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Posts Tagged ‘Woodbridge VA’

Relaxing in the shade

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged Ardea herodias, Canon 7D, Great Blue Heron, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, standing on one leg, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA on July 30, 2025| 8 Comments »

When it is really hot outside, birds try to avoid direct sunlight, like this Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) that I spotted last week during a visit to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The heron was relaxing in the vegetation at the edge of a small pond and appearing to be standing on a single leg, with the other leg probably tucked under.

In the winter months, I often see herons using this position as a way of conserving body heat, which obviously was not needed on this hot, humid day, so I am wondering if the “missing” leg was simply hidden by the vegetation.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Open and closed

Posted in Butterflies, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged Canon 7D, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Pearl Crescent, pearl crescent butterfly, Phyciodes tharos, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA on July 29, 2025| 4 Comments »

It’s always fun to see how different certain butterflies look with their wings open vice closed, like this pretty little Pearl Crescent butterfly (Phyciodes tharos) that I photographed last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Most of the time when I see Pearl Crescents, their wings are mostly or fully open, so it was really nice to see one with its wings closed long enough for me to get a shot of it.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Zebra in the flowers

Posted in Butterflies, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged Canon 7D, Eurytides marcellus, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA, Zebra Swallowtail, Zebra Swallowtail butterfly on July 28, 2025| 6 Comments »

I was thrilled to see this beautiful Zebra Swallowtail butterfly (Eurytides marcellus) last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge as it was feeding on some small wildflowers. Although it was missing the tip of one of its wings and one of its long “tails,” it seemed to be functioning perfectly well.

From a photography perspective I was really happy with the way that I was able to compose this image, with flowers in both the foreground and the background and the subject in pretty sharp focus.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Seeing red

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged Canon 7D, Libellula needhami, male Needham's Skimmer, Needham's Skimmer, Needham's Skimmer dragonfly, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA on July 26, 2025| 2 Comments »

During a recent visit to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge I was delighted to spot some bright red male Needham’s Skimmer dragonflies (Libellula needhami). The combination of the golden accents on the edges of their wings with that reddish-orange coloration makes these dragonflies visually stunning. The Needham’s Skimmers often were skittish, flying away as I approached, I managed to capture a few shots of them when they perched momentarily within range of my telephoto lens.

At this moment, Needham’s Skimmers are one of the most common dragonfly species that I encounter at this wildlife refuge, along with Common Whitetails. Some of the species that were present in the spring have disappeared and the autumn species have not yet taken their place. In that sense, we are in the midst of the summer doldrums, when the air is heavy with heat and humidity and new activity has slowed down to a snail’s pace.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Widow Skimmer (male)

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged Canon 7D, Libellula luctuosa, male Widow Skimmer, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Widow Skimmer, Widow Skimmer dragonfly, Woodbridge VA on July 24, 2025| 10 Comments »

There were lots of dragonflies, mostly Common Whitetails and Needham’s Skimmers, flying about on Monday when I visited Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge along with an abundance of pesky flies and mosquitoes. The temperatures were marginally cooler than in recent days, but the high humidity made it feel like I was slicing my way through the water-laden air.

I was delighted to spot this male Widow Skimmer dragonfly (Libellula luctuosa), a species that I do not often at this location, perched in the vegetation adjacent to a small pond. Like female Widow Skimmers, male have dark patches on their wings, but they also have a white patch on each wing, which makes them easy to identify. These patches are visible when male Widow Skimmers are flying, causing them to look a bit like fluttering butterflies.

When I was processing this image, I was surprised to see what appears to be an ant attached to the tip of one of the back legs of this dragonfly—you may need to click on the image to see this detail. I am not sure if the ant had hitched a ride on the dragonfly from its previous perch or, more likely, was merely exploring this unexpected intruder that had landed on this stalk of vegetation.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Frazzled summer

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged Calico Pennant, Calico Pennant dragonfly, Canon 7D, Celithemis elisa, male Calico Pennant, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA on July 17, 2025| 5 Comments »

The weather in my area this month has been mostly miserable. It has been hot and humid and we have had almost daily thunderstorms, resulting in a significant amount of localized flooding.

