Great Meadows Concord

Friday, April 8, 2011

Government Shut Down?

I hadn't been able to get to the refuge this week, first our daughter was in town visiting, then there was helping my wife with her campaign. In the midst of all that, I got sick and was bed ridden for two days. Not knowing what would happen if Congress and the President couldn't reach an agreement on the 2011 budget, I figured I should get over to Great Meadows to check things out.

It was a cool morning. Though I arrived about an hour after sunrise, there was still frost on the ground, and fog was slowly evaporating from on top of the impoundments.

Light Chronicle | Photography: GM20110408 &emdash;

A typical spring morning the clean, crisp air, was a pleasant tonic, for the way my body felt. The Red-winged Blackbirds, were greeting the morning sun, serenading walkers along the path.

Some of the animals resembled our government. Each had established their position and was attacking anyone who tried to get in their way. Rather than positions on the budget, the animals were driven by mating and nesting instincts. Several times I saw aggressive Canada Geese attack and drive off others that wandered too close.

I was fascinated as a pair of Mute Swans landed in the upper impoundment, attack and drove off another Mute Swan that had up to that point been peacefully enjoying the morning; just paddling and feeding.

A few of the other highlights were enjoying the designs of the maple buds, the mass arrival of a large flock of geese, and the chipmunk who stopped running along a log for a brief moment to pose in the shaft of sunlight.

When I returned home, I learned how our federal government planned to handle the refuge during the shutdown. In a bit of irony, the gates of a place where people can normally come on their own, walk and watch the animals with little or no "adult supervision" were going to be locked and access would be "prohibited". I am glad that Congress finally reached a solution, because I wasn't looking forward to the ethical dilemma I would have faced to continue my project.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

April Fools

Yesterday, I awoke to no power. I almost immediately learned my dependence on electricity. There was no heat, no internet, no computer, no television to watch, and dead batteries in our emergency radio. Reading was a possibility but, I'm between books and it was too dark. So I bundled up in warm clothes and headed out to see how the refuge looks during a storm.

Here are some of the images I captured from the morning. I may expand this post later, but this weekend with campaigning, a wedding, church, and enjoying our daughter's returning for a visit, I am way to busy. So this time the images will have to tell the story. I hope you enjoy.

Light Chronicle | Photography: GM20110401 &emdash;

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Flight School

Wednesday morning found me at Great Meadows just as the sun was starting to rise above the tree line. I hoped to get some good photos of the Canada Geese as they started to take-off and leave for the day. Photographing geese taking off is periods of boredom, sandwiching periods of absolute terror as you try to aim, compose and capture the birds departing. (Definitely click on this photo to see the larger version!)

Light Chronicle | Photography: GM20110330 &emdash;

Canada Geese help the photographer by generally starting honking to each other. Like they are exhorting each other, "Hey, let's get going!", "Yes, I'm getting hungry", "What are we waiting for?" Then as the honking reaches its peak, a group burst forth, and blasts off into the air. If you can figure out the ring leaders, you actually stand a chance of getting some reasonable shots. A lot of the geese are starting to pair off and stake out their territory, soon they will start building nests.

I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived to find a group of Snow Geese clustered in the midst of the Canada Geese. Unfortunately, I assumed that all geese would behave the same way regarding departure. So I was almost caught by surprise, when out of the relative silence, the Snow Geese just up and departed.

Photographing birds in flight is challenging. I've been working into it, starting first by photographing the "slow" moving planes and jets leaving Hanscom, then progressing on to the larger birds like Geese and Swans, then the slower moving gulls, soaring hawks and Osprey. Occassionally I can capture a fast moving duck in flight, but that's still equal parts luck and skill. Today gave me a chance to practice on all the living birds.

Another sign of spring is the return of the joggers. These two women were serious joggers, as they did multiple laps of the impoundment.

After photographing the various departing birds, it was time for my personal lap of the impoundment. In the water there were Mallards, Ring-necked Ducks, and Hooded Mergansers.

Mean while on land there were the ubiquitous Red-winged Blackbirds, some sparrows, and a bush full of Tree Swallows.

My favorite of the morning may have been the Mourning Dove, that pretty much ignored me and went about his business. It was one of those rare times that the bird was getting too close and I needed to zoom out to keep the bird in the frame.

An Osprey made a quick visit, but it didn't say long. Within just a couple moments it had found and caught its prey and departed for home. There was one last sign of spring as I was departing, that was the arrival of a family with children.