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Posts Tagged ‘Woodbridge VA’

Green Heron in July

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , on July 11, 2024| 7 Comments »

I was a little shocked yesterday to see a Green Heron (Butorides virescens) while I was searching for dragonflies at a small pond at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. In the past I have seen Green Herons at other locations at the refuge, but never before at this pond. Green Herons are smaller and squatter than the Great Blue Herons that I am more accustomed to seeing.

When I initially spooked the Green Heron, it flew to a mucky, shallow end of the pond, where I was able to capture the first two images. I am always amazed at the length of the neck of a Green Heron when it extends it fully—it looks so much taller and slimmer in the second shot. I also really like the floppy head feathers that sometime look like a Mohawk hairstyle.

The Green Heron eventually sensed my presence and flew to a nearby tree. The heron was partially hidden by the abundant foliage, but eventually I was able to capture the final image of it among the leaves.

It was hot and humid yesterday, so I limited my trekking to a couple of hours and drank plenty of water. Still, it was nice to get out in the wild with my camera after a week of spending most of my time indoors.

Green Heron

Green Heron

Green Heron

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Smiling dragonfly

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Portraits, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on July 3, 2024| 3 Comments »

Can dragonflies smile? Although I realize that it is probably an anatomical impossibility, this female Great Blue Skimmer dragonfly (Libellula vibrans) sure did look like she was smiling at me when she posed for this little portrait last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

Great Blue Skimmers are quite common in our area during the summer and are relatively easy to identify because of their white faces.

Great Blue Skimmer

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Carolina Saddlebags dragonfly

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on July 2, 2024| 1 Comment »

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

I spent some time that day watching several male Calico Pennant dragonflies, which are red and has patterned wings, as they flew around over the pond—check out yesterday’s posting to see a photo of a perched male Calico Pennant.  Suddenly a larger red dragonfly flew into view—Calico Pennants are approximately 1.3 inches (33 mm) in length, while Carolina Saddlebags are 2.0 inches (51 mm). I visually tracked the Carolina Saddlebags for a while and was able to follow it as it perched high on a stalk of vegetation in an adjacent field.

I was shooting into the light and at a sharp upward angle, which meant that I risked creating a silhouetted image of the back side of the dragonfly. I crouched a little to create a sky/trees background and waited for the dragonfly to give me a profile view. For a brief moment, my wishes came true and I captured the image below.

The image is far from perfect, but I like the way that it turned out. The focus on the dragonfly is a little soft, but I think it works well with the blurred background, creating an aesthetically pleasing little image.

Carolina Saddlebags

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Male Calico Pennant Dragonfly

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on July 1, 2024| 5 Comments »

When male Calico Pennant (Celithemis elisa) dragonflies are immature, they have yellow markings on their bodies similar to those of the females. As the males mature, those markings turn bright red. I was thrilled to spot several mature male Calico Pennants last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife, the first adult males of this species that I have encountered this year.

The bright body markings and the prominent wing patches really make this dragonfly stand out, although they are quite small, about 1.2 inches (30 mm) in length.

Calico Pennant

Calico Pennant

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Zebra Swallowtail and Milkweed

Posted in Butterflies, Flowers, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, tagged , , , , , , on June 30, 2024| 9 Comments »

I spotted quite a few beautiful Zebra Swallowtail butterflies this past Tuesday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The all seemed to be in constant motion, rarely perching for more than a split second and flying in unpredictable patterns.

Eventually I was able to capture a shot of a distant Zebra Swallowtail when it stopped to sip from a milkweed plant. I really like the composition of the photo, despite the fact that the main subject occupies only a small portion of the frame.

I could not help but notice that the butterfly is looking a bit tattered, with its long swallowtails already gone. Later in the season, I am sure that I will see many more butterflies and dragonflies with damage to their wings from the wear-and-tear of daily life. I am always amazed by the way that they are able to compensate and continue to survive. As I get older and slow down a bit, I try to remind myself to focus on those things that I can do and not on the ones that may be becoming increasingly challenging for me.

Zebra Swallowtail

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Needham’s Skimmer (female)

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on June 29, 2024| 2 Comments »

There has been a recent explosion of dragonflies at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, my favorite location for photographing these beautiful aerial acrobats. I spotted hundreds and hundreds of dragonflies this past Tuesday as I explored the trails at the refuge.