Some of the dragonflies in our are are also showing signs of the stresses of summer, like this male Calico Pennant dragonfly (Celithemis elisa) that I spotted during a recent visit to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The photo below shows a substantial amount of damage to the wings of this dragonfly. I can’t tell if the damage was caused by a predator or if it is part of the normal wear-and-tear associated with life as a dragonfly.

I hope to get out a bit more often with my camera during the second half of July, perhaps starting out a bit earlier in the morning before things heat up to miserable levels.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Great Blue Skimmer from below

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged Canon 7D, Great Blue Skimmer, Great Blue Skimmer dragonfly, Libellula vibrans, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA on July 11, 2025| 3 Comments »

Last Saturday I inadvertently spooked this Great Blue Skimmer dragonfly (Libellula vibrans) while exploring Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge and it flew up into some high vegetation. I was not hopeful that I would be able to get a shot of it, but I decided to try to do so anyways. I’m quite pleased with the result.

I really like the way that the light was shining through the dragonfly’s slightly shredded wings and the shape and structure of the branch draw in a viewer’s eyes too. Overall it’s a fun “artsy” photo that makes me smile.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Clipped wing

Posted in Butterflies, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged black swallowtail, black swallowtail butterfly, Canon 7D, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Papilio polyxenes, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA on July 9, 2025| 17 Comments »

When I first spotted this Black Swallowtail butterfly (Papilio polyxenes) last Saturday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, I thought that it was a fresh, newly-emerged specimen. It was only when the butterfly opened its wings fully that I realized that it was missing the lower portion of one of its wings. Although the butterfly seemed to fly quite normally, the significant damage to its wing was visually noticeable.

This encounter caused me to recall a conversation that I had with a fellow wildlife/nature photographer many years ago. This photographer told me that he only photographs “perfect” subject, i.e. those without damage or blemishes. I was a bit stunned at that approach, to be honest. Most aspects of our lives imperfect in one way or another, after all we are humans.

Is beauty to be found only in perfection? I don’t think so, and my general approach to photography (and to life) is to look for the beauty all around me, a beauty that can be found literally everywhere. So I endeavored to highlight the beauty of the damaged butterfly, a beauty that transcends its physical appearance.

Is your idea of beauty based on external, physical characteristics or does it include other aspects as well? Is beauty universal or is it individual and personal? I sometimes ponder and reflect on these kinds of “big” questions, not really seeking for definitive answers to them, but instead forcing myself to explore the limits of my understanding and consciousness and perhaps even expand those limits in the process.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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12 Year Anniversary

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged 12th Anniversary, anniversary, Canon 7D, Eastern Pondhawk, Eastern Pondhawk dragonfly, Erythemis simplicicollis, female eastern pondhawk, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA on July 8, 2025| 20 Comments »

Last Saturday I spotted this stunning female Eastern Pondhawk dragonfly (Erythemis simplicicollis) during a visit to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The thorn-like projection near the tip of the abdomen that helps her to lay eggs made it immediately obvious that this was a female. The bright green coloration, distinctive black bands on her abdomen, and her green face make it almost impossible to misidentify this species.

As I was checking my blog yesterday, I came across a notice from WordPress informing me that I had started my blog 13 years ago. Wow! It’s hard to believe that I have kept this blog going for that long. According to the statistics from WordPress I have had 524,468 views of 5,417 posts since I began posting.

It is a bit of a cliché but it is absolutely true that I could not have done this without all of the support, suggestions, and encouragement. Thank you to all of you. I remember my modest expectations when I started the blog, looking simply for a place to post my wildlife and nature photographs. Over time this blog has become a kind of diary in which I have been able to express a lot of what I think and feel as I experience the beauty of the natural world. I have come to enjoy expressing myself as much in my written words as I have in my photos, reflecting on many different aspects of my life, including religion, poetry, and various artistic pursuits.

I remember deciding on the subheading for the blog some 13 years ago, calling it “My journey through photography.” Though the path has often been meandering and full of detours and distractions, that journey still continues. Once again, I thank all of you who have chosen to walk alongside me and to experience the world in part as I see it.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Smiling at me

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged Canon 7D, Libellula needhami, Needham's Skimmer, Needham's Skimmer dragonfly, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA on July 7, 2025| 7 Comments »

I have spent a lot more time indoors this past month than I normally, as a result of our unusually warm and stormy weather. On Saturday I finally made it out to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, my favorite place to explore with my camera, and was greeted by an abundance of dragonflies.

