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Posts Tagged ‘Tamron 150-600mm’

Heron wingspan

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , , on January 8, 2026| 2 Comments »

Some birds cooperate when I try to photograph them by posing, but often they fly away as soon as they detect my presence. Most often that results in a butt shot, which is not exactly the most flattering view of a bird (or a person for that matter).

Sometimes though, I get lucky and get an interesting shot of the bird as it is moving out of view.  This past Monday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, I captured some shots of a departing Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) that really showcased its impressively wide wingspan. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the wingspans of Great Blue Herons are about 5.5-6.6 feet (1.7-2.0 meters), an amazing size for a bird that weighs only about 5 pounds (2.3 kg).

I was zoomed in with my telephoto lens when the heron took off unexpectedly. As you can see in the first photo, I reacted a bit too slowly and was not quite ready when the heron extended its wings and jumped out of the water. The second shot shows the heron’s fully extended wings as it flew low over the pond before gaining some altitude (an I managed to capture the full wingspan). In the final shot, you can finally get a glimpse of the heron’s head and it has lifted its legs up against its body into more aerodynamic flight position. Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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First birds of 2026

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , , on January 7, 2026| 5 Comments »

I photographed this little Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) and this spherical Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) yesterday during a lengthy trek through Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The weather yesterday was cold and overcast, which mean that the conditions were less than ideal, but I was feeling a bit of cabin fever and was happy to be outdoors for my first photo trek of the new year.

I could hear a lot of birds singing in the trees and rustling about in the underbrush, but did not get very many clear views of them. Still, I was happy with the results that I achieved. I snapped off the first photo when the wren momentarily hopped up from the leaves in which it had been foraging and looked in my direction.

The sparrow in the second photo was a bit more in the open, but its head was most often turned away from me. I really like the way that the bird’s markings were an almost perfect match for the colors and the patterns in the background.

It felt good to be out with my camera and to experience the tranquility of nature that so often soothes my soul.

Carolina Wren

Song Sparrow

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Happy New Year 2026

Posted in Birds, cross stitch, Nature, Photography, Winter, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on January 2, 2026| 15 Comments »

It’s hard to believe that a new year has already started. Where did 2025 go? I had to really pay attention when I wrote the date on my first check of 2026 this morning—yes, I still write a few paper checks each month, though I am moving increasingly to paying most of my bills on line.

For a variety of reasons, I kind of backed off from photography a bit this past year. According to the stats portion of WordPress, I published 196 posts in 2025 for a total of over 34 thousand words. That may seem like a lot, but over the lifetime of this blog, I’ve probably averaged about 400 postings a year, with a high of 653 posts with a total of just under 100 thousand words in 2014. In case you are a stats nerd, my lifetime totals since my start in 2012 are 5502 postings with a total of 581988 views.

Strangely enough, the number of views in 2025 was an all-time high of over 89 thousand. Why? I think that the addition of an AI summary to Google searches may have brought forward a number of my posts to a broader audience and a sharp increase in the number of viewers from China (over 12 thousand views in 2025) may reflect the activity of bots or some other web tools.

I haven’t given up on wildlife photography, but during the second half of 2025 I averaged going out with my camera only about once a week. In late December I captured this image of a Cedar Waxwing bird (Bombycilla cedrorum) that was most hidden in the shadows. I was thrilled to be able to capture the distinctive crest of this really cool bird.

During this past year I have rediscovered my love of counted cross stitch and have devoted a substantial amount of my “extra” time to stitching. It’s a strange mix of hobbies to have one that is active and outdoors and another that is mostly sedentary. The second photo shows a recently completed project called Festive Cardinal, designed  by Max Pigeon of Pigeon Coop Designs. I showed this project a while back when it was almost completed, but thought it would be fun to show it again in its finished form, because it shows the way that my photography interests and cross stitch interests overlap in terms of subject matter.

