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Patience barely rewarded

Posted in Birds, Humor, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged Ardea herodias, Canon Rebel XT, Great Blue Heron, heron, Huntley Meadows Park, Sigma 135-400mm telephoto zoom lens on April 10, 2013| 7 Comments »

A Great Blue Heron this weekend was poised, waiting to strike, and I waited with my camera and my tripod, hoping to capture the moment of triumphal success.

I had visions of the heron pulling some big fish out of the water, like I see in Phil Lanoue‘s incredible photos, and watching as he struggled to swallow it whole.

The reality, as you can see, was much more modest. After all, the Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) was fishing in the beaver pond at my local marsh and the pickings were pretty slim. Initially, I though he had caught a frog, but the photo suggests it was a small fish, though it is hard to tell for sure because of the catch’s small size.

The second photo shows his pre-strike position. The heron stood motionless in this position for what seemed like an eternity. I am amazed that he could see anything in the shallow, reed-covered water.

When he struck, he didn’t even have to put his head very deeply into the water or use a lot of force to catch the fish. The final shot shows the heron swallowing his catch. It did not take any special maneuvering to get the little fish down his throat.

I saw a heron hanging around the same beaver pond the following day. I hope he is not spending all of his time in this one location or I may end up photographing a really skinny heron in the future.

Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

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Cardinal geometry

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged Canon Rebel XT, cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis, Huntley Meadows Park, Northern cardinal, Sigma 135-400mm telephoto zoom lens on April 9, 2013| 7 Comments »

Although I really like the pose of this male Northern Cardinal (Cardinal cardinalis) as he prepares to smash a single rose hip against the boardwalk, I love the geometric shapes in the photo just as much.

There is a neat symmetry in the lighter-colored triangle at the top and the dark one in the bottom and they are nicely separated by a series of medium-toned parallelograms. All of the geometric shapes are subdued in color, which helps to provide a nice backdrop for the brightly-colored cardinal and the equally bright rose hip.

Lots of colorful birds are starting to show up now, but I feel special about the cardinals—they were with me throughout the winter, brightening up many a grey winter day.

Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

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Return of the snapping turtles

Posted in Humor, Nature, Photography, Reptiles, wildlife, tagged Canon Rebel XT, Chelydra serpentina serpentina, Eastern Snapping Turtle, Huntley Meadows Park, Sigma 135-400mm telephoto zoom lens, snapping turtle, turtle on April 9, 2013| 5 Comments »

Like prehistoric beasts from another era, the snapping turtles have finally emerged from the mud and the slime of my local marsh.

Painted turtles and Red-eared Sliders have been basking in the sun for weeks now, but it seems like the Eastern Snapping Turtles (Chelydra serpentina serpentina) like for it to be a bit warmer before they start moving. This past weekend I saw quite a few snapping turtles in the marsh, most of them with a lot of mud still piled on the top of their shells, including some pretty big ones. Some of them were floating on the surface of the water, but they don’t appear to bask on land like their smaller counterparts.

I would hesitate to call any of them beautiful or even ruggedly handsome—scarey seems a more appropriate adjective. After reading that snapping turtles are omnivores, I have reconfirmed my desire to keep my distance from these creatures. Thankfully, I have a long telephoto lens.

Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

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Pretty little bird

Posted in Birds, commentary, Humor, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged bird, Canon Rebel XT, Huntley Meadows Park, Sigma 135-400mm telephoto zoom lens on April 8, 2013| 8 Comments »

Spring has complicated my life when it comes to bird identification. I started photographing (and trying to identify) birds last fall, when many of the birds had already left the area. Over the winter, there was a limited set of birds that I gradually became accustomed to seeing and I learned to identify them. Even when we had lots of different kinds of ducks, I could look in the section of my identification guide and figure out what they were.

Spring has brought all kinds of new species that have left me baffled and confused. Some of the birders are all excited by the return of warblers, including the Yellow-rumped Warbler. I can’t even see the birds when they point them out to me, much less figure out what color the color of the bird’s rump.