Many of the dragonflies I encountered were Needham’s Skimmers that were often perched at the tops of vegetation that seems to have grown a lot recently. A lot of other flies were common too and they pestered me incessantly by buzzing around my ears, but fortunately they did not appear to be interested in biting me.

I was delighted that many dragonflies seemed be smiling at me, like this cool-looking Needhams’s Skimmer (Libellula needhami). I also really like that I able to capture the beauty of the beautiful two-toned, speckled eyes.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Mourning Cloak butterfly

Posted in Butterflies, Insects, Nature, Photography, spring, Summer, wildlife, tagged Camberwell Beauty, Canon 7D, Mourning Cloak, Mourning Cloak butterfly, Nymphalis antiopa, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA on June 18, 2025| 7 Comments »

Mourning Cloak butterflies (Nymphalis antiopa) are often one of the first butterflies that I see in early spring, because they overwinter with us as adults in a kind of hibernation. According to Wikipedia, Mourning Cloaks, known in Britain as the Camberwell Beauty, have a lifespan of 11 to 12 months, one of the longest lifespans for any butterfly.

In the springtime, these butterflies mate and I suspect that the butterfly in the photo below that I spotted in early June at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge is part of the “new generation.” I don’t know a whole lot about the entire life cycle of the Mourning Cloak, but from what I have read, their lives include periods of activity followed by long periods of inactivity. During the summer, for example, they enter into a “dormant” stage, known as aestivation that is somewhat similar to hibernation, and then become active again in the autumn.

I love the markings of this beautiful butterfly and was thrilled when it held its wings open for a few seconds and let me see the stunning blue markings on its inner wings that stand out among the mostly subdued colors on its body.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Great Crested Flycatcher

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, Summer, wildlife, tagged Canon 7D, flycatcher, Great Crested Flycatcher, Myiarchus crinitus, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA on June 17, 2025| 2 Comments »

Earlier in June I spotted this cool-looking bird at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. I am not really sure what species it is, but I think it might be a Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus). The bird was mostly hidden in the foliage, but I managed to get a couple of reasonably clear shots of it.

I love the wash of yellow on its belly that gradually fades into the gray of its throat. There are a few other birds in the flycatcher family that are somewhat similar in appearance, so I could be off in my identification, but this is the one that most closely matches the descriptions and images in my identification guides.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Love is in the air

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, spring, Summer, wildlife, tagged Arigomphus villosipes, Canon 7D, mating Unicorn Clubtail, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Unicorn Clubtail, Unicorn Clubtail dragonfly, villo, Woodbridge VA on June 13, 2025| 4 Comments »

A dragonfly couple in wheel formation flew by me during a recent visit Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge and landed on some nearby vegetation. This acrobatic position is the one used by most dragonflies for mating—sometimes they will mate while in the air and other times they will “do the deed” while perched.

I am not totally certain but I believe that these dragonflies are Unicorn Clubtails (Arigomphus villosipes), a species that I see from time to time in my area.

Happy Friday the 13th!

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Powdered Dancer damselfly

Posted in damselfly, Insects, Macro Photography, Nature, spring, Summer, Winter, tagged Argia moesta, Canon 7D, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Powdered Dancer, Powdered Dancer damselfly, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA on June 12, 2025| 5 Comments »

Most of the time that I see damselflies, they are perched in the vegetation. Powdered Dancer damselflies (Argia moesta), like this one that I spotted last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, however, like to perch on bare ground, emergent stones, and along trails. Immature male Powdered Dancers are tan to dark brown, turn darker with age, and becoming almost completely whitish at maturity.

