The Next Generation

This month Great Meadows is a place of frenetic animal activity.  Most of the birds I encountered early Monday morning were engaged in activities related to establishing the next generation.

Whether it is the Marsh Wren singing to attract a mate (or more - they are polygynous).  It appears that their complex vocalizations are used to attract mates and establish territories.

The Red-winged Blackbirds and Song Sparrows gathering nesting material.






The Black-capped Chickadees sharing a meal



To the Tree Swallows mating on the top of the snag they've selected for this year's nest. I especially like how he's pulling on her head feathers.










To the Canada Geese who are faced with the challenges of raising their new-born chicks in a tough cruel world.

Back for Seconds

Yesterday's dramatic skies whet my appetite for more photography.  The weather Friday morning was going to be the best of the weekend.  Mother's Day wasn't going to be a possibility for obvious reasons.  So the alarm went off during dawn's early light to get me on my way.

For some reason this morning, the Marsh Wrens were more cooperative, so I spent a bit of time taking their photos.







It was a windy morning, as you can see in the ruffled feathers of the Red-winged Blackbird.





On the far side of the impoundment, I discovered some Black-capped Chickadees picking apart one of the Cattail Reeds.  I was kicking myself for having left my flash at home.





Navigating around the impoundments currently takes longer because there are several families of Canada Geese that can be found along the side of the path.  They are eating at what must seem to them, the world's longest salad bar.  Thankfully, I had my tripod with me to keep between myself and the parents for self defense lest they take offense in my passing by.  Though I'm not a big fan of Canada Geese, I must admit they do look cute when they are young.





My favorite photo of the morning wasn't an animal, but these a photo of a violet that was growing along the path.

Passing Showers

Thursday afternoon, the weather called for passing showers during the afternoon.  My shutter finger was itchy after two nights of viewing nature photography slide shows.  So, in spite of the weather forecast, I wandered over to Great Meadows in the late afternoon to see what was happening.

As I started to walk out onto the dike, I could see an approaching shower.  This was the first of several that passed through.  It was a great day for landscape photography as the scenery alternated between threatening skies and periods of sun.  This made the landscape truly stand out against the backdrop of the next passing storm.

In New England we revel in the spectacular foliage of autumn.  We rarely appreciate the many different colors of spring foliage.  However, if you watch carefully, spring has its own display of colors.

My recent trips to Great Meadows have tended to focus on the animals.  However, the landscape photos helped remind me that my project is to capture "the spirit of Great Meadows".  People come to the refuge for many reasons; often having little to do with the wildlife.

If you go to Great Meadows with any frequency, you will see reminders of the cycle of life.  This ranges from the new buds on the trees, to the baby geese and ducks, to the dead fish carcass, slowly decaying along the shore.

Of course there still is wildlife.  On this visit I found a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher who posed for me.  A Downy Woodpecker was uncharacteristically searching for food among the Cattail Reeds rather than the woods. Even a Grackle can look good, when the light is just right.