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Posts Tagged ‘Woodbridge VA’

Female Needham’s Skimmer

Posted in Autumn, Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on September 6, 2024| 3 Comments »

Earlier this summer Needham’s Skimmer dragonflies (Libellula needhami) were among the most common dragonflies that I would see at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The last month or so, however, their numbers have declined significantly and they are now quite hard to find. I was delighted, therefore, to photograph this slightly tattered female Needham’s Skimmer on Tuesday morning.

Our weather has cooled off this week, with early morning temperatures in the 50’s (10 degrees C) and daytime highs struggling to get to 80 degrees (27 degrees C). I looked at the 10-day weather forecast and see that temperatures are not predicted to hit the 90’s (33 degrees C). Now it would be premature to declare that summer is over and we may well have some hot days in store for us, but the seasons are definitely changing.

So I will continue to search for remaining dragonflies while again, hopeful that I will spot some of the autumn species, like the Autumn Meadowhawks and Blue-faced Meadowhawks that should be appearing soon. Personally, autumn is my favorite time of the year, with cool nights and warm, sunny days, but I am not yet ready to bid farewell to the summer.

Needham's Skimmer

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Red-banded Hairstreak butterfly

Posted in Autumn, Butterflies, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on September 5, 2024| 8 Comments »

On Tuesday I spotted a really cool-looking butterfly at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, a Red-banded Hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops). This species has distinctive reddish-orange markings across its hind and forewings. I don’t recall seeing this species very often, though I have included photographs of the butterflies in some blog postings in the past.

The Red-banded Hairstreak is quite small in size, with a wingspan of just over an inch (25 mm), so I had to focus very carefully on the butterfly to obtain a sharp image. I was pleasantly surprised by the results with my Tamron 18-400mm zoom lens that did a pretty good job in capturing a shot of such a small subject.

Red-banded Hairstreak

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Slaty Skimmers in September

Posted in Autumn, Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , , on September 4, 2024| 1 Comment »

The countdown begins. Now that we are into September, the number of dragonfly species is beginning to drop and many of the remaining ones are looking a little tattered. They seem to adapt and compensate for their disabilities while moving, perhaps, a bit more slowly.

Yesterday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife I photographed a number of male Slaty Skimmer dragonflies (Libellula incesta). Their dark bodies and eyes make them pretty easy to identify. Some of them appeared to be in pretty good condition, like the one in the first photo, while others, like the one in the second photo, are showing the signs of a tough summer.

Aging in all species is inevitable. No matter how much we complain about it, we are fortunate if we are able to slow its effects—we cannot stop it. The 19th century French romantic poet Alphonse de Lamartine wrote about the passage of time in a famous poem called Le Lac (The Lake) that included these words:

“Just a few more moments, I ask — in vain, for time
Eludes me and takes flight.
I tell the night to pass more slowly, and dawn comes
To chase away the night.

“Then let us love! Then let us fill each fleeting hour
With joy and ecstasy!
Man does not have a port; time does not have a shore.
It passes, and so do we.”

Slaty Skimmer

Slaty Skimmer

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Red Admiral butterfly

Posted in Butterflies, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on September 3, 2024| Leave a Comment »

During a recent visit to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge I spotted quite a few Red Admiral butterflies (Vanessa atalanta), a fairly common species where I live. When I did a little research on-line, I learned that, according to Wikipedia, Red Admirals, also known as Red Admirables, are found in temperate regions of North Africa, North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and island regions of Hawaii, and the Caribbean. Wow!

I remember in the past that I sometimes referred to this species as a “patriotic” butterfly, because it had red, white, and blue areas in its coloration. I was happy to capture this shot of a Red Admiral with its wings partially open, because it gives you an idea of the interior colors as well as the exterior colors of the butterfly. As you can see, the inside of the wings feature wide reddish-orange stripes.

Red Admiral

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Viceroy at water’s edge

Posted in Butterflies, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on August 28, 2024| 2 Comments »

I love to search for Monarch butterflies, but this year I have spotted only a few of them. I am more likely to spot the similar looking Viceroy butterfly (Limenitis archippus), like this one that I photographed last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. It paused for a moment as it perched high in the vegetation at the edge of the water of the bay and I captured the moment as the butterfly looked out on the watery expanse.

