonfly. Of course, these are winged species that can fly wherever they want, so there is no guarantee that they will remain in a single location. Perhaps they just happened to be at that spot or maybe there is something about that habitat that suits them well and will cause them to remain.
I revisited a spot at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge on Monday where I had spotted a few Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis) almost a week earlier. When I arrived there, I was delighted to see that a small group of bluebirds and was even more thrilled when I was able to get close enough to capture some portrait shots of individual birds.
I really like the way that the background in the first photo is an almost perfect match for the colors of the bluebird. In the second photo, the evergreen tree helps to provide a sense of the environment and the berries below the bird help explain why the bluebird chose that tree. I like the framing of the branches in the final photo and the little pops of red on one of the branch and in the background.
I revisited that same spot again on Friday, but the skies were heavily overcast and, alas, I did not find any bluebirds that day.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, Portraits, wildlife | Tagged bluebird, bluebird portrait, Canon 7D, Eastern Bluebird, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Sialia sialis, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA | 20 Comments »
Some photographers are always searching for new and exotic species to add to their “life lists,” but I am generally content to photograph familiar species, primarily in my local area. No matter how many times I see these birds, each encounter is unique, and I never know when a photo may highlight one of these birds in a special way. Here is a selection of photos of birds that I spotted on Monday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
The bright red color of male Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) makes it almost impossible for them to hide completely, but a lot of the time they forage in the dense undergrowth, making it tough to get a clear shot of one. In the first image, the cardinal was partially hidden by the branches, but I managed to focus on its face. If you look closely, you will notice that this cardinal is a bit of a messy eater—he has lots of seed residue on his bright orange bill.
Yellow-rumped Warblers (Setophaga coronata) are one of the only warblers that stay with us during the winter. They tend to stay high in the trees, which means that most of my photos show the underside of the birds’ faces in bodies. In the second photo, the warbler looked down at me and I was able to capture the little patch of yellow on the top of its head, a feature that I do not recall seeing before.
The final photo features a Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum), one of the coolest looking birds that I encounter on a fairly regular basis. I love its rakish black mask and its yellow-tipped tail. I was happy to be able to capture the beautiful wash of yellow on its breast in this shot. Of course, the colorful foliage in the background adds an additional touch of visual interest to this photo.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged Bombycilla cedrorum, Canon 7D, Cardinalis cardinalis, Cedar Waxwing, Northern cardinal, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Setophaga coronata, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA, Yellow-rumped Warbler | 11 Comments »
As we move into December, I am still managing to see a few Autumn Meadowhawks (Sympetrum vicinum), like this dragonfly on the rocks that I spotted on Monday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Dragonfly on the rocks…sounds like a holiday adult beverage to me.
I suspect that the end is near for these little creatures. Although these dragonflies can tolerate brief periods of cold temperatures, it is difficult for them to survive during an extended cold snap. I will be keeping an eye out for these tiny red dragonflies in the upcoming weeks, but it is clear that the end of the dragonfly season is rapidly approaching.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Autumn, Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged Autumn Meadowhawk, Autumn Meadowhawk dragonfly, Canon 7D, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Sympetrum vicinum, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA | 3 Comments »
Bluebirds have lots of acrobatic moves they can use to snag berries. On Monday I returned to a spot at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge where I had seen some Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis) the previous week. I was delighted to see several bluebirds zooming in and out of a cluster of trees that had dark blue berries hanging high in them. I don’t think that the unidentified berries were part of the tree, but instead seemed to be growing on vines attached to the trees.
The dilemma for the bluebirds was that the berries were out of reach when they remained perched on tree branches, even when they stretched and reached as much as they could. The bluebirds therefore had to launch themselves into the air and attempt to snag a berry as they zoomed by the little hanging fruits. Yikes!
Needless to say, the degree of difficulty of this maneuver is quite high. It would be nice if bluebirds could hover like hummingbirds and pluck multiple berries while in mid-air, but I don’t think that they can.
The second photo shows an Olympic-level acrobatic move in which the bluebird launched itself into the air from a branch and swiveled its head a full 180 degrees. Wow! When I first looked at the photo, it took me a moment to realize that the bluebird’s body was facing me, but its head was facing in the opposite direction. I was fortunate to capture the moment when the bluebird had extended its wings fully to arrest its forward movement and give it an extra split second to grab a berry. The colorful foliage in the background was a nice bonus.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged bluebird, Canon 7D, Eastern Bluebird, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Sialia sialis, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA | 10 Comments »
As I was observing some birds on Monday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, a burst of bright yellow flashed across my camera’s viewfinder. I was not sure what kind of bird it was, but I definitely wanted to find out. I panned my long telephoto lens and eventually tracked the bird when it landed high in a distant tree.