The “powdered” color of this damselfly helped in to blend in almost perfectly with the sand and gravel on this trail at the wildlife refuge. If I had not seen it land, I suspect that I would have had real trouble spotting this Powdered Dancer damselfly.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Reaching for nectar

Posted in Butterflies, Insects, Nature, Photography, spring, Summer, wildlife, tagged Canon 7D, Eurytides marcellus, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA, Zebra Swallowtail, Zebra Swallowtail butterfly on June 11, 2025| 6 Comments »

This Zebra Swallowtail butterfly (Eurytides marcellus) had its wings fully extended as it reached for nectar from an unidentified plant last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. I love the way that the photo below shows the butterfly’s long “tails” that appear to be fully intact, making me wonder if this butterfly had recently emerged.

In my area of Northern Virginia Zebra Swallow tails tend to have at least two broods a year. According to the local Prince William Conservation Alliance, “The summer generation is larger and has proportionally wider stripes and longer tails than the spring generation.”

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Yellow-breasted Chat

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, Summer, wildlife, tagged Canon 7D, Icteria virens, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA, Yellow-breasted Chat on June 10, 2025| 5 Comments »

Last Monday I spotted this beautiful Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria virens) at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. I thought that this was my first encounter with this bird species, but a search of my previous blog postings revealed that I got some long distance shots of one in 2022.

Many of the migrating warblers that are passing through my area have various yellow markings, so I assumed that this was simply another warbler. The reality, however, is hardly simple. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, “The Yellow-breasted Chat has always been a mystery to taxonomists—it looks similar to warblers but is larger, with a more varied repertoire of songs and calls, and also has other differences in behavior and anatomy. The species was placed in the warbler family (Parulidae) for decades, but in the late 2010s was given its own family (Icteriidae), in recognition of these differences.”

If that were not confusing enough, the name “chat” is used for a number of different birds throughout the world. According to Wikipedia, “Chats (formerly sometimes known as “chat-thrushes”) are a group of small Old World insectivorous birds formerly classified as members of the thrush family (Turdidae), but following genetic DNA analysis are now considered to belong to the Old World flycatcher family (Muscicapidae). The name is normally applied to the more robust ground-feeding flycatchers found in Europe and Asia and most northern species are strong migrants.”

All of this scientific explanation leaves me utterly confused. The only thing I know for sure is that the Yellow-breasted Chat that I photographed was a real treat for me—its bright yellow color immediately brought a smile to my face and lifted my spirits. For me, that is more than enough—I’ll leave the arguments about taxonomy and classification to others.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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American Redstart

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged American Redstart, Canon 7D, immature American Redstart, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Setophaga ruticilla, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA on June 9, 2025| 4 Comments »

When I photographed this bird last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, I really had no idea what it was. Some aspects of its overall coloration reminded me a little of a Tufted Titmouse, but its shape and size were not right. Its mottled and patchy color suggested to me that this might be an immature bird and I wondered if it might be some kind of warbler.

When I returned home I searched though my identification guides and looked at lots of photos on-line and concluded that this was probably an immature male American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla). Some folks on Facebook confirmed my identification, which was helpful, considering that I had never before seen this species. As I suspected, this Redstart is a New World warbler—apparently there is also an Old World Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros) that is completely unrelated to the one that I spotted.

Each spring I am absolutely delighted to find any warblers at all. Often I hear the warblers singing in the leafy trees, but only rarely do I manage to catch a glimpse of their beauty.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Black Saddlebags dragonfly

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged Black Saddlebags, Black Saddlebags dragonfly, Canon 7D, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Tramea lacerata, Woodbridge VA on June 7, 2025| 4 Comments »

I tracked this Black Saddlebags dragonfly (Tramea lacerata) in the air for quite some time on 2 June at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge until it finally landed and I was able to capture this shot of it perching in the vegetation.

Black Saddlebags are among the few North American dragonfly species that undertake migrations. Specifically, the offspring of the Black Saddlebag dragonflies migrate south in the fall, while some return north in the spring to breed. It’s impossible for me to know if the dragonfly in this photo started its journey somewhere to the south, but that is certainly a possibility.

One thing I do know for sure is that Black Saddlebags spend a lot of their time in the air, patrolling back and forth over an area. Most of the time when I spot them, they are flying, so it was nice to have a chance to capture a shot of one on the ground.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Blue-faced Meadowhawk (immature male)

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged Blue-faced Meadowhawk, Blue-faced Meadowhawk dragonfly, Canon 7D, immature male Blue-faced Meadowhawk, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Sympetrum ambiguum, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA on June 6, 2025| Leave a Comment »

I was really surprised to spot this immature Blue-faced Meadowhawk dragonfly (Sympetrum ambiguum) on Monday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. In the past I have seen this species only in late summer and early autumn and by the bodies of those dragonflies have always been red in color and the face has had a distinctive blue tinge.