What was the butterfly thinking? I sometimes wonder what it would be like to be able to fly freely like a butterfly. Perhaps the butterfly was imaging what it would be like to swim like a fish.

We always are a little restless, wanting to be different from what we are. Maybe we should spend more time celebrating who we are in the present moment, a unique combination of strengths and weaknesses. As one of my brothers likes to say, “Be yourself—everyone else is already taken.”

Viceroy

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Variegated Fritillary butterfly

Posted in Butterflies, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on August 27, 2024| 4 Comments »

I chased this small orange butterfly around for quite a while before it finally landed. Only then was I able to determine that it was probably a Variegated Fritillary butterfly (Euptoieta claudia), a species that I do not see very often. I looked over my old blog postings and discovered that most of my sightings of this species have been late in the season—earlier in the season I tend to see the somewhat similar-looking Great Spangled Fritillary more often.

We have had a decent amount of rain recently, so there is still a lot of green in the vegetation that provides a nice contrast with the orange and brown tones of the butterfly. Those colors somehow remind me of the imminent arrival of the fall season. There is still a bit of the summer to enjoy, however, so I am not quite ready to jump ahead to the autumn—I prefer to live in the moment and celebrate what is in front of me in the present moments.

Variegated Fritillary

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Swallowtail and thistle

Posted in Butterflies, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on August 26, 2024| 5 Comments »

Last Friday I spotted this Black Swallowtail butterfly (Papilio polyxenes) as it was feeding on a thistle plant at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. I love the shape, color, and texture of these thistle plants. I was a little shocked to see the excellent condition of the butterfly this late in the season.

When I returned home I did a little research and found out that this butterfly has at least two broods each year, with the second one flying at least until the end of August. Sometimes there is a partial third brood. Perhaps the butterfly in the photo recently emerged.

The later broods will lay eggs and winter is spent in a chrysalis stage. In the springtime, the adults will emerge and the cycle will continue. Nature is amazing!

Black Swallowtail

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Young deer

Posted in animals, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , on August 25, 2024| 3 Comments »

I do not see deer very often at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. A few times a year, the refuge is closed for for a few days for deer hunting, so I know that there must be plenty of deer, but they remain hidden most of the time.

On Friday I photographed a White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) at the refuge. It was part of a group of at least four deer that I spotted as they grazed alongside the trail that I was following. Three of the deer moved into the brush on the side of the road as soon as they detected my presence, but one remained in place and stared at me with what appeared to be curiosity.

I had the impression that the deer was young, though I must confess that I have so little experience with deer that I have no idea how to tell their age. The deer appeared to be in good health. Some of my fellow photographers are virulently against hunting, but I recognize that deer overpopulation is a problem in our suburban area. Periodic hunting is a viable way of controlling the population size, though I personally am not a hunter and do not even own a gun.

My goal is to capture images with my camera of the wonders of the natural world and I felt blessed to be able to spend a few moments with this beautiful creature. After a few moments of staring at each other, the deer slowly made its way into the vegetation and disappeared from sight.

White-tailed Deer

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Needham’s Skimmer in late August

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on August 24, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Early in the summer, Needham’s Skimmers (Libellula needhami) were among the most common dragonflies at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. As the dragonfly season begins to wind down, their population size has been noticeably dwindling. I am still likely to see some of them, but I have to search a lot harder than I did a month or two ago.

Yesterday I captured this image of a female Needham’s Skimmer. She is in pretty good shape overall, with only a small portion of her wings looking a little tattered.

I like the way that this image shows the bright yellow veining near the leading edges of her wings, one of the distinctive identifying features of this dragonfly species. (The mature males are bright orange or red in coloration, making them even easier to identify.)

Needham's Skimmer

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Late season Calico Pennant dragonfly

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on August 18, 2024| 2 Comments »

I thought that the Calico Pennant dragonflies (Celithemis elisa) might be gone for the season, so I was thrilled to spot this handsome male last Monday (12 August) at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Calico Pennants are among the most colorful dragonflies that I encounter, with beautiful patterned wings. Early in their development, male Calico Pennants have yellow bodies, like their female counterparts, but eventually they become a bright red in color.

When I captured this image of the Calico Pennant, he was perched at the very tip of the vegetation, a favorite perching spot for this species. Like other pennant species, Calico Pennants often occupy precarious perches that cause them to flap like a pennant when even the slightest breeze is blowing.