I was delighted to see that it was a beautiful little American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis). Goldfinches are with us all year, but I am most used to seeing them during the summer months as they feed on sunflowers and other flowers. There is still a bit of warmth in the sun and some color in the trees, but we are moving inexorably towards the cold gray days of winter when bright colors will be in short supply.
Celebrate the color!
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, Portraits, wildlife | Tagged American Goldfinch, Canon 7D, goldfinch, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Spinus tristis, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA | 9 Comments »
Yesterday I encountered a cool-looking Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana) at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. It was walking down the middle of a trail straight towards me and did not seem aware of my presence. Opossums are mostly nocturnal, so I do not see them very often—apparently they do not seem me very often either. An opossum’s eyesight is much better in the dark than it is in daylight, so the opossum may not have initially seen me, even though it was looking right at me in a number of these photos.
Virginia Opossums, also known as North American Opossums, are the northernmost marsupial in the world, and the only one living north of Mexico, according to Wikipedia. Like other marsupials such as a kangaroos, kolas, and wombats, opossums give birth to incompletely developed babies that develop further in a pouch—he word “marsupial” comes from the Latin word “marsupium”, which means pouch.
The gestational period lasts only 11-13 days, according to Wikipedia, and the average litter size is 8–9 infants, although over 20 infants may be born. “Newborns are the size of a honeybee. Once delivered through the central birth canal, newborn opossums climb up into the female opossum’s pouch and latch onto one of her 13 teats. The young remain latched for two months and in the pouch for 2+1⁄2 months. The young then climb onto the mother’s back, where she carries them for the remainder of their time together. It is during this time that the young learn survival skills. They leave their mother after about four or five months.”
If you want to learn more about opossums, check out an article called “50 Opossum Facts That Are Too Awesome to Miss” at the website facts.net. For example, I was shocked to learn that the word “opossum” originated in Virginia, where I live. Between 1607 and 1611, colonists John Smith and William Strachey first recorded the usage of opassom and aposoum at the early British colony in Jamestown, Virginia.
The opossum seemed curious, cute, and almost cuddly, but I kept my distance and tried not to disturb. From certain angles, such as in the second image, though, the opossum seemed focused and a little menacing.
I encourage you to click on the photos to get a closer look at some of the details of the opossum, like its prehensile tail and the little claws on its feet. You can’t see it very well, but opossums have opposable clawless thumbs on their hind feet that lets them grip onto tree branches.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in animals, Autumn, Nature, Photography, Portraits, wildlife | Tagged Canon 7D, Didelphis virginiana, North American Opossum, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, opossum, Tamron 150-600mm, Virginia Opossum, Woodbridge VA | 10 Comments »
The Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis) that I spotted last Wednesday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge were quite far from me, but I was thrilled to catch a glimpse of their brilliant blue plumage as they foraged in some evergreen trees.
I really love bluebirds and though it is a bit of a cliché to speak of “bluebirds of happiness,” these bright little birds invariably bring a smile to my face.
Happy Monday!
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged bluebird, Canon 7D, Eastern Bluebird, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Sialia sialis, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA | 4 Comments »
Although it was sunny last Wednesday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, the wind was kicking up quite a bit, repeatedly ruffling the feathers of this perched Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). It has been a long time since I had hair that was long enough to sport that kind of windblown look.
When I was a child, I had a cowlick in the back of my head that refused to stay in place, despite my lineral use of Brylcreem or a similar product called Groom and Clean. My father, like many men of his generation had a comb over hair style that he somehow fixed in place. When I started going bald, I rejected that style and opted to keep my hair cut short. Of course, during the 20 years that I spent in the US Army, it was a mandated “choice,” much like the mandatory “fun” that surrounded official social functions.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, Portraits, wildlife | Tagged Bald Eagle, Canon 7D, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 150-600mm, windblown, Woodbridge VA | 5 Comments »
Autumn Meadowhawk dragonflies (Sympetrum vicinum) are still hanging in there as we approach the end of November. At other times of the year their bright red bodies would stand out, but there are lots of red and brown leaves on the ground now that help to camouflage them when they land. If the dragonflies remain still while on these perches, they are almost undetectable.