Here’s a recent photo I took of a pretty little bird that I have not yet been able to identify. I’d welcome any hints about what kind of a bird it is.

To add insult to injury, leaves are starting to appear on the trees, which will future challenge my ability to identify birds. I may have to go back to photographing insects.

Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

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Attacking a cattail

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Portraits, wildlife, tagged Agelaius phoeniceus, blackbird, Canon Rebel XT, cattail, Huntley Meadows Park, red-winged blackbird, Sigma 135-400mm telephoto zoom lens on April 8, 2013| 3 Comments »

I am not sure if she was searching for food or was gathering nesting materials, but this female Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) was relentlessly attacking a cattail stalk. She paused for a minute and looked up, providing me with this photo op.

I like the way that her bill and her feet are covered with the cottony inner fibers of the cattail. The shadowy image of the male Red-winged Blackbird, with his distinctive shoulder patches, adds a interesting element to the background.

Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

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Early morning egret

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Portraits, wildlife, tagged Ardea alba, Canon Rebel XT, egret, Great Egret, Huntley Meadows Park, Sigma 135-400mm telephoto zoom lens on April 6, 2013| 4 Comments »

Early yesterday morning when I arrived at my local marsh, two Great Egrets (Ardea alba), were already up and trying to find some breakfast. At this time of year, I suspect that they may be eating a lot of frogs at this location, though I didn’t actually see them catch anything. Eventually they wandered into the reeds and cattails, so I gradually lost sight of them.

In the past, I had a lot of trouble taking photos of these beautiful white birds and usually I ended up blowing out the highlights. Two things seemed to have helped me deal with these issues. I am paying a lot more attention to exposure compensation and I am underexposing by as much as two f-stops. Additionally, I am using a longer telephoto lens and filling more of the frame with the subject somehow helps me to get a better exposure.

Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

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Abstract pattern in the marsh water

Posted in Art, Nature, Photography, tagged abstract, Canon 55-250mm zoom lens, Canon Rebel XT, Huntley Meadows Park, marsh on April 5, 2013| 3 Comments »

I have no idea what caused this abstract pattern to form in one of the watery areas of my local marsh, but it really caught my eye when I was looking down, searching for frogs. Maybe it was caused by mineral seepage or plants or some strange combination of the two. Who knows?

In any case, I really like the richness and variety of the colors in the curving patterns.

Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

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Basking turtle

Posted in Nature, Photography, Reptiles, wildlife, tagged Canon Rebel XT, Huntley Meadows Park, red-eared slider, red-eared slider turtle, Sigma 135-400mm telephoto zoom lens, Trachemys scripta elegans), turtle on April 5, 2013| 3 Comments »

A warm day this past weekend brought out the turtles in my local marsh, who lined up on logs to bask in the sun. On some logs as many as a dozen turtles of all sizes were crowded together, but somehow this big Red-eared Slider turtle (Trachemys scripta elegans) managed to get a log all to himself.

In the first photo, he seemed a little annoyed when the sun disappeared behind the clouds, but he quickly resumed his zen-like pose in the second shot, when the sun reappeared.

Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

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Seeing spots

Posted in Amphibians, Nature, Photography, Winter, tagged Canon Rebel XT, frog, Huntley Meadows Park, Lithobates sphenocephalus, Sigma 135-400mm telephoto zoom lens, Southern Leopard frog on April 3, 2013| 3 Comments »

I have been hearing the sound of frogs for weeks, but I rarely catch a glimpse of one and was happy to spot this Southern Leopard frog (Lithobates sphenocephalus) on Monday.

I really like the view from the front, with the frog surrounded by little bubbles, his eyes reflecting in the water. The second view, however, lets you see better the positioning of his legs.

The frogs are active now and I even saw a pair of intertwined snakes. Spring is here in full force in Northern Viriginia.

Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

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Tree Swallow looking for a home

Posted in Birds, Humor, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged Canon 55-250mm zoom lens, Canon Rebel XT, Huntley Meadows Park, nesting box, Sigma 135-400mm telephoto zoom lens, swallow, Tachycineta bicolor, Tree Swallow on April 2, 2013| Leave a Comment »

One of my fellow photographers identified some newly arrived birds as Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) and yesterday I spotted them checking out the nesting boxes at my local marsh. I felt like they could have used a real estate agent to point out the advantages of the different styles of houses available. The first one has the charm of a log cabin and the second one has enhanced security features to discourage intruders. I don’t think that the swallows have made their decision yet—for now they seemed to be checking out the neighborhood.

Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

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American Goldfinch

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, tagged American Goldfinch, Canon Rebel XT, goldfinch, Huntley Meadows Park, Sigma 135-400mm telephoto zoom lens, Spinus tristis on April 1, 2013| 5 Comments »

I was thrilled today to see the brilliant yellow color of the American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)—it almost looked like they had gotten dressed-up for Easter yesterday.

Although range maps indicate that American Goldfinches are in our area year-round, I haven’t seen one in a really long time. There is still not much vegetation on the trees and bushes, so the bright color of the goldfinches stood out. However, the goldfinches spent almost all of their time in the center of bushes and it was hard to get an unobstructed shot.

I am looking forward to more and more bright colors as we move deeper into spring. (I probably should mention that I drive an orange-colored car, which may say something about my attitude toward bright colors.)

Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

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Beautiful light

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged Canon Rebel XT, ducks, Huntley Meadows Park, light, mallard ducks, Sigma 135-400mm telephoto zoom lens on April 1, 2013| 2 Comments »

Do you ever find yourself in such beautiful light that you are almost desperate to find a suitable subject? Saturday morning, for a brief period, the rays of the sun were producing wonderful light and incredible reflections in the water of my local marsh, reminding me of some of my favorite Monet paintings.

I looked all around and finally spied this male mallard duck and his mate and they became my models. They didn’t take instructions very well and wouldn’t stay still in one place for very long, but I was able to get some shots that I like.

Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

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Muskrat Susie, Muskrat Sam?

Posted in animals, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged Canon Rebel XT, Huntley Meadows Park, muskrat, Sigma 135-400mm telephoto zoom lens on March 31, 2013| 5 Comments »

I am old enough to remember the 1977 Captain and Tenille hit song “Muskrat Love,” but inexperienced enough with muskrats not to know if the one that I photographed yesterday is a male or female.

I’ve had the chance to get photos of muskrats in the past, but the muskrat has always been swimming in the water or had been a long way away. Yesterday I came across this as he was eating no more than six to eight feet from where I was standing.

I had my long telephoto on my camera and had to back way down from the 400mm end of the zoom to get this frame-filling shot. I should have been able to get more good shots, but I didn’t notice at the time that my shutter speed was approximately 1/100 of a second and most of my images are blurred. It’s ironic that I had the chance for a close-up at a moment when I had replaced my image-stabilized lens for one with greater reach (but no stabilization).

Still, I got a pretty good shot that captured many of the muskrat’s details, so I am content (until the next time).

Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

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Early morning takeoff

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Portraits, wildlife, tagged Branta canadensis, Canada Geese, Canon Rebel XT, Huntley Meadows Park, Sigma 135-400mm telephoto zoom lens, takeoff on March 31, 2013| 12 Comments »

At a moment when the lighting was particularly beautiful yesterday morning, I sensed that the pair of geese was getting ready to take off from the pond. I readied myself and somehow my timing, composition, and focus clicked together with my shutter.

I ended up with some images that required almost no adjustments or cropping. I was particularly happy, because I have been experiencing difficulties capturing motion with my newest lens, a Sigma 135-400mm telephoto zoom.

Luck played a big role too, since I had no control over the way that the geese would move their wings (though I guessed correctly the direction in which they would take off).

Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

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Not a Black-capped Chickadee

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged Black-capped Chickadee, Canon 55-250mm zoom lens, Canon Rebel XT, Carolina Chickadee, chickadee, Huntley Meadows Park, Poecile carolinensis, Sigma 135-400mm telephoto zoom lens on March 27, 2013| 12 Comments »

A fellow photographer informed me this past weekend that the little bird that I was preparing to photograph was not a Black-capped Chickadee—it was a Carolina Chickadee.

I am a neophyte when it comes to bird identification, but I confess to being confused. I have been trying to photograph this bird for months and have been calling it a Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) in my postings. To my eyes, it looked like the photographs I’ve seen others post of the Black-eyed Chickadee.

I turned to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website, my favorite resource for bird identification, to try to resolved this conundrum. The site confirmed that the Black-capped Chickadee and the Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) look a lot alike, but the two species probably diverged more than 250,000 years ago.

There are some differences between the two in the edging of the wings and the bib and the songs are different too, but apparently the range is one of the most critical factors, since the ranges of these two species don’t overlap much. I appear to be within the range of the Carolina Chickadee, but Virginia seems to be near the northernmost edge of the range, so I can’t exclude the possibility that I will run into a Black-capped Chickadee.

Here are a couple of my favorite chickadee photos. The first one was taken a couple of weeks ago with my recently acquired 135-400mm lens. It did a pretty good job in capturing some of the details of the chickadee in the tree. The second one was taken this past Monday with my 55-250mm lens. I managed to get a little closer to the chickadee that was clutching a stalk in the cattail field and was able to isolate the background a little.

I got started watching and photographing birds this past fall, probably after many birds had left the area. I can’t wait to see what new ones (for me) show up this spring.

Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

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Eastern Phoebe

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged Canon 55-250mm zoom lens, Canon Rebel XT, Eastern Phoebe, Huntley Meadows Park, phoebe, Sayornis phoebe on March 26, 2013| 6 Comments »

Yesterday I spotted a little grayish-brown bird that I have never seen before and I have concluded that it is probably an Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe).

I am getting a little better in figuring out how to identify birds, but this is a case where I had to depend exclusively on color and size to begin my search, without any real idea of what it could be. The colors are about right and the bill shape seems to fit. Information on the internet suggests too that they are one of the earliest birds to return in the spring.

I hope that more experienced birders will correct me if my identification is incorrect. Whatever the case, though, I like the way this image came out—it helped when the bird hopped up onto the bent stalk, a pose which makes it stand out from the somewhat clutter ground-level background.

Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

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American Coot

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged American Coot, Canon 55-250mm zoom lens, Canon Rebel XT, coot, Fulica americana, Huntley Meadows Park on March 25, 2013| 7 Comments »

Have you ever tried to take photos with an umbrella in one hand and your camera in the other? Mixed snow and rain fell during most of today and things were pretty quiet in the marsh today. I walked along the slushy boardwalk with an open umbrella, trying desperately to find something to photograph.

I was surprised to come across an American Coot (Fulica americana) for the first time in the park, although I saw lots of them earlier in the month when I was visiting in Georgia. This coot was by himself—I didn’t see any other coots and he was not hanging out with ducks either.

Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

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Hooded Merganser nesting box, the sequel

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged Canon Rebel XT, Hooded Merganser, Hooded Merganser duck, Huntley Meadows Park, Lophodytes cucullatus, nesting box, Sigma 135-400mm telephoto zoom lens on March 25, 2013| 7 Comments »

This past weekend I was fortunate enough to see a female Hooded Merganser duck (Lophodytes cucullatus) again enter a nesting box at my local marshland park. If you want to see some photos of my first such incident, check out my previous posting.

It is proving to be quite a challenge to capture this fascinating encounter in photographs, even with my camera trained on the nesting box. I think I get my best shots when the female chooses to land on the box prior to entering it. At that moment, the subject is relatively stationary and I can refocus my camera on the duck itself, and not on the box. When she flies into and out of the box, my camera and lens have trouble maintaining focus and stopping the action, even at exposures of 1/1000 and greater.

She paused a moment when exiting and I was able to get a shot with her head sticking out of the nesting box. I also got a photo of her flying out of the box, which is pretty blurry, but I thought the shadow was pretty cool.