Calico Pennant

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Abstract dragonfly

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , on August 17, 2024| 8 Comments »

If you want to photograph dragonflies for identification purposes, it is best to photograph them from the side. The side view gives you a good view of the head, thorax, and abdomen of the dragonfly, although the tips of the wings often are out of focus. If you are a scientist, the side view is probably the best one for you.

If you are are an artist, however, you are not so worried about having the entire dragonfly in focus. You focus on the beauty of the dragonfly and on different ways pf capturing that beauty. I personally really like head-on frontal shots of a dragonfly that provide an almost abstract view of the amazing creature.

This past Monday I encountered a Halloween Pennant dragonfly (Celithemis eponina) during a visit to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. I carefully maneuvered around the dragonfly in order to get an almost head-on view of it.

Shooting at an upwards angle, I captured the image below. I really like the abstract feel of the shot—your mind has to do some quick processing to realize that the subject is a dragonfly. There is an abstract minimalism to the shot that I really like that was enhanced by the way that I had to shoot at an upward angle, which eliminated all of the clutter behind the dragonfly.

Halloween Pennant

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Widow Skimmer in August

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on August 16, 2024| 2 Comments »

The end of the season is drawing near for many of the common dragonflies in my area. A month from now, some species will be gone entirely, with only a few hardy stragglers hanging on for a bit longer. Children return to school this coming week, which seems outrageously early to me—when I was growing up, school did not begin until after Labor Day.

I am starting to pay greater attention to the dragonflies that I encounter, never knowing for sure if I will see them again this season. Summer is not over yet, of course, but there are already signs that the seasons are changing.

I spotted this male Widow Skimmer (Libellula luctuosa) on Monday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Many of the dragonflies that I see are showing signs of wear, with tattered wings increasing common, but this individual was beautifully intact.

I suspect that dragonflies live in the moment, focused solely on the present for as long as they live. I recently read an article that noted how much of life many people miss, because they are focused too much on the future, which, of course, is never guaranteed. Yes, it is good to plan for the future, but be sure to enjoy your present life too.

Widow Skimmer

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Solitary Sandpiper

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , on August 15, 2024| 5 Comments »

Shorebirds are always tough for me to identify—so many of them are similar in appearance. When I spotted this little bird on Monday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, I noticed that it was all alone. Half-jokingly, I thought to myself that maybe it is a Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria).

When I later checked my bird identification guide I was shocked to discover that it probably is a Solitary Sandpiper. As its name suggests, this bird was by itself, foraging for food in the shallow water at the edge of a pond. I watched it for a while, but when I moved closer to get a better shot, the bird flew away to a spot across the small pond.

Solitary Sandpiper

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Osprey in August

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , on August 14, 2024| 6 Comments »

With so many of the trees covered in leaves, it is a bit difficult for me to spot a perched bird. Sometimes, though, I get lucky and a bird will perch in the open on a dead tree and I will be able to get a clean shot of it. Otherwise, they can remain perched, hidden by the shadows of the trees.

We are in the doldrums of summer right now and many of the birds do not appear to be active during the warm, daylight hours. I was therefore delighted to spot this Osprey (Pandion haliaeteus) as it perched on the dead branches of a tree. This Osprey seemed to be relaxing and did not fly away immediately as I attempted to get a little closer. Occasionally it would turn its head from side to side, but otherwise remained in a relaxed position.

After I had taken a couple of shots, I continued on, leaving the Osprey at peace in the tree.

Osprey

Osprey

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Sidewards glance

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on August 2, 2024| 5 Comments »

Some dragonflies are openly curious and will look at me straight in the eye and even perch on me sometimes. Others will immediately fly away when they sense my presence.

This male Great Blue Skimmer dragonfly (Libellula vibrans) that I spotted during a recent visit to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge seemed to be a bit shy. He tolerated my presence well as I moved about to frame the shot, but gave me a sidewards glance instead of looking right at me. Was it shyness or maybe a little impatience that I was not taking the photo more quickly?

Whatever the case, I was happy to be able to capture his beautiful speckled blue eyes so well.