One of the species that I encountered most frequently that day was the Needham’s Skimmer (Libellula needhami). The Dragonflies of Northern Virginia website provided a wonderful description of the Needham’s Skimmer. “This dashing summer dragonfly, a member of the king skimmer genus, makes quite a splash at the shallow, marshy wetlands it prefers. Relatively skittish, it spends more time on the wing and less time perching than other king skimmers.”

At this time of the year the males and females have a similar coloration, but as they mature the males will turn reddish-orange. The dragonfly in this photo is a female—it is easy to tell from the terminal appendages at the end of the abdomen. I love the bright yellow vein on the wings of this dragonfly, a feature that is shared by the males as well as the females of the species.

Needham's Skimmer

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Living on the edge

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on June 28, 2024| 9 Comments »

The breeze was kicking up a bit and this Halloween Pennant dragonfly seemed to be holding on for dear life when I spotted in on Tuesday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. It seems to be that it would be safer and more secure to grasp the stalk a bit lower, but, like other members of the pennant family of dragonflies, this Halloween Pennant is a bit of a thrill seeker.

As the old adage, often attributed to John A. Shedd, states, “A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” Sometimes, I think, it is good for us to step out of our comfort zones, which can turn into ruts if we are not careful, and take a risk by living life on the edge, like this Halloween Pennant dragonfly.

Halloween Pennant

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Female Unicorn Clubtail

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on June 27, 2024| 1 Comment »

I was excited to spot this female Unicorn Clubtail dragonfly (Arigomphus villosipes) on Tuesday at Occoquan Bay Wildlife Refuge, one of the few times that I have seen a female of this species. I am not sure if the females hang out in different areas from the males, which perch prominently on low vegetation or logs at water’s edge, or if, like some human females, they are simply playing “hard to get” and wait to meet the males on their own terms.

As noted on the excellent Dragonflies of Northern Virginia website, Unicorn Clubtails are “the only clubtail in Northern VA that prefers ponds and marshes, over streams and rivers…our only clubtail that can be found in completely still, stagnant water.” I know that is true for the males that I have featured already a couple of time this season on this blog, but is it also true for female Unicorn Clubtails?

How do you explain the behavior of females? It is one of the mysteries of life.

Unicorn Clubtail

Unicorn Clubtail

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Gathering pollen

Posted in Bees, Insects, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , on June 4, 2024| 3 Comments »

This bumble bee was busily filling its pollen sacs and sucking up nectar when I spotted it recently during a visit to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. I cannot identify the plant on which the bee was feeding, but I love its beautiful colors and the blurry bokeh balls that were created in the out-of-focus areas of the plant.

As many of you know, when you move in close to a subject, the depth of field becomes really narrow, which means that only certain elements will be in sharp focus. My goal as a photographer is to try to make sure that the most critical areas, which usually include the eyes of the subject, are in focus. In this case, I was delighted that both the eye and the extended proboscis are relatively sharp.

bumble bee

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Perching lightly

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on May 28, 2024| 3 Comments »

I love the light and delicate pose of this handsome male Calico Pennant dragonfly (Celithemis elisa) that I spotted during a recent visit to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Pennant dragonflies, like the Calico Pennant, usually perch on the very tips of vegetation where they sway in the slightest breeze—like a pennant.

The red of the dragonfly’s body and the green of the vegetation help the dragonfly to “pop,” because red and green are complementary colors, i.e. they are directly opposite each other on the traditional color wheel that artists use.

Callico Pennant

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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First Viceroy of 2024

Posted in Butterflies, Insects, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on May 26, 2024| 2 Comments »

I haven’t seen any Monarch butterflies yet this season, but I did spot this similar-looking Viceroy butterfly last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Viceroy butterflies are generally much smaller than Monarchs, so I can often tell them apart from a distance. When I get closer though, the most obvious distinguishing feature is that Viceroys nave a thin black line across their hind wings that Monarchs do not have.

Viceroy butterfly

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Black Swallowtail in May

Posted in Butterflies, Insects, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on May 23, 2024| 3 Comments »

I spotted this beautiful Black Swallowtail butterfly (Papilio polyxenes) last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The orange circle with the black dot in between the wings helps to distinguish this species from several similar-looking dark butterflies in our area.