So what will 2026 hold for me? I really don’t do new year’s resolutions and am not much for planning—I came across a joke yesterday that new year’s resolutions are things that go in one year and out the other. Sorry. I’m hoping that I’ll achieve a better balance between these two primary hobbies, but I may go off on tangents with watercolor painting, knitting, or even sewing—maybe I’ll finally learn to use the sewing machine that a friend gave to me. I guess that the one thing that ties all of these interests together is a sense of wonder and curiosity and a desire to tap into a sense of creativity that was mostly suppressed during my working career.

Best wishes for a happy and healthy new year. Technically I am also wishing those of you who celebrate Christmas a Merry Christmas, because today is only the ninth day of Christmas (on which the well-known song indicates that my true love gave me nine ladies dancing).

Cedar Waxwing

Festive Cardinal

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Yellow-rumped Warbler in December

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , on December 29, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Many different warblers pass through my area during the spring and the autumn, but the Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata) is one of the few species that remains here for most of the winter. Their colors are pretty subdued during the winter season, but they do have small patches of bright yellow on their sides and on their rump. It is always a delight to spot their flashes of yellow as they forage in the trees.

I captured this shot of a Yellow-rumped Warbler in mid-December as it was peeking out from behind a tree at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

Yellow-rumped Warbler

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Red-bellied Woodpecker in December

Posted in Art, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , , on December 27, 2025| 8 Comments »

When I am out in the wild with my camera, most of my senses are fully engaged. I am listening intently and scanning constantly, seeking audio or visual clues of the presence of potential subjects. During much of the year, sounds don’t help much, because the leaves on the trees hide the sources of the sounds. I marvel at the ability of some folks to identify birds by their calls, but I can do that with only a handful of species. So most of the time I rely on movement and to a lesser extent on color for me to acquire a target—if a bird (or insect) remains still, it often will remain invisible to me.

Last week when I was walking about at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, I heard the gentle tapping sounds of a woodpecker. I looked in the general direction of the sounds and saw a distant snag, but did not see the woodpecker. Did I have the right tree identified? As I was focusing on the tree, a Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) poked its head out from behind the tree and I quickly snapped off a couple of photos before the bird disappeared again from view.

The woodpecker was pretty far away, even for my telephoto zoom lens, so I knew that I did not get the kind of close-up detailed image that I usually like to capture. However, when I was reviewing the photos on my computer, I found myself drawn to this profile shot of the woodpecker, surrounded by the wonderful texture of the lichen-covered bark of the tree. The image has a bit of an artsy, minimalist feel that I really like.

Red-bellied Woodpecker

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Last eagles of 2025?

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , on December 26, 2025| 4 Comments »

When the leaves are gone from the trees, it’s a little easier to spot perched Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), like this one that I photographed last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. I am blessed to live in an area where there are enough bald eagles that it is not uncommon for me to spot one. However, the eagles have much more developed senses that I do, so often my first indication of their presence is when they are flying away from me, as you can see in the first photo below.

In the case of the second photo, there was a good deal of vegetation between me and the eagle that partially hid my presence. I was able to manually focus my lens on the perched eagle through the vegetation and get a relatively clear shot of the eagle, which took off almost immediately after I had snapped a couple of photos.

I am not certain if I will be able to get out with my camera during the few remaining days of 2025, so these photos may well be my last shots of the year of these majestic birds.

Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Robin bath

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , , on December 24, 2025| 3 Comments »

Last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge I spotted a small group of American Robins (Turdus migratorius) clustered around a large puddle. Some of the birds took their turns drinking from the puddle, while others took advantage of the opportunity to take a bath. Some of the birds merely flapped about a bit in the water, but the robin in the photo below seemed to enjoy soaking in the cold water.

American Robin

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Winter snack

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , on December 22, 2025| 2 Comments »

Some birds, like Great Egrets and Green Herons, leave our area during the cold months to overwinter in warmer places. Great Blue Herons, however, remain with us throughout the year. I imagine that it is tough for them  to find food, especially when the small ponds where I often spot them are frozen over.