The last two shots are aspirational shots for me—they give you an idea of what I am trying to shoot, even if I have not yet been able to do so successfully.

Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

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Return of the egret

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged Ardea alba, Canon Rebel XT, egret, Great Egret, Great White Egret, Huntley Meadows Park, Sigma 135-400mm telephoto zoom lens on March 24, 2013| 5 Comments »

I was thrilled yesterday to see a Great Egret (Ardea alba) at my local marshland park for the first time in months. Unlike the Great Blue Herons, which stayed with us all winter, the Great Egrets flew south when the weather grew cold.

This egret was standing and fishing in a small pool of water near the boardwalk that runs through the marsh, undeterred by the crowd of photographers busily snapping away. I was a late arrival to the encounter and missed seeing the egret catch a frog, but I was happy that I was managed to get some good shots.

Egrets are always beautiful, but the wispy plumes they have at this time of year are especially spectacular. Normally I have problems with blowing out the highlights when I try to photograph egrets, but I think that the closeness of the bird helped me to get a decent exposure.

I can’t wait to see what other surprises are in store for me as we move into spring.

Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

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Father-to-be

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Portraits, Winter, tagged Canon Rebel XT, duck, Hooded Merganser, Hooded Merganser duck, Huntley Meadows Park, Lophodytes cucullatus, Sigma 135-400mm telephoto zoom lens on March 22, 2013| 4 Comments »

This male Hooded Merganser duck (Lophodytes cucullatus) flew away when his mate entered the nesting box (as shown in my posting yesterday), but I was able to get these shots when he was swimming around beforehand.

I am also including a shot from earlier this month when a male was displaying for a female. He would periodically throw back his head back and make the strangest sound, almost like a frog. The sound is so unusual that you may enjoy checking it out at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology site, where you should click on the button that says “Male display.”

Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

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Whimsical blackbird

Posted in Birds, Humor, Nature, Photography, Portraits, wildlife, tagged blackbird, Canon Rebel XT, cattail, Huntley Meadows Park, red-winged blackbird, Sigma 135-400mm telephoto zoom lens, whimsical on March 21, 2013| 9 Comments »

There is just something about this Red-winged Blackbird that makes me laugh. Perhaps it is his whimsical little half-smile or the way that he has cocked his head. Maybe it is the way that his feathers stick out like a little boy’s cowlick or the glint in his eyes or the way he is perched on the cattail. All of these features give him an almost comical look that I really enjoy.

Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

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Is there room in that box for me?

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Winter, tagged Canon Rebel XT, ducks, Hooded Merganser, Hooded Merganser ducks, Huntley Meadows Park, Lophodytes cucullatus, nesting box, Sigma 135-400mm telephoto zoom lens on March 21, 2013| 5 Comments »

I have often wondered if birds actually used the nesting boxes scattered throughout my local marshland park and yesterday I got a definitive response when I saw two female Hooded Merganser ducks separately go into one of the boxes.

As I was looking across the beaver pond, one of my favorite spots for taking photos, a Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) couple flew by and landed in the water. They were out of the reach of my lens at that moment, but a fellow photographer alerted me to the fact that the couple had been using a nesting box that was somewhat closer to where I was standing.

I set up my tripod and trained my 135-400 telephoto lens on the nesting box and waited. Eventually the couple swam behind a cattail patch and came into view near the box. Without warning, the female lifted off and flew straight into the box. It happened so fast that I was not able to get off a shot. A short while later, the male took off.

I continued to wait, confident that the female would eventually have to emerge through the hole in the nesting box. As I was watching and waiting, a bird landed on the roof of the nesting box, as you can see in the second photo. I did not immediately realize that it was another female Hooded Merganser, but I had the presence of mind to take some shots.

She seemed uncertain about whether or not she should go into the box and tried to peer into it, as you see in the first photo. Satisfying herself that everything was ok, she flew into the box, which by now was getting a little crowded. My photos of the entry were completely blurry.

