Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge’

Rainbow grasshopper

Posted in Autumn, Insects, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on September 29, 2023| 12 Comments »

On Wednesday at Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge I was thrilled to spot this rainbow-colored Handsome Meadow Katydid (Orchelimum pulchellum), which is probably my favorite insect. In addition to its multiple colors, I love its striking blue eyes and long antennae.

My title is a little misleading, because technically there are some differences between grasshoppers and katydids. One of the most visible differences is the length of the antennae—a katydid’s antennae are longer than the length of its body, while a grasshopper’s tend to be shorter. In the first photo, I cut off one of the antennae a bit when I cropped the photo, but if you look closely you can see that the antenna runs all the way to the left edge of the photo.

Shortly after I took the first photo, the katydid became aware of my presence and tried to hide from me. She stretched out her legs, which really elongated her body, and she was almost successful in concealing herself behind the stalk of grass.

How do I know that the katydid is a female? If you look closely at the tail end of the katydid in the first photo, you can see a red scimitar-shaped appendage. That is the ovipositor that the katydid uses to make a slit in vegetation in which to deposit her eggs.

Handsome Meadow Katydid

Handsome Meadow Katydid

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

Read Full Post »

Autumn Monarchs

Posted in Autumn, Butterflies, Insects, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on September 28, 2023| 4 Comments »

At this time of the year, many of the butterflies that I see are showing the ravages of a long summer season. That, however, was not the case with several Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) that I spotted last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge that appeared to be in perfect condition.

Perhaps these are newly emerged Monarchs that are now preparing for a long migration flight to warmer locations.

Monarch

Monarch

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

Last Needham’s Skimmer?

Posted in Autumn, Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged , , , , , on September 27, 2023| 2 Comments »

The weather this past week has been cool, cloudy, and rainy, with high temperatures struggling to reach 65 degrees (18 degrees C). I fear that many dragonflies will not survive and so I celebrate each sighting of a dragonfly species, conscious that it could be the last one that I see this season.

Last Thursday I spotted this Needham’s Skimmer dragonfly (Libellula needhami) while I was visiting Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Its wings are tattered and its colors have faded, but it was still active.

Autumn often makes me pensive and I become more aware of the passage of time. Our lives are just as fragile and limited as those of the beautiful little insects that I am so fond of photographing. May we all find beauty, meaning, and love as we live our lives.

Needham's Skimmer

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

Red-footed Cannibalfly in September

Posted in Autumn, Insects, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on September 26, 2023| 9 Comments »

Can you identify this insect? At first glance it looks a little bit like a dragonfly, but if you look more closely you may notice that the wings and eyes are different from those of a dragonfly and this insect’s body is a lot hairier. This is a robber fly and I am pretty sure that it is a variety known as a Red-footed Cannibalfly (Promachus rufipes). Yikes!

Red-footed Cannibalflies are one of the coolest and creepiest insects that you can encounter in the wild. As their macabre moniker suggests, Red-footed cannibalflies usually feed on other insects, but they reportedly are capable of taking down a hummingbird. Thankfully I have never seen that happen, since I really like hummingbirds, but several years ago I did photograph a Red-footed Cannibalfly with a large Hummingbird Moth that it had captured (see my 2017 posting Demise of a hummingbird moth).

A posting that I did in 2013 entitled “Red-footed Cannibalfly” amazingly has been one of my most popular postings ever, with almost 3300 views to date. Apparently more people search for information about Red-footed Cannibalflies that I would have anticipated.

I captured this image last Thursday as I was exploring some of the trails at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Northern Virginia.

Red-footed Cannibalfly

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

Perching Black Saddlebags dragonfly

Posted in Autumn, Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on September 25, 2023| Leave a Comment »

I was happy last Thursday when a Black Saddlebags dragonfly (Tramea lacerata) that I had been tracking overhead at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge perched for a moment, allowing me to capture this first image.  While it was flying, I attempted multiple times to get a shot of it, with minimal success. The second photo is my best one.