This dragonfly appears to have only recently emerged and that is its the body is tan rather than red—the color will change as he matures. The stripes on the abdomen and the eye color, though, helped me to identify it as a Blue-faced Meadowhawk rather than the somewhat similar Autumn Meadowhawk that has brown eyes.

I was curious to understand why I happened to spot this species a lot earlier than usual and have heard some other dragonfly enthusiasts speculate that the immature Blue-faced Meadowhawks “hide” in the woods and make an appearance only later in the season. One of the experts in Virginia Odonata Facebook group to which I belong noted that “They appear to have two different emergence periods, one in spring and one in late summer/fall.”

Whatever the reason for the early appearance, I was delighted to see and photograph this Blue-faced Meadowhawk, one of my favorite dragonfly species. A few long-time subscribers may recall that I was awarded second place almost ten years ago in a local photography contest for a macro close-up of a Blue-faced Meadowhawk. If you are interested in learning more about that experience and seeing the “award winning” image, check out my blog posting from December 2015 entitled “Second place in local photo contest.”

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Female Widow Skimmer

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged Canon 7D, female Widow Skimmer, Libellula luctuosa, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Widow Skimmer, Widow Skimmer dragonfly, Woodbridge VA on June 5, 2025| 1 Comment »

On Monday I spotted this female Widow Skimmer dragonfly (Libellula luctuosa), my first one of 2025, during a visit to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Widow Skimmers have very distinctive dark patches on their wings that reminded the scientist who named them of the dark mourning crepe worn by Victorian-era widows during their initial stages of mourning and even their Latin name “luctuosa” means “sorrowful.”

The weather in my area has warmed considerably this week and already it feels like summer. Gradually the summer dragonflies, like this Widow Skimmer, are starting to appear. The hot days of summer are a bit uncomfortable for me, but seem to be preferred by many dragonfly species.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Big Bluet damselfly

Posted in damselfly, Insects, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged Big Bluet, Big Bluet damselfly, Canon 7D, Enallagma durum, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA on June 4, 2025| 8 Comments »

When I spotted these damselflies last week I was not sure what species they were. Most of the damselflies that I had seen near this location at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge in the past were Big Bluet damselflies (Enallagma durum), but the coloration of this one was different enough that I was not confident in identifying it. I posted a photo in a Facebook group that specializes in dragonflies and damselflies and one of the experts there confirmed that this is in fact a Big Bluet.

I am happy to identify this species, but I must confess that I am even more happy with the images that I was able to capture. For all three images, I believe, I had to focus manually as I tried to compose the images, which can be a real challenge with a digital camera. When I first started taking photos back in the pre-digital age, I remember that my single-lens reflex film camera had a split prism area that you had to adjust and you knew that the subject was in focus when the two halves of the image aligned.

My telephoto lens was extended fully to 400mm, so I was a pretty good distance from the damselflies when I composed these shots. I particularly like the first image, in which the branch at the top third of the shot gradually falls out of focus, allowing the viewer to focus on the damselfly clinging to the leaf.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Great Spangled Fritillary butterfly

Posted in Butterflies, Insects, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged Canon 7D, Great Spangled Fritillary, Great Spangled Fritillary butterfly, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Speyeria cybele, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA on June 3, 2025| 7 Comments »

I was excited last week to see a lot of Great Spangled Fritillary butterflies (Speyeria cybele) that appear to have recently emerged at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Great Spangled Fritillaries are large orange-colored butterflies with dark-colored markings on the inner wings and prominent silvery white spots on the underside of the hind wings, i.e. the “spangles” in the name of the species.