I was happy last week to spot this Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. There was ice on parts of the pond where the heron was standing, but there were still some open areas. I watched as the heron patiently scanned the water for potential prey and captured this shot as the heron was pulling a small fish out of the water.

It’s a really small fish and I encourage you to click on the image to enlarge it and get a better look at the fish. For the heron, the fish is probably only an appetizer, but at this time of year, food is scarce, so even tiny bits are undoubtedly welcome.

Great Blue Heron

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Field Sparrow

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , on December 20, 2025| 6 Comments »

I was thrilled on 18 December to capture this shot of a beautiful little Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla) during a visit to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. I initially heard this bird as it was foraging in the underbrush and was searching for it when it unexpectedly hopped up onto a fallen branch. The little sparrow posed momentarily for me and I was able to capture this cool little portrait of it. Even though the background is pretty cluttered, the sparrow really stands out in the shot.

When I took the photo, I was not able to identify the sparrow species. However, the rust colored crown, orange-pink bill, and white eye ring as quite distinctive, so I was able to find the Field Sparrow in my identification guide. Still I was not absolutely certain of my identification, so I posted a photo to a Facebook birding group and several experts there confirmed that it was indeed a Field Sparrow.

Field Sparrow

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Carolina Chickadee in December

Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , on December 9, 2025| 7 Comments »

During the wintertime, when the leaves are gone from the trees, I have a better chance of spotting tiny birds, like this Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) that I photographed last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. It was sunny but cold when I photographed the chickadee. Like most birds that I encounter during the winter months, this chickadee looked almost round, having fluffed up its feathers in order to retain its body heat. I have the same body shape when I bundle up in my cold weather clothes and increasingly even without them.

Carolina Chickadee

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Dragonfly in December

Posted in Autumn, Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , , on December 5, 2025| 7 Comments »

I was delighted to spot this Autumn Meadowhawk dragonfly (Sympetrum vicinum) on Wednesday, 3 December, at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Despite our recent cold nights, many of which have dipped below the freezing level, this hardy dragonfly managed to survive.

It is snowing out right this moment, so I am not sure how much longer I will be seeing these beautiful little creatures, but I’ll almost certainly be out with my camera next week to see what I can find.

Autumn Meadowhawk

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Thanksgiving 2025

Posted in Birds, Inspiration, Nature, Photography, Thanksgiving, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , , on November 27, 2025| 4 Comments »

Happy Thanksgiving to all those celebrating this American holiday. Whether we are soaring high or resting at water’s edge, like this Bald Eagle couple (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), we are all blessed.

The Scriptures tell us we should “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances.” A recent sermon reminded me that we are called to give thanks “in” all circumstances, even when it may not be possible to feel thankful “for” all of them. It’s a matter of having what some have called an “attitude of gratitude.”

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Last dragonflies of the year?

Posted in Autumn, Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on November 25, 2025| Leave a Comment »

I haven’t yet checked this week, but these Autumn Meadowhawk dragonflies (Sympetrum vicinum) that I spotted on 17 November at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge are likely to be among the last dragonflies that I see this season.

Autumn Meadowhawks frequently perch flat on the ground or on dried leaves on the ground. I was delighted when a male Autumn Meadowhawk perched almost vertically on a colorful fallen leaf and I was able to capture the first image below. By contrast, the female in the second photo chose a less interesting drab leaf on which to perch.

I’ll try to go out later this week to see if I can find some late season survivors, but it is becoming clear to me that this year’s dragonfly season is nearly over.

Autumn Meadowhawk

Autumn Meadowhawk

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Eastern Bluebirds in November

Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on November 19, 2025| 5 Comments »

As I was walking along the trails at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge on Monday, I spotted a small flock of birds foraging high in the trees. When I zoomed in with my telephoto lens, I was delighted to see that they were Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis). It may be a bit trite and a bit of a cliché, but I really do love bluebirds—they make me happy.

As you can see from the photos, Eastern Bluebirds have a substantial amount of orange plumage in addition to their blue feathers. Years ago, one of my youngest viewers, Benjamin, suggested that they should be known as Orange Bluebirds and I chuckle as I remember that comment every time that I spot a bluebird.