I waited some more and eventually one of the females flew out and I managed to get the third shot. I was hoping that she would linger with her head sticking out of the box before she started flying, but that didn’t happen. I waited for about 45 minutes longer for the second female to exit the box and finally my patience gave out.

The incubation period for the eggs that the female presumably is laying in the box is about a month, so I will keep returning to this location, and with a little luck will be able to see some ducklings.

Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

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Turtle close-ups

Posted in Nature, Photography, Portraits, Reptiles, wildlife, tagged Canon Rebel XT, close-up, Huntley Meadows Park, Sigma 135-400mm telephoto zoom lens, turtle on March 20, 2013| 11 Comments »

Yesterday I decided to take some close-up shots of some of the turtles sunning themselves at my local marsh.

I am pretty sure that the first one is a painted turtle, but I am not sure if the turtle in the second photo is a different species. I was intrigued by the contrast between the clean, bright colors of the first turtle and the muddy, muted colors of the second one. The turtles were pretty cooperative and let me get close enough to fill the frame of my camera.

It’s not quite warm enough for humans to be sunbathing, but now that spring is officially here, it won’t be long.

Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

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Kingfisher at beaver pond

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged Belted Kingfisher, Canon 55-250mm zoom lens, Canon Rebel XT, Huntley Meadows Park, kingfisher, Megaceryle alcyon on March 16, 2013| 2 Comments »

As I was standing next to the beaver lodge at my local marsh, I heard the unmistakable call of a Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon), a sound I had never heard before at that location. After you have heard its sound, described by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as a “strident, mechanical rattle,” you can’t help but remember it.

I was a bit surprised to see a kingfisher at that location, because kingfishers usually prefer clear waters, so they can see their prey. The water in the beaver pond is somewhat muddy, but perhaps it is teeming with new life.

I watched for a while as the female Belted Kingfisher (females have orange chest stripe and males don’t) changed positions several times in the tree, perhaps hoping to get a better view of the water. Eventually she dove into the water, but I was unable to tell if she was successful in catching something before she flew away.

The kingfisher was across the pond from me, so the photos are not perfectly sharp, but they do show some of the different positions of this fascinating bird as she gazed intently at the water.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

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Eastern Painted Turtle

Posted in Nature, Photography, Portraits, Reptiles, tagged Canon 55-250mm zoom lens, Canon Rebel XT, Chrysemys picta picta, Eastern Painted Turtle, Huntley Meadows Park, painted turtle, turtle on March 15, 2013| 4 Comments »

Most of the turtles that I have seen on recent sunny days have climbed out of the water entirely to bask in the sun, but this Eastern Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta picta) seems to have taken a more tentative approach.

Although he seems poised for a quick reentry into the water, he seemed undisturbed when I approached him to take this photo. The angle of the photo provides a view of the turtle’s torso that I rarely see, and as you can probably tell, I got down pretty low to get the shot.

I was surprised by the amount of red on his body and the length of his claws. When I saw the claws, I decided not to go for an extreme close-up shot. I can only imagine the newspaper headline, “Wildlife photographer mauled by killer turtle.”

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

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Croaking frog

Posted in Amphibians, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged Canon 55-250mm zoom lens, Canon Rebel XT, croaking, frog, Huntley Meadows Park, leopard frog, Lithobates sphenocephalus, Southern Leopard frog on March 14, 2013| 2 Comments »

Have you ever watched a frog as he was croaking?

Apparently he closes his mouth and nostrils, squeezes his lungs, and his vocal sacs expand, looking a lot like a bubblegum bubble.

Southern Leopard Frogs (Lithobates sphenocephalus) have a vocal sac on either side of their head, although some other frogs have only a single sac under their chin,

Here’s a shot I took on Monday of one as he was croaking. You can see the vocal sac bubble pretty wellif you look closely at the side of the head nearest the camera.