I photographed these little beauties on Wednesday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Amazingly, I used the same telephoto zoom lens for these images that I used to capture shots of a Bald Eagle that same day—check out yesterday’s posting called What’s for dinner? that featured shots of an eagle with a duck that it had captured. The Tamron 150-600mm lens is a really versatile lens that, if I am careful, can capture a wide range of subjects ranging from an eagle in flight to a tiny perched dragonfly.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Autumn, Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged autumn camouflage, Autumn Meadowhawk, Autumn Meadowhawk dragonfly, Canon 7D, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Sympetrum vicinum, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA | 2 Comments »
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.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
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 | 1 Comment »
“Take Flight 2023” has landed. I was thrilled yesterday when the post office delivered my copy of a just-published poetry anthology that has one of my dragonfly photos on the cover.
Since 2020 I have attended almost monthly Zoom poetry readings conducted by Flight of the Dragonfly Spoken Word, a UK-based poetry group, and feel blessed to be part of this community of incredibly talented poets and writers. Pre-pandemic, the group hosted poetry readings at a pub in Brighton, but during the pandemic its readings became virtual and its reach became worldwide.
Flight of the Dragonfly inaugurated a quarterly e-journal of poetry, prose, and flash fiction called Flights and is currently working on Issue 10 of the journal. “Take Flight 2023” is a printed anthology of selected poems from Flights issues five to eight. A little over a year ago Flight of the Dragonfly Press was founded and has already published a number of poetry collections.
In case you are curious, I captured the in-flight shot of the Migrant Hawker dragonfly (Aeshna mixta) in 2018 at the Botanical Garden in Brussels, Belgium during a work trip there. If you would like more details about the circumstances surrounding the capture of the image, check out my September 2018 blog posting entitled “Migrant Hawker in flight.”
I am one of the few non-poets who regularly attends the poetry readings—thought I have been encouraged on multiple occasions to start writing poetry. I believe that it is important to support the creative people who pour themselves into creating works that touch me deeply in so many different ways. I was deeply moved by the words in the “Thanks” section of the anthology that said, ” A very special thanks to Michael Powell, who has been turning up and cheering for the last three years and who has now allowed us to use one of his fabulous dragonfly photographs as the cover for this book.” Thanks, Darren and Barbara, the co-founders of Flight of the Dragonfly, for those very kind words.
I encourage you all to support your local poets, writers, and artists. The next Zoom poetry reading of Flight of the Dragonfly Spoken Word is on 28 November—click on the link at the beginning of this sentence to get details on how to sign up for this free event. The featured poets for this reading will be Gaynor Kane and Damien B. Donnelly, two of my favorite poets. For further detail on Damien, whom I met in Paris in 2019, check out this December 2019 blog posting and for information on the dynamic duo, check out my March 2021 posting entitled “I joined a cult.” I hope to see some of you at the event.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Inspiration, Nature, Photography, poetry | Tagged Aeshna mixta, botanical garden of Brussels, Brussels Belgium, Canon SX50, Flight of the Dragonfly, Migrant Hawker, Migrant Hawker dragonfly, Take Flight 2023 | 14 Comments »
Most of the time my photos have a well-defined subject. Some of the time, though, I am so interested in trying to capture the mood of the moment that the “subject” occupies only a small part of the frame.
Last Friday, I spotted a large bird perched on a skeletal tree at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. I thought at first that it might be a Bald Eagle, but when I zoomed in a bit I could see that it was a Turkey Vulture. I really like the starkness of the bare trees and the way that they give an abstract feel to the landscape. As I was preparing to take a shot, a small flock of Canada Geese flew into the frame and I captured several of them in the photo below.
The resulting image is mostly monochromatic, though you can see occasional glimpses of a warmish brown on some of the broken edges of the trees. If you look really closely at the vulture’s head, you can see a touch of red.
I do not know if this image “works” in conveying the mood of that monochromatic moment, but I thought it might be interesting to share with you my thought process as I experimented in capturing an image that is quite different from my normal wildlife shots.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in abstract, Autumn, Birds, Landscape, Nature, Photography | Tagged birds in flight, Canon 7D, monochromatic, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA | 2 Comments »
Mike Powell 