Some dragonflies spend a lot of their time perched, but Black Saddlebags are one of the species that spends most of its time in the air, so it is rewarding to be able to see one land and to get a shot of it. Black Saddlebags are also one of the few dragonfly species that are migrate although, according to the Dragonflies of Northern Virginia website, scientists do not fully understand why they do so and have been studying their migratory patterns.

Black Saddlebags

Black Saddlebags

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

Lesser Yellowlegs

Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on September 24, 2023| 1 Comment »

I almost always have trouble identifying shore birds, especially the different kinds of sandpipers. On Thursday, I spotted a single sandpiper-like bird in the shallow water of a pond at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Initially I thought it might be a Solitary Sandpiper, but when I got a good look at its legs, I leaned towards calling it a Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)—Solitary Sandpipers have greenish legs.

It was fascinating to watch the little bird move through the water, carefully raising its feet. On land, it seemed to prance a bit. In the final photo, the bird was flexing its wings as part of its grooming routine and seemed to be keeping an eye on me.

Lesser Yellowlegs

Lesser Yellowlegs

Lesser Yellowlegs

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

Brown Thrasher

Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on September 23, 2023| 4 Comments »

When I stepped out of my car on Thursday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, I notice a bird pecking about in the grass at the edge of the parking lot.The lenght of its tail made me think of a Northern Mockingbird, but the coloration was more sparrow-like. As I tracked the bird in my camera’s viewfinder, the bird lifted its head and I caught a glimpse of its bright yellow eye and realized that it was a Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum), a species that I have seen only a few times before.

I really like the basic description of the species on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website—”It can be tricky to glimpse a Brown Thrasher in a tangled mass of shrubbery, and once you do you may wonder how such a boldly patterned, gangly bird could stay so hidden. Brown Thrashers wear a somewhat severe expression thanks to their heavy, slightly downcurved bill and staring yellow eyes, and they are the only thrasher species east of Texas. Brown Thrashers are exuberant singers, with one of the largest repertoires of any North American songbird.”

Brown Thrasher

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

Read Full Post »

Blue Grosbeak

Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged , , , , , on September 22, 2023| 8 Comments »

I was not able to get close to this Blue Grosbeak (Passerina caerulea) on Monday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, but was thrilled to get a shot that was good enough for me to identify the bird. As far as I know, this is the first time that I have photographed a Blue Grosbeak.

When I first spotted this bird, I thought that it was probably an Indigo Bunting.  When I got home and looked more closely at the images, however, I noticed the reddish wing bars that are not found on an Indigo Bunting, so I scoured my bird identification book until I came across the Blue Grosbeak.

These two shots illustrate well the dilemma I have in photographing small birds at this time of the year. Many of them like to perch high in the trees and the leaves often hide them from view. When I hear a bird singing, I try to locate it, but am usually unsuccessful in doing so unless the bird moves. In a month or so, many of the leaves will be gone, but so will many of the birds that are now passing through our area.

Blue Grosbeak

Blue Grosbeak

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

Read Full Post »

Wild turkeys in the brush

Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on September 21, 2023| 1 Comment »

On Monday I spotted these two Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge as they climbed a small hill through some tall grass. They kept disappearing from view, but occasionally their heads would pop up and I was able to capture a few shots of them.

The bodies of the turkeys are partially hidden by the vegetation, but I really like the way that I was able to capture a sense of the habitat in which I saw the turkeys. Normally I spot turkeys in the open on the trails at this wildlife refuge, so it was cool to see them traveling “off-road.”

Wild Turkeys

Wild Turkeys

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

More Monarchs in September

Posted in Autumn, Butterflies, Insects, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on September 20, 2023| 1 Comment »

On Monday I was thrilled to spot multiple Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) during a visit to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The first shot is the typical kind of shot that I usually try to take, but I really like the third image that I captured of a distant Monarch butterfly in a field of flowers—so many flowers, so little time.