Great Blue Skimmer

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Insect Olympics

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Olympics, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on July 30, 2024| 1 Comment »

Inspired perhaps by the Summer Olympics in Paris, this female Halloween Pennant dragonfly (Celithemis eponina) was practicing her acrobatic moves last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

Yesterday I watched coverage of some of the men’s gymnastics competition and I was in awe of the ease with which the athletes were able to do handstands in the air on rings, on parallel bars, and on the ground. I have always been in awe of the combination of strength and balance of both human and insect gymnasts.

I’d give this dragonfly a perfect 10.0 as a score.

Halloween Pennant

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Active osprey nest

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on July 29, 2024| 3 Comments »

There was a lot of activity at one of the Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) nests last Tuesday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. When I first noticed the nest, there were a several Osprey sitting in the nest—initially I thought there were only two in the nest, but when I looked more carefully, I could see that there were at least three osprey there.

As I watched, another osprey flew into the nest as you can see in the first photo below. The nest does not appear to very large, so the the birds had to rearrange themselves a bit to accommodate the new arrival. In the second photo, one of the osprey seemed to be expressing its displeasure with the need to move a bit.

I think this may be a family unit, though I can’t be absolutely sure of that. When I look closely at the eyes of the osprey, some of them appear to be orangish in color, unlike the paler eyes of adults.

I especially love the body language in the second photo. It’s fun to imagine the conversation that is taking place. Perhaps, for example, the osprey with the flapping wings is complaining that the newly arrived osprey did not have a fish in its talons to share with the rest of the family. What do you think?

Osprey

Osprey

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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In the clouds

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on July 27, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Halloween Pennant dragonflies (Celithemis eponina) perch so high in the vegetation that it sometimes seems like they are perching amidst the clouds, like this one that I spotted a week ago at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. One of the advantages of this species’ perching preference is that it is often easy to get an uncluttered background. In addition, I frequently can get a shot like this one in which the light shines through the cells of the wings, illuminating them like a stained glass window.

Halloween Pennant

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Spooky morning

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on July 26, 2024| 5 Comments »

This Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) took a long look at me last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge before deciding that I was not dead, though I was moving quite slowly because of the heat and the humidity. Most of the vultures that I see in my area are Turkey Vultures, which have red, featherless heads, but, as you can in the photo, we also have Black Vultures.

I readily acknowledge that vultures play an important role in our ecosystems by eating dead animal carcasses and preventing the spread of diseases that could affect local food webs and human health. However, I admit that I, like most people, find these amazing birds a little creepy. Perhaps it is the result of watching countless Westerns on television as a child, movies in which circling vultures were always seen as a foreboding sign of death.

I like the way that this stark, naked tree enhances the spookiness of the vulture. One of my Facebook friends suggested that this would make a good Halloween image. For now, the image serves to remind us that life is ephemeral, tomorrow is not guaranteed.

Black Vulture

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Needham’s Skimmer (male)

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Portraits, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , on July 25, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Immature male Needham’s Skimmer (Libellula needhami) dragonflies are yellow and black in color, like the females of the species, but gradually turn into a wonderful shade of reddish-orange as the season progresses. I was delighted to spot this mature male Needham’s Skimmer last Thursday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge and captured this image as he perched on a stalk of what appears to be Eastern Gamagrass.

Needham's Skimmer

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

 

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Tight squeeze

Posted in Bees, Birds, Flowers, Insects, Photography, Summer, tagged , , , , , , , , on July 24, 2024| 2 Comments »

The entrance to a partially-open flower on a trumpet vine was so narrow that a bumblebee really struggled to gain access to the sweet goodness inside last Thursday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Eventually the bee was able to wiggle its way inside and add to the pollen baskets on its hind legs.

I could not help but recall how much easier it is for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris) to access the nectar in trumpet vine flowers using their long, slender bills. I have not yet been able to photograph any hummingbirds this season, but thought that I would reprise a photo from an August 2015 blog posting entitled “Hummingbird and trumpet vine.” Click on the link to see some additional photos of hummingbirds feeding on trumpet vines and learn more about my encounter that day.

bumblebee

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Quixotic quest

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , on July 23, 2024| 2 Comments »

I do not tilt at windmills, but often find myself engaged in my personal quixotic quest of trying to photograph dragonflies in flight. It is such a challenging task that I titled a video that I posted on YouTube, “Impossible Shots? Dragonflies in flight.” Despite the almost overwhelming odds of getting a good shot of one of these aerial acrobats in flight, I feel irresistibly drawn to trying over and over again whenever I see a dragonfly in the air.

