Potpourri

It was a cold crisp autumn morning as I arrived at Great Meadows. Summer shorts have been put one side in favor of pants and a windbreaker. Every visit there are more signs that summer is passing and fall has has begun to arrive.

The cool temperatures had bedecked the plants with diamond like dew. You have to click on the first photo of the Rabbit-foot Clover to see view this flower more closely. It has exquisite, wonderfully detailed feathery petals, that are just enhanced by the dew.








The birds that were there were quite active. Sparrows were found up and down the Dike Trail feasting. They were skittish, but I finally found one more interested in eating, than me. Several of the birds are starting to change to their winter plumage, including this Goldfinch. Several raptors were seen flying by including an Osprey, a Kestrel, and a Harrier. Unfortunately, most of the time I was preoccupied photographing something at ground level and the first clue I had was the large shadow flying by.


Blackburnian Warbler


Downy Wodpecker


Goldfinch on Evening Primrose


Song Sparrow Feeding among the Cattails


The Concord is still high and moving steadily. Some of the trees reflecting in the ripples are starting to change color.




I had to include this dragonfly because it let me get so close. This image is uncropped. I love the detail of the wings in the shadow on the leaf.




Amy was able to go on Cherrie Corey's walk on Saturday. She told me about a fascinating mushroom, a Coral Mushroom. It looks very much like white coral and unlike any other mushroom, I've ever seen. Continuing with my loop of the Edge and Timber Trails, I added a few more fungi to my photographic collection.

Fall Is In The House

Friday morning greeted me with the cold embrace that said summer is gone, autumn is here, and winter is not far away. Knowing that it was going to be cold, I was a little slow on my departure.

Normal daily activities were in full operation when I arrived at the refuge. The Great Blue Heron was fishing by the bridge. The joggers were out, and so were the photographers.

I made a new acquaintance, Mark who was photographing the heron by the bridge. He was waving so I wouldn't scare the bird. As I got to the bridge, I explained to him how domesticated this bird is and that we would have move suddenly to scare it away.






That quickly turned into a discussion about how I knew about this bird, my project, the refuge, and cameras. Before you knew it I had a shooting companion for the morning. While I often enjoy the solitary walks in nature, it is also fun to have someone accompany you as you photograph. Twice as many eyes and ears as well as people's differing interests can make for good observation and interesting photographs.

Today, our primary subjects were insects. It seemed with the colder weather they were more inclined to bask in the sun. When we were patient we often could get quite close.












Shooting with another photographer you can often share tips and techniques. Mark showed me this different perspective on a cat tail. I showed him how you can get a wonderful black background.






Fall is definitely in the air. Here the poison ivy is starting to turn color. As we got to the woods, we noticed the festival of mushrooms continues. They came in many shapes and sizes. Some were just emerging, others were decomposing back into the soil. I like the contrast of this small mushroom found nestled at the base of a towering pine.

Twi-night Doubleheader

As I reflected upon the photos I have taken, I realized that I have not covered evening and am weak on sunsets. Since Monday evening was going to be a full moon and one of the last warm nights before the weather turns cold I headed to Great Meadows to try to fill in those gaps.

Unfortunately all the rain we have had has only increased the population of mosquitoes and other flying, biting insects. They treated my bug spray as if it was marinade. In spite of the conditions, I soldered on.

The sunset started slow, but ended with some wonderful color. One advantage of the rains and the accompanying flooding of the impoundments, is that there are patches open water which reflect the sky.






The last time I thought about taking moonlight photos at Great Meadows, I had forgot to check the time for moon rise before departing home. Unfortunately, it was 3 hours after sunset. Not tonight. The moon rose 15 minutes before the sun finished setting.

Digital photography allows long shutter times which allow you to capture the dark of night bright enough to see. Unfortunately, the moon is too bright in a long exposure, so it takes some compositing of a properly exposed moon, with a long exposure landscape to make a night time photo.



Lower Impoundment


Upper Impoundment


The refuge seems different when viewed in the twilight. It was a bit disconcerting to hear so many animals rustling around in the reeds without being able to see them. As the night crept in, you could hear the coyotes calling from across the river (and I was hoping it would stay that way).

As I walked back the to parking lot, the habituated Great Blue Heron was in his usual spot doing a little night fishing. He didn't seemed any more concerned about me than if it was mid-day.

As I reached the tower, the first stars finally start to appear in the sky. If you look carefully, you will see the Big Dipper over the Concord River at the end of the boat ramp.