I chased this butterfly around for quite some time before it finally stopped for a moment on this vegetation—I often get a good workout when photographing butterflies. I am quite happy with the way that I was able to capture the varying shades of green surrounding the butterfly that add a lot of visual interest to this simple composition.

Black Swallowtail

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Bright red birds

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , , on May 22, 2024| 7 Comments »

The bright red color of this male House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) really caught my eye last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. For a split second I thought it was a cardinal until I looked more closely at the bird, it was clear that it was a different species.

Later that same day I spotted an equally bright red male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) that seemed quite pleased with whatever treat it had found. I think it may be plant material, but I can’t exclude the possibility that it is some kind of insect.

From a photography perspective, it is really helpful when a bird is this boldly colored and makes no effort to blend in with its surroundings, especially at this time of the year when there are so many leaves on the trees.

House Finch

Northern Cardinal

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Southeastern Mud Turtle

Posted in Nature, Photography, spring, turtle, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , on May 21, 2024| 3 Comments »

I love the sweet little face on this Southeastern Mud Turtle (Kinosternon subrubrum subrubrum) that I spotted last Thursday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Most of the turtles that I encounter are Red-eared Sliders or Painted Turtles and they generally are in the water or perched on logs floating in the water. Occasionally I will spot a box turtle or a snapping turtle. When it comes to mud turtles, however, I normally see only one or two a year.

According to the Virginia Herpetological Society, “Kinosternon subrubrum occupies a wide variety of aquatic habitats, including ponds, lakes, creeks, swamps, freshwater and brackish marshes, ditches, and boggy areas. They avoid large, deep bodies of water and fast-moving water. Preferred habitat is shallow, slow-moving water, with aquatic or emergent vegetation and a soft organic substrate. This turtle is often seen on land, especially after rainstorms. Mud Turtles may spend a considerable portion of the year on land and often overwinter in shallow burrows.”

mud turtle

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Ovipositing Swamp Darner

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , on May 14, 2024| 2 Comments »

Last week I photographed a female Swamp Darner dragonfly (Epiaeschna heros) depositing some eggs into a rotten log at the edge of a small pond at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Some dragonflies deposit a large number of eggs into the water or floating vegetation by tapping their abdomens rapidly and repeatedly at different locations, while others, like this Swamp Darner, deposit their larger eggs more slowly and deliberately by making a slit and inserting the eggs directly into wet wood and other debris with their blade-like ovipositors.

Swamp Darners are one of the largest dragonflies in our area, with a body length of about 3.4 inches (86 mm) in length. I love the description of this species on the Dragonflies of Northern Virginia website, “I often tell people on dragonfly walks that if they see a rhino with wings, it’s a swamp darner. Slight exaggeration, perhaps, but they are pretty impressive.” Some dragonflies are so nimble and acrobatic in their flight that they remind me of fighter aircraft, but the bulky size of the Swamp Darner makes me think more of bomber aircraft.

Swamp Darner

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Woodland Box Turtles

Posted in Nature, Photography, spring, turtle, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on May 11, 2024| 6 Comments »

Over the past week I have spotted Woodland Box Turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina) at two different locations in my local area. The red eyes of both turtles suggest that that they are males, though I have read that eye color is not always 100% accurate in determining the gender of a box turtle. The shell pattern for each box turtle is supposed to be unique, like a fingerprint, and you can definitely see differences in the patterns on the shells of these two turtles.

It is always a treat to spot one of these box turtles, because they are so cool-looking. Unlike many turtles, the box turtle is primarily terrestrial rather than aquatic, and most of the times that I have encountered them, they have been out in the open. According to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR), “The box turtle has a low reproductive rate and is long lived. It requires 10-20 years to reach sexual maturity. Box turtles may sometimes live to over 100 years.”

Virginia has special protections for this species. According to the DWR,  “it is illegal to keep one in your home in Virginia due to the significant number of wild caught animals found in captivity. This species is primarily threatened due to the thousands that are caught for the pet trade from the wild each year; although habitat fragmentation and urbanization also account for a fraction of the population’s drop of 32% over the last 100 years.”

Woodland Box Turtles

Woodland Box Turtle

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Male Calico Pennant dragonflies

Posted in Dragonflies, Insects, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on May 10, 2024| 8 Comments »

On Monday I finally spotted some mature male Calico Pennant dragonflies (Celithemis elisa) with red markings at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Heretofore all of the males that I had seen this year were immature and had yellow markings, like those of their female counterparts.