Most of the ones that I saw appeared to be feeding on the trails, as you can see in the two photos below, rather than feeding on the nectar of flowers, as I have typically seen them do in the past. Perhaps they need minerals from the ground when they first emerge or were attempting to drink water from the damp soil.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Young buck

Posted in animals, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged anon 7D, buck, deer, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Odocoileus virginianus, Tamron 18-400mm, white-tailed deer, Woodbridge VA, young buck on June 2, 2025| 2 Comments »

Last Friday I almost literally stumbled upon a young White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) during a visit to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. As I turned a corner, I suddenly spotted this little deer slowly coming towards me. I immediately stopped, but the deer initially kept on walking. I noticed that the deer had nubs on its head instead of antlers. Was this a buck who was too young to grow antlers or was this a somewhat older deer who was regrowing his antlers?

I grew up in the suburbs of Boston and confess that I know very little about deer. I do know that male deer shed their antlers during the fall and winter and then regrow them in the spring each year. According to the Fish and Wildlife Service, antlers are the fastest bone growth in the world and the antlers of an adult White-tailed Deer can grow 1/4 inch (6 mm) a day and those of an elk can grow an inch (25 mm) a day.

This deer seemed more curious about me rather than afraid of me and eventually moved only a few feet off of the trail to let me pass. I was happy to see this beautiful young animal in its natural habitat. In many parts of the suburban area surrounding Washington D.C. there is an overpopulation of deer and a variety of measures are used to try to control the population. At this wildlife refuge, for example, several deer hunts are conducted each year.

I personally am not a hunter, but I do recognize the dangers that deer overpopulation poses to the habitat, to the human population, and to the deer themselves. When I am out with my camera, though, I am not thinking about these things, but instead am focused on sharing the beauties of nature and peacefully coexisting with my fellow creatures, like this young deer.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Calico Pennants (male)

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged Calico Pennant, Calico Pennant dragonfly, Canon 7D, Celithemis elisa, male Calico Pennant, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA on June 1, 2025| 5 Comments »

This past Friday I was delighted to spot some mature male Calico Pennant dragonflies (Celithemis elisa) at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Earlier this season I had seem some immature male Calico Pennants who still had yellow bodies. As they mature, male Calico Pennants turn red in a pattern that looks like a column of little hearts, as you can see in the second photo below.

Like other “pennant” dragonfly species, Calico Pennants like to perch precariously on the very tips of vegetation. Even the slightest breeze will cause them to flutter, like pennants in the wind.

You can’t help but notice the beautiful patterning in the wings that makes this species stand out from almost all other dragonfly species. Wow!

I took the first two photos when the dragonflies were perched nearby in the vegetation. Periodically the dragonflies would fly out over the water of a small pond at the wildlife refuge and would perch at the water’s edge. The shoreline was really mucky, so I could not get close to these dragonflies. I was happy, though, to be able to capture the final photo below, an “artsy” minimalist view of a Calico Pennant perched at an almost right angle on a slim blade of vegetation.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Needham’s Skimmer dragonfly

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged Canon 7D, female Needham's Skimmer, Libellula needhami, Needham's Skimmer, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA on May 31, 2025| 4 Comments »

I was delighted yesterday during a visit to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge to spot this beautiful female Needham’s Skimmer dragonfly (Libellula needhami), my first of the year. Later in the year, Needham’s Skimmers will become the most frequent dragonfly that I will encounter at this location but the dragonfly in the photo below was the only one that I saw yesterday.

Needham’s Skimmers are quite distinctive in appearance. Mature males are reddish-orange in color and stand out from the males of other species. Females and immature males have a body coloration that is shared with some other species, but the golden yellow veins at the leading edges of their wings distinguishes them from the others.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Late-season Blue Corporal dragonflies

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged Blue Corporal, Blue Corporal dragonfly, Canon 7D, Ladona deplanata, male Blue Corporal, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA on May 27, 2025| 4 Comments »

Blue Corporals (Ladona deplanata) are an early-season dragonfly—they appear in April and are usually gone by the beginning of June. I was therefore happy to spot some Blue Corporals in mid-May during a visit to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Blue Corporals perches frequently on low flat surfaces, often on the ground, so they are sometimes hard to see when the ground is cluttered, as it often is at this time of the year.