Monarch butterfly

Monarch butterfly

Monarch butterfly

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

Damsels in distress

Posted in Arachnids, Autumn, damselfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, spiders, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , on September 18, 2023| 3 Comments »

As we move deeper into September I have been seeing more and more Black and Yellow Garden Orbweaver spiders (Argiope aurantia). These spiders are impressively large and have prominent webs with a distinctive zigzag pattern near the center.

During recent visits to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, I have seen multiple Big Bluet damselflies (Enallagma durum) that have gotten caught up in the webs of the Argiope spiders. In the first photo the spider is moving in on two damselflies. After immobilizing the prey, the spider will often wrap it in web material, as you can see in the second image.

The final shot shows a hapless damselfly entangled at the edge of a web. I observed the damselfly for a few moments to see if I could detect any signs of movement, with thoughts that I might be able to free it. However, I did not see any movement and suspect that I had arrived too late to rescue this damsel in distress.

Some viewers may object to these kind of graphic images, but for me it is part of the “circle of life” in nature—all creatures have to eat to survive. As I have observed numerous times, today’s predator may well become tomorrow’s prey.

damselfly

damselfly

damselfly

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

 

 

Read Full Post »

Dragonflies in September

Posted in Autumn, Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 17, 2023| 10 Comments »

In many of my blog postings, I concentrate on a single species of dragonflies, but today I want to celebrate the diversity of species that I have been seeing during the month of September. Despite my warnings in some earlier postings about the decreasing numbers of dragonflies, I continue to see a variety of species—Northern Virginia, where I live, is blessed to have an abundance of different dragonflies and damselflies.

The first photo shows a female Eastern Amberwing (Perithemis tenera), the smallest dragonfly in our area.  Males of this species hang out at ponds, but the females, which do not have amber wings like the males, are usually found in vegetation some distance from the water.

The second image shows a male Calico Pennant (Celithemis elisa), a beautifully colored dragonfly with distinctive patterns on its wings. The third image shows a mature female Needham’s Skimmer (Libellula needhami). Her wings show some damage and her color has fades, but she is still beautiful and the golden strands on the front edges of her wings were sparkling in the sunlight when I captured this image.

The fourth image shows a female Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis), one of the most common dragonfly species in my area. I love the brilliant emerald color of the females (and immature males) of this species and the black markings on the abdomen.

The dragonfly in the last photo was the toughest one for me to identify. It had flown up into a tree and I was looking into the sun when I captured the image. However, I am pretty sure that it is a female Great Blue Skimmer (Libellula vibrans).

All of these dragonflies belong to the Skimmer family, the largest dragonfly family that includes the species most likely to be seen by a casual dragonfly watcher. The other families, which are generally harder to find, include Clubtails, Cruisers, Darners, Emeralds, Petaltails, and Spiketails. If I remember correctly, I have managed this season to photograph at least one dragonfly in all seven of these dragonfly families.

Eastern Amberwing

Calico Pennant

Needham's Skimmer

Eastern Pondhawk

Great Blue Skimmer

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

 

 

Read Full Post »

Dragonflies in the air

Posted in Autumn, Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on September 16, 2023| 2 Comments »

Dragonflies were flying overhead at several locations at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge on Thursday, including a Common Green Darner (Anax junius), multiple Black Saddlebags (Tramea lacerata), and at least one Wandering Glider (Pantala flavescens). The Wandering Glider, alas, was elusive and I could not get an in-flight shot of it, but I did manage to get a shot of a Common Green Darner (1st photo) and a Black Saddlebags (2nd photo).

All three of these dragonfly species are migratory species. Migrating dragonflies will often fly in mixed swarms that are large enough that they are sometimes picked up by weather radars. For more details about this phenomenon, check out this September 2019 article in the Washington Post entitled “Weather radar is picking up swarms of dragonflies from the Midwest to the Mid-Atlantic.”