The first two photos show male Calico Pennants. I love the way that the red marking on the abdomen look like a series of tiny hearts. The dragonfly in the third photo is an immature male—you can tell that it is a male by looking at the shape of the tip of the abdomen (the “tail”).

For the sake of comparison, I have added a final photo of a female Calico Pennant from a posting I did in May 2020. You can readily see that the dragonflies in the last two photos are similar in coloration, but you have to look a bit closer at them to see that the wing patterns are slightly different and the shapes of the terminal appendages are quite different.

Most of us tend to rely on colors for identifying species of birds and insects, but I have learned over time that color is often not a reliable identification feature, especially for immature subjects, when the males and females are often similar in color and the color differentiation becomes apparent only when they mature.

Calico Pennant

Calico Pennant

Calico Pennant

Calico Pennant

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Lancet Clubtail dragonfly (female)

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , , on May 9, 2024| 2 Comments »

This dragonfly was perched on the ground on Monday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge when I spotted it. I knew immediately that it was either a Lancet Clubtail (Phanogomphus exilis) or an Ashy Clubtail (Phanogomphus lividus), but these two species are so similar in appearance that it is tough for me to tell them apart.

I checked my identification guides and realized that I had to look at the dragonfly more closely and get a bit more geeky. The abdomen (the “tail”) of dragonflies  consists of ten segments traditionally numbered S1 through S10, starting from the point at which the thorax (the “chest”) meets the abdomen (S1) and going downward to the tip of the abdomen (S10).

The Dragonflies of Northern Virginia website notes that for Lancet Clubtails there is a “noticeable bright yellow flange on sides of S8 & S9 (male and female), while Ashy has almost no flange, and less bright yellow.” I knew about these differences, but couldn’t see them clearly enough when I was in the field.

The dragonfly was relatively cooperative and I was able to get a shot of it from almost directly overhead. The image is really cluttered, because of the vegetation, and  artistically is not a great photo, but it does provide the kind of details that are helpful for identification.

In the image I saw what appear to be yellow flanges on the sides of S8 and S9  and I could clearly see the appendages at the tip of the abdomen, which helps me identify the gender of the dragonfly. These elements suggested to me that it was a female Lancet Clubtail. I posted a photo in a Facebook group devoted to dragonflies and damselflies in Virginia and was delighted when one of the most experience members there agreed with my identification of this dragonfly.

I don’t expect most of my readers to delve this deeply into dragonfly anatomy, but I figured it might be interesting to learn about what some of the myriad considerations that swirl about in my mind as I seek to photograph and identify these beautiful little creatures. Sometimes I am successful in connecting the dots and coming to a conclusion, but at times the identities of my subjects remains a mystery.

Lancet Clubtail

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Warbler and nest box

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, warbler, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on May 8, 2024| 6 Comments »

Most warblers nest either on the ground, in shrubs, or in trees, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website, but the Prothonotary Warbler and the Lucy’s Warbler build their nests in holes in standing dead trees or may use nest boxes when available. On Monday I was delighted to spot a Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea) at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge checking out a nest box from the outside and eventually from the inside too.

The nest box is old and may have a leaky roof, but the warbler seemed happy to have found it. The real estate market is tight in Northern Virginia right now and finding any place to live is difficult. After a short stay on the roof, the Prothonotary Warbler flew away and made an aerial approach from the front, perching at the entrance for a moment before entering the nest box.

I obviously could not see what was going on in the box, but periodically I could see flashes of yellow as the warbler moved about inside the box. Perhaps there are already eggs in the box. The warbler stayed inside the box for about five minutes before it poked its head out of the entrance and began to look around, as you can see in the final photo. I was hoping to capture a shot of the bird exiting the nest box, but it left more quickly and unexpectedly and I missed the shot.

I will be checking this spot out during my next visits to the wildlife refuge, hoping that I will be lucky enough to see some baby warblers.

Prothonotary Warbler

Prothonotary Warbler

Prothonotary Warbler

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Summer Tanager

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on May 7, 2024| 9 Comments »

This colorful bird was a long way away yesterday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge and I assumed it was a Northern Cardinal, but I decided to photograph it anyways. When I was reviewing my photos, I was shocked to discover that it was an immature male Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra), a new species for me. Truth be told, I was not very certain what kind of bird it was, so I did some searching on-line and came up with the correct answer, as confirmed by some experts in a birding forum on Facebook.

