Looking For A Fix

I wanted to take some foliage photographs on Saturday, but dense cloudy skies and boring flat light followed me throughout Southern New England. With a very busy day scheduled for Sunday and my photography jones crawling on my back, real bad, I got up to great the dawn at Great Meadows for a very quick visit.

It was almost freezing cold overnight (36 degrees when I left the house). The tough decisions started in the parking lot. Photograph this Downy Woodpecker, or rush out onto the dike to catch the mist caused by the collision of cold air and warmer water. In a spirit of compromise, I took several photos of this sure thing to warm up. This is my favorite one. Once was able to sneak past it, I was able to shoot with the light at my back and colorful foliage at his.



When I think October at Great Meadows, I think of Geese and their morning departure. Today, the mist added a wonderful ethereal quality to the scene. Successive layers of geese were hid in the fog. Only their honking would give you clues to their numbers and location. Quickly the day started to warm and the mist quickly disapeared.












The American Coots are either becoming more comfortable with people and starting to forage near the shore, or they have eaten the bulk of the food that's in the deeper waters. This allowed me to get some closer shots that allow us to study their behavior and their details. Catch the size of the feet on the running photo (click on it for a larger version). They are probably part of the reason the coots rock back and forth as they swim.










The Fish & Wildlife staff work hard to keep the refuge "natural" (As much as one can keep man made impoundments natural.) However, in the course of some of the maintenance and studies they leave man made footprints behind. I often find that the animals like to take advantage of these areas that are not fully open, nor fully closed in for foraging. This morning as I was heading out I ran into the juvenile Sora foraging in the area of the dike crunched down by the tractor treads.

The photographs in my recent post were enjoyed by my birding friends, but left me wishing for better photographically. Today the intersection of serendipity and maintenance let me finally take some photos we will both enjoy.

Surprise Ending

Hoping to get some scenic foliage shots for my project, I arrived at Great Meadows shortly after sunrise. My plan was to warm up shooting (photographing) Canada Geese as they departed and then wander around the impoundment.

A large flock of Canada Geese took off as I was climbing the tower. They may have taken exception to all the noise the Argo made as the Fish & Wildlife staff drove out to check on the location of the female Blandings Turtles prior to starting today's canal dredging.


The Argo looks like fun. The closest thing to swamp buggy racing north of the Mason-Dixon line.




Normally Canada Geese start honking back and forth before departing. This morning the remaining groups stealthily took off without the pre-departure cacophony. (The reason you aren't looking at geese photos is because they either took off forcing me to shoot into the sun, or took a long looping takeoff down by the river resulting in tiny geese photos).

There are still a large number of coots swimming around the lower impoundment (They probably don't like the Argo either). They are more disbursed than Monday, often swimming and eating among the reeds.




Venturing on I captured some scenic photos of the foliage. This year the colors are somewhat muted and disappointing. The rain from the previous two days, has help strip some of the trees and raise the water level in the river.














I am attracted to the Milkweed pods that had not yet released all their seeds. I am fascinated with the silky coma that catches the wind floating balloon-like carrying the seed to it's final destination. With each gust of wind a few more seeds are pulled away from the pod, until they are finally all gone.










Completing my circumnavigation of the lower impoundment, I wandered down the Timber Trail. I was pleasantly surprised when I happened across the Great Horned Owl resting in the tree. Rather than immediately flying off he was content to watch me, watching him.

While I was wishing I had my long lens with me, I avoided actually kicking myself to avoid spooking him. He was not in the most photogenic of locations, but I tried to hold my camera steady to get a few snapshots for the record. Growing bored of watching me switch back and forth between camera and binoculars, he departed down river.

While I was still savoring that special experience another photographer ambled up (with the right gear on his shoulder) asking, "Anything interesting?" I hated to break the sad news to him...

A Bunch of Old Coots Visit

I have been away from Great Meadows for over a week, so Monday morning, I was up with the sun
to see what changed since my last visit. From the tower many striking differences were immediately apparent. The trees near the tower have already shed most of their leaves.

After giving me a hard time for taking a week off Alan, Will and Kathy invited me to accompany them as they drove around the refuge conducting their weekly bird census.


The last of over 300 Canada Geese departing to forage or continue their migration


They have completed dredging one side of the lower impoundment canal


The paper wasp nest that had been hidden in the leaves, is now the only thing left on the branch




There were reminders of spring as a flock of Red-winged Blackbirds stopped by the refuge. As the sun rose the temperature started to warm. Their calls could be heard around the impoundments.




The sparrows were foraging up and down the dike trails. This Savannah Sparrow was posing on one of the cat tail reeds.




Today's special visitors were a flock of over a hundred American Coots that had settled into the lower impoundment.








Near the bench on the Cross Dike Trail a juvenile Sora was foraging at the edge of the reeds. The Great Meadows Sora are most often heard, but less often seen. Given that standard this bird was practically posing. Unfortunately, Soras still insist on posing in a tangled mess of undergrowth. Of course a bad Sora photo beats the non-photo of the Great Horned Owl that we saw near the Concord / Bedford line marker.






Aa the morning progressed the wind started to blow. While the temperature was pleasant where you were protected by the trees, out on the dike the wind was starting to whip up.


Reeds blowing in the wind


While the trees near the tower have lost their leaves, down near the river they are just starting to change.