It was a bit of a challenge capturing shots of these hyperactive little birds as they moved about in the colorful foliage, but I managed to get a few relatively decent shots. Ideally I would have liked for the bluebirds to have been at eye level, but I try to do my best with the conditions that I am given. That is the typical fate of a wildlife photographer.

Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Bluebird

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Chickadee and sweetgum

Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , , on November 18, 2025| 10 Comments »

As we approach winter, birds in the wild have to work hard to find food. Yesterday I photographed this tiny Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, my local wildlife refuge as it worked to extract seeds from the spiky seed pods of a sweetgum tree.

Now that most of the insects are gone for the season, I have switched lenses on my camera. Although I usually have some additional lenses in my backpack when I am on my little photography expeditions, I generally tend to stick with the lens that is on my camera, During warmer months that tends to be a Tamron 18-400mm lens that has the flexibility to get wide angle shots in addition to close-up shots of insects, particularly dragonflies.

During the cold months, I use my Tamron 150-600mm lens, a longer telephoto zoom lens that gives me greater reach. This lens is quite heavy to hold for extended periods of time, so I normally use it with a monopod, as I was doing yesterday, to give me greater stability and hopefully sharper photos.

I am always amazed when I see chickadees hanging from these spiky seed balls. I realize that these birds don’t weigh much, but it’s hard to believe that they can hang from the same seed pod that they are working on.

I was thrilled to be able to capture this cool image of the chickadee in action, with the colorful foliage in the background giving it a real autumn vibe.

Carolina Chickadee

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Happy Easter 2025

Posted in Butterflies, Easter, Insects, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , on April 20, 2025| 13 Comments »

Happy Easter to friends and family who are celebrating today. This past week has been a whirlwind of activity and services for me at my church as we have commemorated Christ’s last days, beginning with his entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, through his last supper, and finally his crucifixion and burial. Today we celebrate Jesus’s triumph over death with a joyous Easter service.

I photographed this beautiful little Pearl Crescent butterfly (Phyciodes tharos) during a recent visit to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Butterflies have always been special for me as symbols of the amazing transformations that can take place in this world, even when the situation seems hopeless and sad.

I offer my prayers for all of you, believers and non-believers alike, that your lives will be full of joy, hope, and peace.

Christ is risen!

Pearl Crescent

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Ospreys seize the eagle nest

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on April 17, 2025| 5 Comments »

Earlier this season, it looked like a pair of Bald Eagles had occupied a large nest at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Each time that I visited the refuge, I would check the nesting site to look for indications that an eagle was sitting on eggs. Unfortunately, the nest is so deep and so high up that it is almost impossible to tell if an eagle is inside of the nest.

Last week, I watched a pair of Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) fly into the nest and seize it and captured this shot of them doing so. Generally ospreys use much smaller, thrown-together nests, but I guess that this pair decided to advantage of what I assume is a currently unoccupied eagle nest.

As I watched the two ospreys approach the nest with dangled legs, I couldn’t help but think of the scenes from the Wizard of Oz movie in which the flying monkeys seized Dorothy. The mind works in strange ways.

osprey

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Bee Fly in April

Posted in Bees, Insects, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on April 15, 2025| 1 Comment »

Is it a bee? Is it a fly? Well, it has a fuzzy body like a bumblebee and has a long, rigid proboscis that looks like a stinger, but its patterned wings and long legs look more like those of a fly. In actuality, it is a Greater Bee Fly (Bombylius major), a parasitic bee mimic that is one of the earliest spring pollinators of wildflowers. I photographed this bee fly last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

I was quite happy to be able to capture so many of the details of this curious creature, including its long proboscis, spindly legs, patterned wings, and fuzzy body. In case you are curious, the body of one of these bee flies is about six-tenths of an inch (15mm) in length and its wing span is about one inch (25mm). I recommend that you double-click on the image to get a better look at the little details of this bee fly.