Common Green Darner

Black Saddlebags

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

Heron at water’s edge

Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged , , , , , on September 16, 2023| 2 Comments »

On Thursday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge I captured this image of a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) at water’s edge. Heron’s are quite large and normally are easy to spot.

However, as I was approaching this area, this Great Blue Heron was initially hidden from view by the metal posts sticking out of the water, as you can see in the second photo. Fortunately the heron’s head was turned to the side and it was the bird’s large bill that gave away its presence. I had to walk farther down the trail and look back to get the viewing angle for the first photo in which the heron is somewhat separated from the posts and is more visible.

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

Read Full Post »

Autumn Vibes

Posted in Autumn, Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on September 15, 2023| 1 Comment »

For those of us in the northern hemisphere who use the astronomical calendar, tomorrow (23 September) marks the beginning of the autumn season. In so many of the photos that I have taken during the past few weeks, I have noted signs of the changing seasons.

The warm orange tones in this shot of a female Needham’s Skimmer dragonfly (Libellula needhami) remind me of pumpkins and autumn leaves. The fading flowers in the photo of a male Common Whitetail dragonfly (Plathemis lydia) remind us that the growing season is coming to an end. The dryness of the stalk on which the Slaty Skimmer (Libellula incesta) dragonfly perch brings to mind the droughts and extreme weather that many have experience during this summer.

Embrace the new season and the opportunities is provides, whether it be autumn in the northern hemisphere or spring for those in the southern hemisphere.

Needham's Skimmer

Common Whitetail

Slaty Skimmer

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

Read Full Post »

White-banded Crab Spider

Posted in Arachnids, Autumn, Flowers, Nature, Photography, spiders, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on September 14, 2023| 10 Comments »

On Monday I captured this shot of a small white spider—I think it may be a White-banded Crab Spider (Misumenoides formosipes)—at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. I really like the way that the coloration of the tips of the spider’s leg are an almost perfect match for the spiky thorns of the vegetation. In the second photo, the spider looks a lot like a crab in the way that it is shaped and was moving—it’s easy to see why it is called a “crab” spider.

White-banded Crab Spider

White-banded Crab Spider

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

Wild Turkey Wingspan

Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on September 11, 2023| Leave a Comment »

As I was observing some Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) last Thursday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, one of them suddenly decided to stretch a bit and flapped his wings. In the past I have seen a turkey extend its wings like this only when running away from me. In this case, though, the turkey went back to pecking on the ground and either was not aware of my presence or was simply not bothered by it.

Perhaps he was just trying to cool off on what was a really hot, humid day.

Wild Turkey

 

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

Monarch in September

Posted in Butterflies, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , on September 10, 2023| 4 Comments »

Certain creatures, like Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus), never fail to thrill my heart when I encounter them. I remember dire warnings from my youth of their threatened extension and I consider it a real blessing that they are still around. The Bald Eagle population has really rebounded, but it is my understanding that the survival of Monarchs is still at risk as a result of the loss of Monarch breeding habitats.

I did not see any Bald Eagles during my visit to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge this past Thursday, but I was excited to spot this stunning Monarch butterfly. Its colors were bright and vibrant and it seemed to be in perfect condition. I suspect that this butterfly was preparing itself for its upcoming migration flight. According to an article by the National Wildlife Federation, “Beginning in late summer and continuing into early fall, monarchs that emerge from their chrysalides will be behaviorally and biologically different from generations that emerged earlier this year. Unlike their parents and grandparents, these late-season monarchs do not mate or lay eggs. Instead, the insects focus on feeding to fatten up for long migrations to their winter habitats: coastal California for monarchs west of the Rocky Mountains and central Mexico for those to the east.”

The Monarch butterfly was so focused on feeding that it did not fly away as I maneuvered into position to capture this image. I even had the luxury of attempting shots from several angles as the butterfly moved about from flower to flower.