The dragonfly’s “corporal” stripes on his thorax are really visible in the first photos, so I could immediately identify his species. A short time later I was surprised when I saw a Blue Corporal land on a rusty bit of metal sticking out of the water at the edge of a small pond—I haven’t seen Blue Corporals flying over the water very often. I think this might have been a fence post or some kind of marker, because it appeared to be attached to some concrete.

I was absolutely delighted to be able to captures the texture of the rusty metal and the orange-blue complementary colors make this image particularly eye-catching.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Ospreys in action

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged Canon 7D, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Osprey, osprey mating, osprey nest, Pandion haliaetus, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA on May 22, 2025| Leave a Comment »

When I first spotted two Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) sitting in a large eagle nest last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, I assumed that one of them was sitting on eggs. I was therefore a bit surprised when one of the ospreys mounted the other in what I assume was an act of mating. That suggests that there are not yet any eggs in the nest.

After a brief period of activity, the one that is probably the male flew away from the nest and I managed to capture a couple of photos of his departure. Both of the ospreys are in the frame in the second and third photos below and I really like the way that I captured the wing span of the departing osprey and his spread tail feathers. I encourage you to click on these two images to get a closer look at the ospreys, particularly the male.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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First Blue Dasher of 2025

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged Blue Dasher, Blue Dasher dragonfly, Canon 7D, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Pachydiplax longipennis, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA on May 21, 2025| 5 Comments »

I usually try to get close-up shots of dragonflies, but sometimes that is not possible. In those cases, I try to be creative and frame and/or isolate the subject with elements of the environment, as I did with this Blue Dasher dragonfly (Pachydiplax longipennis) that I spotted last Monday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, the first one that I have spotted this year.

I really like this composition, despite the fact that the dragonfly is very small in the photo, thanks largely to the undulating green waves of the leaves and the out-of-focus branches in the background. What do you think? Should I have cropped the photo a bit more?

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Goldfinch in plain sight

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged American Goldfinch, Canon 7D, goldfinch, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Spinus tristis, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA on May 20, 2025| 9 Comments »

As I have noted in several recent posts, I have real troubles spotting birds when the trees are fully leafed out. In other seasons, when the trees are bare, birds tend to fly to new perches when they detect my presence and I can often track them when they are in flight and follow them visually to their new perches. Now, however, the birds seem to remain in place and sing loudly, but remain invisible to my eyes.

Last week I managed to capture an image of an American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) when he popped into view momentarily outside of the tree canopy at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The little goldfinch was visible for only a short period of time, but fortunately I was looking in the right direction at that moment.

Later in the day I spotted another goldfinch perched in a distant tree. For some reason, the tree had no leaves, so it was easy for me to see the bird. I grabbed a shot and tried to move a little closer, but the bird could see my movement and immediately flew away. I hesitated to post the second photo below, because the bird is so small in the frame, but decided that I really liked the contrast between the bright yellow of the bird and the starkness of the branches and the white sky, a nice counterpoint to the lushness of the vegetation in the first photo.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Bald Eagle Takeoff

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged Bald Eagle, bald eagle takeoff, Canon 7D, eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA on May 19, 2025| 12 Comments »

As I rounded a bend in a trail last Monday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, I spotted a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) in the foliage of a tree right in front of me. The eagle and I both reacted instantly, but its reflexes were faster than mine and the eagle took the air. I managed to capture a few shots of the departing eagle, a testament to both my luck and a quick reaction in bringing my camera up to my eye.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Honey Bee and False Indigo

Posted in Bees, Insects, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged Amorpha fruticosa, bee, Canon 7D, false indigo bush, g. Apis, honey bee, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA on May 16, 2025| 2 Comments »

The colors of the False Indigo Bushes (Amorpha fruticosa) were spectacular on Monday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, attracting my attention as well as that of an energetic honey bee (g. Apis) whose pollen sacs were already filled to bulging. I was initially paying so much attention to focusing on the moving bee that I did not realize that my shutter speed had dropped to 1/400—I was in aperture priority mode. The first photo was a “happy accident: in which the bee’s face was in focus, but its rapidly-moving wings were a blur.

In the second shot, the bee had landed and was crawling all around the stalks of the false indigo bush. I am really happy with my snapshot of that action that captured the color and movement of my brief encounter with the honey bee.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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