I will take photos of anything that catches my eye, knowing that many of them will not be “keepers.” I will take photos of subjects that are really familiar and those that may be rare or unique. My general rule is to take a lot of photos, following what I call the Law of the Wild West, i.e. “Shoot first and ask questions later.”

Summer Tanager

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Another Prairie Warbler

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, warbler, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on May 4, 2024| 7 Comments »

I don’t know how much longer the migrating warblers will be in my area, but this past few weeks I have been trying to get outside with my camera as often as I can, hoping to be able to photograph these colorful little birds.  On Tuesday I spotted a Prairie Warbler (Setophaga discolor) in the patient and patiently tracked it as it moved about.

The first photo was a bit of an anomaly, because the warbler momentarily gave me an unobstructed view when it jumped to a high branch. The second photo gives you a much better idea of the typical challenge I face, with the warbler barely showing itself from behind the wall of foliage. Fortunately, I reacted quick and got a shot that is one of my favorites of this warbler season, which has been my most successful one to date.

Prairie Warbler

Prairie Warbler

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Orange-headed skink

Posted in Nature, Photography, Reptiles, spring, tagged , , , , , , , , on May 3, 2024| 4 Comments »

On Wednesday I spotted a skink with a shockingly orange head while I was exploring Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Why was the skink’s head so orange? During mating season, adult male skinks get swollen heads that turn bright orange-red in color. I am not sure what biological purpose the color change serves, but it sure is impressive.

I think that this is probably a Common Five-lined Skink (Plestiodon fasciatus), the most common skink species in my area. However, the Broad-headed Skink (Plestiodon laticeps) is similar in appearance and I am not very good at telling them apart. Whatever the case, the males in both species have orange heads during mating season.

Five-lined Skink

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Camouflaged dragonfly

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on May 2, 2024| 1 Comment »

This female Eastern Pondhawk dragonfly (Erythemis simplicicollis) blended in so well with the vegetation that I almost missed seeing her yesterday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Eastern Pondhawks are one of the most commonly seen dragonflies in my area during the summer, but this is the first one that I have seen so far this year.

I love the beautiful emerald color of female Eastern Pondhawks (as well as immature males of the species). They are not particularly large as dragonflies go, but they are very fierce predators. Several times each season I stumble upon Eastern Pondhawks gnawing on damselflies or other dragonflies that they have caught. Yikes!

Eastern Pondhawk

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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May Day warbler

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Portraits, spring, warbler, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on May 2, 2024| 6 Comments »

Prothonotary Warblers (Protonotaria citrea) are probably my favorite warblers. I just love their brilliant yellow plumage that seems to glow. Many warblers have touches of bright yellow, especially during the spring breeding season, but the Prothonotary Warbler outdoes them all and is almost completely covered in yellow.

I spotted this little beauty yesterday (1 May) at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. I initially caught sight of the warbler as it was flitting about in the foliage. I would see flashes of yellow as it foraged, but could not get a clear look at it. All of the sudden the warbler flew across the trail and landed in a bush, momentarily give me a clear shot.

Quite often I strain my neck when trying to photograph warblers, a phenomenon that is colloquially called “warbler neck.” It is so common that the Audubon website has an article entitled, “A Birder’s Workout Guide for Preventing Warbler Neck.” I was very fortunate in this case, though, that the bird was perched below eye level, so I was able to capture a lot of detail without harming my neck, detail that is often hidden when I am shooting upwards at a sharp angle.

Prothonotary Warbler

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Warbler and Sycamore

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, warbler, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , on May 1, 2024| 4 Comments »

I spotted this spectacular Yellow-throated Warbler (Setophaga dominica) on Monday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge as it perched amidst the hanging seed pods of what I believe is a sycamore tree. I love the round shape and texture of the seed pods and the warbler was much more in the open than he was when he was hidden amidst the foliage.

Yellow-throated Warbler

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Indigo Bunting

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged , , , , , on May 1, 2024| 4 Comments »

Yesterday I spotted several Indigo Buntings (Passerina cyanea) at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. It is probably more accurate to note that I heard the buntings before I actually saw them. Unlike recent warblers that I have photographed that seem to hide behind the leaves while they sing their songs, Indigo Buntings like to fly to the top of the trees in order to be seen and heard.