If you would like to learn more about these fascinating little bee flies, including their parasitic behavior, check out this article on the US Forest Service website by Beatriz Moisset entitled “A Pollinator with a Bad Reputation.”

Bee Fly

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Zebra Swallowtail in April

Posted in Butterflies, Insects, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on April 14, 2025| 4 Comments »

I was absolutely thrilled last week to spot this Zebra Swallowtail butterfly (Eurytides marcellus) at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Zebra Swallowtails overwinter winter in the chrysalis (cocoon) stage before emerging as adult butterflies in the spring. A second brood is born later in the year and they are the ones that lay the eggs that develop into the caterpillars that will enter into cocoons and hibernate throughout the winter.

I love the beautiful colors of this butterfly, with its zebra-like stripes and pops of red and blue—I often think of the Zebra Swallowtail as a “patriotic” butterfly, because of its red, white, and blur coloration..

Zebra Swallowtail

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Yellow-throated Warbler in April

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, warbler, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on April 12, 2025| Leave a Comment »

This Yellow-throated Warbler (Setophaga dominica) was pretty far away when I spotted its little patch of bright yellow feathers this past Tuesday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. I doubted that I would be able to get a recognizable shot of it, but decided to take a chance, given that it was the first warbler that I had seen this spring. The resulting shot won’t win any contest, but I am happy that I was able to document my sighting.

Warblers pass through my area each spring at about the same time as the leaves begin to appear on the trees. It can be a bit frustrating for me to be able to hear some of these little birds without being able to see them when they are hidden in the foliage. It is a little game of hide-and-see that I play every year and this time I was able to capture a shot of one of my colorful fellow players.

Yellow-throated Warbler

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Cabbage White and dandelion

Posted in Butterflies, Insects, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on April 11, 2025| 8 Comments »

I was surprised and delighted to spot this Cabbage White butterfly (Pieris rapae) as it was feeding on a newly sprouted dandelion on Tuesday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. I love chasing these elusive little butterflies that I used to think were moths.

Gardeners consider Cabbage Whites to be pests, because their caterpillars can do significant damage to plants, including cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and collard greens, but I find them to be beautiful. In that respect I guess I am a kind of dreamer who prefers to focus more on form than on function.

Cabbage White

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Swimming towards me

Posted in Nature, Photography, Reptiles, spring, turtle, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on April 10, 2025| 6 Comments »

Long telephoto lenses tend to distort your depth perception. On Tuesday I watched this North American Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) swimming about in a pond at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. I was a bit creepy as the turtle got bigger and bigger in my viewfinder when it began to swim directly towards me. One part of my brain objectively knew that the turtle was still a long way off, but it was nonetheless a bit disconcerting when the snapping turtle’s dinosaur-like eyes appeared to be staring right at me.

Spring is here, though the weather has been cool recently and there were some local frost warnings last night, and all kinds of creatures are waking up. I’m still looking for my first dragonfly of the year and will probably continue my quest later today.

snapping turtle

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Springtime Red-winged Blackbird

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on April 7, 2025| 1 Comment »

I have been hearing a lot of Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) during recent visits to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge and was delighted to finally capture a shot of one last week that shows the distinctive yellow and red shoulder patch of the males of his species.

I was hoping that the blackbird would fly to some lower branches, but he seemed content to perch high above me in a tree. I was pleased, though, to be able to capture this fun little portrait—it is tough to convince birds to pose for me.

Red-winged Blackbird

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

 

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Eastern Phoebe in March

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on March 27, 2025| 1 Comment »

In some locations the reappearance of Eastern Phoebes (Sayornis phoebe) is one of the first indications that spring is returning. I am not sure if Eastern Phoebes are with us year round in Northern Virginia, but I know that it as been quite a few months since I last saw one.

On Tuesday I spotted this phoebe in a tree at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Branches were partially blocking my view of the bird, but I managed to find get a clear view of its face (and most importantly of its eye) by making small adjustments to my shooting position.