I am including this additional frog photo, because I really like the way that the bubbles surround his head.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

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Smiling cardinal

Posted in Birds, Humor, Nature, Photography, tagged Canon 55-250mm zoom lens, Canon Rebel XT, cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis, Huntley Meadows Park, Northern cardinal on March 13, 2013| 4 Comments »

Can cardinals smile?

This past weekend, I was observing a male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) in the underbrush. He was busily pecking away, probably searching for something to eat.

All of the sudden he stopped what he was doing. Cocking his head to the side a little, he turned in my direction and smiled, or at least it seemed that way to me. The glint in his eye enhanced the effect, as though he was amused by my antics.

Smiling cardinals? I choose to believe in them.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

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Frog paddle

Posted in Amphibians, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged Canon 55-250mm zoom lens, Canon Rebel XT, frog, Huntley Meadows Park, l, leopard frog, Lithobates sphenocephalus, Southern Leopard frog, swimming frog on March 12, 2013| 2 Comments »

Yesterday I was out again in the marsh, hoping to photograph frogs as they were croaking. Of course, the first problem was finding them. I could hear them throughout the marsh, but many of them were hidden from view in the cattails or far out in the water.

Eventually I was able to locate a few frogs that were within the range of my camera and I am still going through those images. What I was looking to capture was the vocal sacs that expand like little bubbles when they make the croaking sound. I am still not sure if I captured that phenomenon well enough, but plan to post some images later.

One of the frogs that I spotted, a Southern Leopard Frog (Lithobates sphenocephalus), was apparently unaware of my presence and began swimming slowly in my direction. He seemed to be trying to keep his head above the water and doing a version of what I used to call the “dog paddle”—I may start calling it the “frog paddle” from now on.

This photo shows the swimming frog in mid-stroke, surrounded by lots of bubbles. I am not sure if he is responsible for the bubbles, but they add a nice touch to the photo.

I’m pretty sure that I will be off again soon in search of frogs, snakes, and turtles as me move into spring. Stay tuned, there’s more to come.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

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Backlit robin

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged American robin, Canon 55-250mm zoom lens, Canon Rebel XT, Huntley Meadows Park, robin on March 11, 2013| 3 Comments »

Do you ever take shots that you really like, despite technical flaws, because one aspect of the photo came out really cool?

That was the case with this photo of a robin from this past weekend. It was in the middle of the day and the light was pretty harsh, coming in through the leaves almost directly in front of me. As you can see from the robin’s shoulders, the light bleached out most of the color. However, the light also illuminated the robin’s bill, actually shining through it in a really cool way. I also like the way the background turned out.

I am always willing to look for subjects in all directions, and not just for ones in optimal light. You never know when the light will reward you in unexpected ways.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

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Red-shouldered Hawks

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged birds in flight, Buteo lineatus, Canon 55-250mm zoom lens, Canon Rebel XT, hawk, Huntley Meadows Park, Red-Shouldered Hawk on March 11, 2013| 4 Comments »

I’m starting to see hawks—primarily Red-shouldered Hawks (Buteo lineatus) with some regularity, but really good shots of these powerful birds have proven to be elusive so far.

I am happy that I am beginning to capture images of the hawks while they are flying, but virtually all of the time they are flying away from me and not toward me, so the hawks do not fill up much of the frame.

Perhaps when the weather is warmer, there will be more prey for the hawks, thereby giving me more chances to get good shots. At a minimum, I’ll have more hours of daylight in which to make my attempts.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

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Heron in flight

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged Ardea herodias, birds in flight, Canon 55-250mm zoom lens, Canon Rebel XT, Great Blue Heron, heron, Huntley Meadows Park on March 10, 2013| 6 Comments »

I was staring intently at some ducks in a secluded area of the marsh, when suddenly my eyes caught sight of movement in one of the trees overlooking the pond. The next think I knew a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias), who had apparently been perched on the tree, was flying through the air.

This is the best of the shots that I was able to take. Most of the times that I have attempted a similar shot in the past, the white in the face has been totally blown out. I still need to work on getting a better exposure, but feel like I am making progress. Now if I can just find a cooperative heron.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

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