I really like the basic description of this species on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website:

“The all-blue male Indigo Bunting sings with cheerful gusto and looks like a scrap of sky with wings. Sometimes nicknamed “blue canaries,” these brilliantly colored yet common and widespread birds whistle their bouncy songs through the late spring and summer all over eastern North America. Look for Indigo Buntings in weedy fields and shrubby areas near trees, singing from dawn to dusk atop the tallest perch in sight or foraging for seeds and insects in low vegetation.”

The bird in the third photo has mottled feathers and may be in the process of molting, but I think that it is another Indigo Bunting. The only other species in our area at this time of year with equally brilliant blue feathers is the Blue Grosbeak. It is a little hard to tell, but it seems to me that the bill on the bird in this photo is too small for it to be a “grosbeak.” UPDATE: Some more experience birders in a Facebook group say that this Indigo Bunting is immature and/or in the process of molting, while others say this is a Blue Grosbeak.


Indigo Bunting

Indigo Bunting

Indigo Bunting

 

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Scraggly Yellow-rumped Warbler

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, warbler, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on April 30, 2024| 5 Comments »

I don’t know if this Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata) that I spotted last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge was in a transitional plumage stage, but it looked awfully scraggly to me. The colors on the warbler’s face and body were mottled, but the yellow patches on its chest helped me to identify it as a Yellow-rumped Warbler.

I feel very fortunate when I am able to get any shots of a warbler. The trees are now covered in leaves and I can’t help but feel a bit of frustration when I can hear all kinds of birds singing, but can’t spot them. That’s the reality for a wildlife photographer—sometimes all I can do is watch, listen, and wait patiently, hoping that a subject will come into view.

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Ospreys take over eagle nest?

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on April 29, 2024| 1 Comment »

There is one extremely large eagle nest (plus one or two smaller ones) that I monitor each year at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Earlier this year I spotted a lot of eagle activity around that nest and I assumed that the eagles would be nesting in it.

However, recently both members of an eagle couple were spotted on the outside of the nest and ospreys began to display a lot of interest in the nest. I assume that means that the eagles were not successful in incubating eggs, but I do not know for sure what happened.

Last week I photographed an osprey in the nest and captured a few shots of it. The osprey looks absolutely tiny in the nest and the nest is far larger than the typical ones that osprey use.

I will continue to keep an eye on the nest and see if I eventually see some baby ospreys there. The big challenge is that the nest is so large and deep that osprey (or eagles) are not visible when they are sitting on eggs.

osprey

 

osprey

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Singing Prairie Warbler

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, warbler, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on April 28, 2024| 3 Comments »

This male Prairie Warbler (Setophaga discolor) was signing loudly and proudly when I captured this image on Thursday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. I just love the way the little bird tilts back his head and sings with all of his might, seemingly putting his entire body into the effort.

Prairie Warbler

Prairie Warbler

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Red-breasted Mergansers

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged , , , , , on April 23, 2024| 1 Comment »

I spotted these cool-looking ducks last week in the waters off of Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Some research and help for on-line experts helped me determine that these are Red-breasted Mergansers (Mergus serrator), a duck species that I do not see very often. I really like the spiky hairdos and long bills of these ducks that give them a distinctive punk vibe. I kept hoping that they would swim closer to shore, but, alas, they drifted farther and farther away, so I could not capture any close-up images.

Red-breasted Merganser

Red-breasted Merganser

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Cooperative Osprey

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on April 20, 2024| 4 Comments »

An Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) raised a wing as it flew by me on Monday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, displaying the fish that it had just caught. There are quite a few osprey at the refuge at this time of the year and it is not uncommon for me to see one clutching an osprey in its talons. However, it is rare that I am able to get a good look at the prey, because it is often hidden by the osprey’s wing movements.

Normally I attempt to capture shots of birds in flight with my longest lens, a Tamron 150-600mm. At this time of the year, though, I am just as likely to want to photograph butterflies and dragonflies as birds, so most of the time I keep my Tamron 18-400mm lens on my camera that lets me focus on a much closer subject. I sacrifice a bit of reach by using this lens, but, as you can see in the image of the osprey captured with this lens, it can produce good results even when fully extended. I encourage you to click on the image to see the feather details of the osprey and the details of the hapless fish too.

osprey

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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