I spotted this Black Saddlebags dragonfly (Tramea lacerata) patrolling over the waters off of Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge last Thursday and was thrilled to capture this shot of the dragonfly as it flew past me.Black Saddlebags dragonfly (Tramea lacerata). I love the way that you can see how the dragonfly had enhanced its aerodynamic profile by folding up its legs under its thorax, a bit like the way aircraft retract their landing gear after taking off.

In case you are curious, Black Saddlebags are only about 2 inches (52 mm) in length, so I have to be paying attention in order to even spot one. After years of pursuing my quest, though, my eyes are now calibrated to recognize the shape of a dragonfly pretty quickly and my hand-to-eye coordination has improved with practice, so that I am able to track these a lot better than when I started.

Black Saddlebags

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Impressive Wingspan

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on July 22, 2024| 2 Comments »

I love to look closely at dragonfly wings. I have a mental picture of the cells of a dragonfly wing as being made up of regularly-shaped squares, like those on a page of graph paper. When I examine them in real life, though, I am always delighted to see all of the different shapes and sizes of these tiny cells in intricate patterns that rival those of massive stained-glass windows.

I photographed this male Widow Skimmer dragonfly (Libellula luctuosa) last Thursday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. I love to see dragonflies with patterned wings and the males of this species have the added bonus of having both brown and white patterns on each wing.

This dragonfly was relatively cooperative and did not fly away as I moved slowly into a position that gave me a good view of the wings. I had to bend and crouch a little to get this shot that emphasizes the impressive wingspan of this handsome little dragonfly.

Widow Skimmer

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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What is the main subject?

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , on July 20, 2024| 5 Comments »

The main subject of one of my photos is usually pretty clear—I try to fill as much of the frame as possible with the insect or bird on which I am focusing at that moment with a telephoto or macro lens. Of course, it is often impossible to “fill the frame,” because my wildlife subjects frequently are skittish and are likely to depart if I move too suddenly or get too close to them.

As I was reviewing my photos from a visit to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge last week, I came across this shot of a Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus). The wren was pretty far away and had its back to me. The only thing that saved this from being another “butt shot” was the slight turn of the wren’s head that provided me with a chance to get a profile shot.

The shot of the wren is ok, but it was the amazing background that took my breath away. I dabble with watercolor painting and I would be absolutely thrilled to be able to paint a background like this, with all of those different shades of green and the deliciously soft “bokeh ball.” Wow!

I decided that the main subject of the photo that I wanted to show you all was actually the background, not the Carolina Wren. Consequently I did not crop very tightly and left it to the viewers to focus their attention on the linear structure of the branches and on the wonderful background. I am not sure that a thumbnail view of the image will grab folks’ attention, but I am ok with that—the photos in my blog are intended to provide an interesting view of some aspect of the beauty of nature and not serve as click-bait to maximize the number of views.

Carolina Wren

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

 

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Osprey in a tree

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on July 19, 2024| 2 Comments »

Earlier in the season, when the trees were bare, it was very easy to spot Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) when they returned to our area from their wintering grounds. Now, though, the trees are covered in leaves and Ospreys are increasingly hard to see as they perch among the leaves, especially if they remain silent.

I was delighted to spot this vigilant osprey last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. He was alert and focused—he seemed to be paying attention to something, though I am not sure of the subject of his surveillance.

The winds were kicking up periodically, causing a cowlick of feathers to stand up in the back of the osprey’s head. When I was a child, I had a similar problem and had to use a bit of Brylcreem to keep the unruly hair in place. (My Mom used to be able to accomplish the same thing with my hair using only a bit of her saliva and her fingers.)

Osprey

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Toothy grin

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Portraits, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , on July 18, 2024| 2 Comments »

On occasion I have noticed a dragonfly that seemed to be smiling a little at me. Last week, though, I encountered a female Widow Skimmer (Libellula luctuosa) at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge that seemed to have an exceptionally toothy grin—she seemed delighted to pose for me. I love the way that the background blurred out, allowing viewers to focus on the details of this smiling dragonfly and hopefully producing smiles on their faces in response.

Widow Skimmer

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Mating Calico Pennant Dragonflies

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on July 17, 2024| 1 Comment »

When dragonflies mate, they usually assume a “wheel” position, in which the male grasps the female by the back of her head and she bends her abdomen towards his thorax. The position appears to be both awkward and acrobatic, but amazingly the dragonflies are able to fly while in this position.