Eastern Phoebe

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Brown Thrasher in March

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on March 26, 2025| Leave a Comment »

I was delighted to spot this Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum) last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. I had to move around a lot to get a clear view of its head, though I was pretty sure it was a thrasher when I caught a glimpse of its bright yellow eye and long tail. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology did a great job in describing the challenges of spotting this species, “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 are present year round in the southern portions of Virginia, but I think they move north into my area of Northern Virginia during the breeding season. Before long we should have lot of other birds, including warblers, migrating through our area and, of course, dragonflies and other insects will soon reappear. Yesterday  i noted a posting in Facebook with photos of dragonflies that were recently taken in central Virginia. I will probably venture out later today to see if I can spot any dragonflies myself.

Brown Thrasher

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Osprey nest on a duck blind

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on March 24, 2025| 2 Comments »

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) are very opportunistic birds—they will make a nest almost anywhere there is a bit of space. Last week I spotted an osprey perched on the roof of a duck blind in the water and captured this cool little image.

These little shack-like structures on stilts have been built in the waters off of Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge and are used a few weeks a year during duck hunting season. It is a little disconcerting during that time to hear shotguns being fired only a short distance away, but the money collected for hunting licenses is used for waterfowl habitat improvement and restoration in Virginia.

Osprey

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Nibbling on a bud

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged , , , , , on March 22, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Buds are beginning to grow on many of the trees in my area as we welcome the beginning of spring.  However, it looks like this little Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) that I spotted on Tuesday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge was impatient and chose to nibble on a tender young bud that had barely started to develop.

The lighting conditions were not optimal, but I like the way that I was able to capture the way that the chickadee used its tiny bill to poke into the underdeveloped bud. It may not seem like much, but I suspect that the chickadee welcomed the taste of the tender spring bud after a long winter of gnawing on hard, wizened seeds.


Carolina Chickadee

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Inquisitive osprey

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , on March 21, 2025| 2 Comments »

Something attracted the attention of this Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) on Tuesday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge and it kept looking down at the ground. At first I thought that the osprey had caught a fish that it was trying to protect from competitors, but when I zoomed in, I did not see any fish.

Perhaps the osprey was looking for its mate or was merely curious to observe all the things that were going on. I don’t think that the osprey had spotted me when I took these shots, but that is also a possibility.

Osprey

Osprey

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Heron Lift-off

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , on March 18, 2025| 9 Comments »

When Great Blue Herons (Ardea herodias) take off from the water, they really stretch out and usually I cut off part of their bodies when trying to photograph them in action. Last week, though, my timing was good and I captured this little sequence of images as a heron took to the air, flew for a short distance, and “stuck” its landing in the water.

I was really happy with the way that I was able to capture so many details, from the arc of the water droplets as the heron rose out of the water to the bird’s different-colored feathers. In the final photo, the spread wings, wind-blown “hair,” and the wonderful reflection combine to create a really cool mood in the image.

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Put your hand on my shoulder…

Posted in Nature, Photography, Reptiles, turtle, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , on March 17, 2025| 11 Comments »

I don’t know if thegroup of Painted Turtles (Chrysemys picta)) was a family unit or merely good friends, but they seemed to be cooperating to maximize their exposure to the warmth of the sun last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. At some of the other wildlife parks in my area there are large logs on which the turtles will space themselves out as they bask in the sun, but flat dry land is limited at this refuge, so the turtles are willing to share the space with others.

As I was taking the first photo, several more turtles emerged from the pond, as you can see in the second photo below. Their wet shells are much darker than those of the first three turtles that have had a chance to dry out a bit.

Painted Turtles

Painted Turtles

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Uncommonly beautiful

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , , , on March 14, 2025| 5 Comments »

When in the shadows, Common Grackles (Quiscalus quiscula) appear to be all black, but in the bright sunlight their iridescent feathers shine in an array of colors. I photographed this uncommonly beautiful Grackle as it perched in a dead tree on Tuesday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

Beauty is everywhere.Common Grackle

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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