Monarch butterfly

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

Late Season Black Swallowtail

Posted in Butterflies, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on September 6, 2023| 4 Comments »

I am happy that I continue to see quite a few butterflies during my visits to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Summer is definitely not over yet—today’s high temperature is forecast to be 97 degrees (36 degrees C) with a heat index well above 1oo degrees (38 degrees C)—but increasingly I am seeing signs that the seasons are starting to change.

I spotted this Black Swallowtail butterfly (Papilio polyxenes) recently as it fed upon some kind of leafy plant. The butterfly’s “tails” were fully intact, but there seemed to be a little damage to its wings and the wings seemed to be strangely separated from its body in the first photo. I am not sure if this is normal or not.

I am trying to decide if I will venture out into the heat today, seeking some of the late season dragonflies, like the Blue-faced Meadowhawk and the Fine-lined Emerald, that emerge onto the scene in early September. If I do go out, I will be sure to bring lots of water and will stay in the shade as much as I can.

Black Swallowtail

Black Swallowtail

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

Carolina Saddlebags finally perched

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on September 2, 2023| 1 Comment »

I do not see Carolina Saddlebags dragonflies (Tramea carolina) very often and when I am lucky enough to spot one, it is usually in flight. According to the Dragonflies of Northern Virginia website, “Carolina Saddlebags appear to stick to shallow, thickly vegetated ponds and marshlands,” which is a pretty good description of the place where I spotted this one last Saturday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The same website described the Carolina Saddlebag’s flight tendencies as “Strong flier, often high, rarely perches.”

I had been watching several Calico Pennant dragonflies, another species that is red and has patterned wings, as they flew around over the pond when suddenly a somewhat larger red dragonfly flew into view—Calico Pennants are approximately 1.3 inches (33 mm) in length, while Carolina Saddlebags are 2.0 inches (51 mm). I visually tracked the Carolina Saddlebags and was able to follow it as it perched high on a stalk of vegetation in an adjacent field.

I moved slowly and stealthily, but did not have room for maneuver to compose a few shots. The lighting was best when from the angle at which I captured the first shot and you can see some of the details and markings on the dragonfly’s body. In the second image, you get a better look at the “saddlebags,” the reddish-brown patches on the rear wings, but most of the body is silhouetted.

For the third shot, I changed the height of my shooting angle to make the background a bit more interesting than the sky. The blurry greenish background in the image was some distant trees. As you may have noticed, the dragonfly’s position in the second and third images is almost the same

Carolina Sadddlebags

Carolina Sadddlebags

Carolina Sadddlebags

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

Dragonfly Pole Vaulter

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , , on August 29, 2023| 7 Comments »

Calico Pennant dragonflies (Celithemis elisa) often remind me of pole vaulters. They hold on to a long, narrow “pole” at the very end and flex it, as though they were trying to propel themselves over a bar. I spotted this handsome male Calico Pennant last Saturday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, one of the few local spots where I encounter this spectacular species.

This will probably be my last blog posting this week. I will be driving from Virginia to Massachusetts later today to deal with some family issues and will return home this coming weekend, when I hope to resume my habit of posting nature and wildlife photos almost daily.

Calico Pennant

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

Read Full Post »

Male Widow Skimmer in late August

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on August 28, 2023| 6 Comments »

I spotted this handsome male Widow Skimmer dragonfly (Libellula luctuosa) this past Saturday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Only the males of this species have white patches on their wings—the females have only the dark patches.

The Latin name for this species includes the word “luctuosa,” which means “sorrowful” or “mournful.” Apparently someone thought that the dark patches on the wings of dragonflies of this species looked like the kind of mourning crepe veils that traditionally widows were supposed to wear up to four years to show their grief.

I think that I have been reading too many warnings about people taking advantage of older people, because the name “Widow Skimmer” initially conjured up visions of young gigolos chasing after rich old ladies in Florida who have lost their husbands.