I was searching for dragonflies last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge when a pair of mating Calico Pennant dragonflies (Celithemis elisa) flew by me and landed in some nearby vegetation. Calico Pennants are some of the most spectacular dragonflies in our area, with bright colors and distinctive patches on their wings.

Feeling a bit like a voyeur, I moved a little closer to them and slowly crouched a bit to get a better angle for my shot. In the image below, you can see how the female grasps the abdomen of the male during this process.

I was happy to be able to get most of the two dragonflies in focus, which is always a challenge in situations like this.

Calico Pennant

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Trying to stay cool

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on July 16, 2024| 2 Comments »

The entire East Coast of the United States is in the midst of a heat wave. Yesterday here in the Washington D.C. area we had a record high temperature for 15 July of 102 degrees (39 degrees C) with the heat index even higher. Yikes.

Following recommendations of doctors and weather forecasters, I stayed indoors for most of the day and worked on a few images that I captured last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, including this shot of a Halloween Pennant dragonfly (Celithemis eponina).

Many dragonflies perch with their wings held stationary, but Halloween Pennants seem to move their wings about quite a bit to maintain their balance as they perch precariously on the very tips of tall stalks of vegetation. It is very easy to isolate the dragonfly from the background, because they are perched above all of the ground clutter, but it is a bit of a challenge to focus on the dragonfly as it is buffeted to and fro by even the slightest of breezes.

Halloween Pennant

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Red-winged Blackbirds in July

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on July 15, 2024| 5 Comments »

I was delighted to see some Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. In the first photo, a male  Red-winged Blackbird seemed to be showing off for me as he balanced himself on a single leg, glanced in my direction, and seemed to smile. Eventually he climbed to the tip of the small branch and appeared to be complaining about something that he observed.

A short distance away I captured the final image of a female Red-winged Blackbird. As you can she, she is not black nor does she have any red on her wings, so it feels a little strange to call her a Red-winged Blackbird. Although I was not able to get very close to her, I really like the overall composition of the image and the moment of action that I was able to capture as she called out.

Red-winged Blackbird

Red-winged Blackbird

Red-winged Blackbird

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly

Posted in Butterflies, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on July 13, 2024| 1 Comment »

We have a number of different dark swallowtail butterfly species in our area and sometimes I have trouble telling them apart. Recently I have seen Black Swallowtails fairly frequently and occasionally I will see a Pipevine Swallowtail. I know that there is also a dark morph version of the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail and a Red-spotted Purple butterfly sometimes looks almost like a swallowtail.

Are you confused yet? When I spotted this cool-looking butterfly on Wednesday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, I was not sure what it was. Rather than endlessly speculating while in the field, I follow what I call the “Law of the Wild West”—shoot first and ask questions later—and wait to identify my subjects until after I have loaded my images onto my computer.

I have grown accustomed to using a blog posting by the Louisiana Naturalist to help identify dark swallowtails—it provides side-by-side photos of four different species. On the basis of that posting and some other research, I have concluded that “my” butterfly is probably a Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus) butterfly, a species that I don’t recall seeing the past few years.

The background of the photo is not particularly interesting, but I was patient enough to wait for the butterfly to open its wings, so you get a good look at the wonderful markings of this Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly.

Spicebush Swallowtail

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Eagle tries to steal fish from Osprey

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , on July 12, 2024| 5 Comments »

On Wednesday I watched as a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) chased an Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) high in the sky above the waters off of Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge in a vain attempt to steal its freshly caught fish. I captured the second shot when the eagle flew past me after giving up on its chase.
It has been several months since I last photographed a Bald Eagle, so I was thrilled to capture these images. As most of you know, I concentrate most of my photographic attention on dragonflies and other insects during the warmer months. However, I am always alert to the possibility of photographing birds when I manage to spot them.
During the winter months I generally use a 150-600mm telephoto zoom lens that gives me a long reach, but in the summer I tend to rely on a 180mm macro lens or the 18-400mm zoom lens that I used for these shots. This lens gives me a good deal of versatility, allowing me to capture my close-in tiny subjects and some longer distance ones like these raptors in flight.
Eagle and Osprey
Bald Eagle
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