Widow Skimmer

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

Halloween Pennant on gamagrass

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , , on August 26, 2023| 2 Comments »

Last Monday I spotted this striking female Halloween Pennant dragonfly (Celithemis eponina) perched high in the eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides) at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. It was somewhat unusual for me to have a chance to photograph a dragonfly above eye level and I did my best to isolate the subject against the pale blue sky.

I really like the minimalism of this composition.  The color and texture of the gamagrass add some visual interest to the image without distracting the viewer from the primary subject.

Halloween Pennant

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly

Posted in Butterflies, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on August 25, 2023| 4 Comments »

I was excited to spot this beautiful Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly (Papilio glaucus) on Monday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Most years I spot lots of these butterflies, but for some reason I have not seen one in quite some time this summer.

I love the beautiful coloration of this Eastern Tiger Swallowtail and believe that it is a female. Males of this species are almost exclusively yellow and black, while females are more vividly colored, with strongly pronounced cells of orange and a greater degree of iridescent blue on the lower wings.

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

Which photo is best?

Posted in Art, Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , on August 24, 2023| 9 Comments »

When I am writing a blog posting with multiple photos, I will usually lead with the “best” photo. Most of the time I have a clear favorite image, but today I struggled a bit in trying to decide which image of a Calico Pennant (Celithemis elisa) was the “best” one. I was delighted on Monday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge to have multiple opportunities to photograph male Calico Pennants, which are among the most striking dragonflies that I encounter, thanks to their bold coloration and wonderfully patterned wings.

From a technical perspective, the first image could be considered the “best.” The background is pleasantly blurred and virtually all of the dragonfly’s features are in sharp focus. Graphically this image stands out, even when viewed as a thumbnail on a cell phone.

The background in the second image is considerably more cluttered than in the first image. However, I think the color contrast between the bright red of the dragonfly and the pinkish-purple colors in the background makes it easy to see the primary subject. The vegetation helps to provide the viewer with a sense of the environment in which I photographed the dragonfly.

The third image was the most challenging to capture. Several Calico Pennants were flying around over the waters of a pond and I was thrilled to capture this in-flight shot, my first such photo of this species. Most of the other dragonflies that I have photographed as they were flying were considerably larger—a Calico Pennant is only about 1.3 inches (33 mm) in length—and it took a lot of persistence and concentration to get this shot.

The final shot was a lucky one. I was focused on the perched dragonfly and reacted quickly when it took off. From an artistic perspective, I really like this image. The mottled colors of the pond works well as a backdrop for the action and the contrast between the muddy brown and the bright red of the dragonfly makes the subject “pop.” I love the texture of the branch and the branch helps to lead the viewer’s eyes to the dragonfly. Finally, the dragonfly’s wing patterns are displayed beautifully as I managed to capture a moment when they were fully extended.

I don’t know if it is possible for me to state definitively which one of these images is the “best”—I like each of them for different reasons. Is there one that stands out to you more than the others? I’d welcome your views on this question.

Calico Pennant

Calico Pennant

Calico Pennant

Calico Pennant

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

Black Vultures

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on August 23, 2023| 7 Comments »

The gloomy feel of this photo seems perfect for these two Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus) that I spotted in a dead tree on Monday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Many people find vultures to be creepy, probably because they feed on the carcasses of dead animals. I remember too watching cowboy movies when I was growing up in which vultures would be circling overhead, waiting for people to die in the desert wastelands.

There were lots of vultures circling overhead on Monday and in situations like that, I jokingly tell people that I try to move about a lot, lest the vultures mistake me for a potential meal.  In my area, we have both turkey vultures and black vultures. They are pretty easy to tell apart, because turkey vultures have very distinctive red heads and black vultures have black heads. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, “Whereas Turkey Vultures are lanky birds with teetering flight, Black Vultures are compact birds with broad wings, short tails, and powerful wingbeats. The two species often associate: the Black Vulture makes up for its poor sense of smell by following Turkey Vultures to carcasses.”

The light was coming mostly from behind the two birds, which created the silhouette-like effect that you see in the image below. I lightened the shadows a little, but I like the starkness of the almost monochromatic view of these birds in which most of their details are suggested, but hidden. I think it works well with the simple structure of the branches of the dead tree. Unlike most of my images that concentrate on detailed views of my subjects, this image is more about mood and shapes.

Black Vultures

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

Read Full Post »

Big Bluet damselfly

Posted in damselfly, Insects, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on August 22, 2023| 8 Comments »

Yesterday it was hot and humid and there was an air quality alert because of smoke from the Canadian wildfires. I was therefore not too surprised when I pulled into the parking lot at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge to see that I was the only car there. As I have mentioned previously, I prefer to enjoy nature alone whenever possible, so I was quite pleased that I had the refuge to myself.

It was about midday, so I knew that the birds would not be very active—they tend to be more active in the early morning and later afternoon—but I knew that many insects prefer the warmest periods of the day. I saw quite a few Big Bluet damselflies (Enallagma durum) in the vegetation near the water. As its name suggests, this damselfly is quite large—up to 1.7 inches (43 mm)—and is primarily a coastal species.

This was my favorite shot of the day of a Big Bluet. I like the overall cool tones of the image and the way that the vegetation fades into background, allowing the viewer to focus on the wonderful details of this beautiful Big Bluet.

Big Bluet

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

Read Full Post »

Slaty Skimmers

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , on August 16, 2023| 2 Comments »

One of the most common dragonflies that I see at this time of the year is the Slaty Skimmer (Libellula incesta). Male Slaty Skimmers have dark bodies and dark eyes and are pretty easy to identify. Slaty Skimmers tend to perch on bare stalks and one of my challenges in photographing them is to try to frame my shots so that the background is interesting.

Here are three images in which I tried to use a bit of my creativity in the way that I composed the shots by including some of the vegetation, as in the first and second shots, or by focusing on lines and angles, as in the final photo.

I am making another trip this week to Massachusetts and Maine to deal with some family issues, so this may be my last blog post of the week. I am planning to return on Saturday, so perhaps there will be a new posting on Sunday morning.

Slaty Skimmer

Slaty Skimmer

Slaty Skimmer

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

 

Read Full Post »

Juvenile Ospreys

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on August 10, 2023| 1 Comment »

Two juvenile Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) appear to almost grown up, but I believe they are still dependent on their parents to feed them. They made protracted cries of what appeared to be “Feed me” when they spotted an adult osprey flying in the distance last Saturday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

Sometimes their movements seemed synchronized, as in the first photo, but at other times they expressed themselves in individual ways. In the second photo, you may notice that the two ospreys have speckled feathers and orange eyes, two signs that they are not yet adults, which have dark feathers and yellow eyes.

Osprey

Osprey

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

Male Needham’s Skimmer dragonfly

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on August 8, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Last Saturday morning at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge I was delighted to spot this male Needham’s Skimmer (Libellula needhami), one of the most brightly colored dragonflies in our area. In addition to its beautiful reddish-orange color, this dragonfly has stunning gold accents on the front edges of each of its wings.

Needham's Skimmer

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

Skipper and Milkweed

Posted in Butterflies, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on August 7, 2023| 1 Comment »

The milkweed flowers were just beginning to open, but this Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus) was already attracted to it. I spotted this butterfly, one of the only skipper butterflies that I can reliably identify, on Saturday during a short visit to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Usually I avoid visiting locations like this on the weekend, because they tend to be too crowded for my taste—I am a little selfish when it comes to sharing my wildlife experience with others and generally prefer a solitary pursuit.

Some other local photographers have already spotted some warblers, so I had my long 150-600mm lens on my camera when I encountered this butterfly. I am pretty happy with the amount of detail that I was able to capture with the lens fully extended—this lens has a reputation of being quite soft at the long end, but that has not generally been my experience.

Silver-spotted Skipper

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »