Photographs by Frank

27 August 2014

Up North

Filed under: Landscapes,Odontates,Other Insects,Summer,wildflowers — Tags: , , , — Frank @ 6:00 PM

Monday morning, we packed up the camper and headed north. Our goal was the Errol, NH area as Joan had some plant conservation volunteer business to attend to.

We arrived at  Mollidgewock State Park in the middle of the afternoon, dropped off the camper and spent the remaining daylight hours exploring and photographing. The highlight of the evening was watching (through the spotting scope and too far away to photograph) three otters eating and playing in the Androscoggin River.

Tuesday, we awoke to dense fog over the river but it burnt off quickly and  the day turned hot (low 80’s) and sunny as predicted.

After breakfast, Joan spent  four or five hours locating a population of rare plants (the only known population of this species in the US; there are about ten other isolated populations in Canada) and collecting seeds from them  for the New England Wildflower Society.

I spent the time photographing the local roadside flora and the odes and had fun despite the harsh light.

By midafternoon, we were back on the road meandering towards home.

Landscapes

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Odes (and a grasshopper!)

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Flora

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“Down Back”, again.

Filed under: Monadnock Region,Odontates,wildflowers — Tags: , , — Frank @ 11:00 AM

Sunday afternoon I donned my waders and spent a couple of hours “down back” in the beaver-made wetland at the back of our property. A short while after I left, Joan headed down in the same general direction to do some botanizing. She says that she saw me but I must have been completely engrossed in the odes since I did not notice her at all… makes me wonder what else I am missing!

As has been the case for most of the summer, the numbers of odes seems to be low. The most common odes on this visit were the large darners patrolling both low at the margins of the open water and between roughly five and ten feet over the wet meadow.

The only other dragonflies I saw were small numbers (roughly half a dozen) male meadowhawks present where woodland meets wetland; I saw no females.

There were also a smattering of damselflies (less than a dozen total) including bluets, spreadwings, a single female forktail and a lone sedge sprite.

I arrived back at the house a roughly 6 PM to find a feeding swarm of mixed darners (probably 50 or more individuals) in the yard down by the garden.

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29 July 2014

Wildflowers of the North Country

Filed under: Other Insects,Summer,wildflowers — Tags: , , — Frank @ 10:00 PM

Please note: Thanks to Allan, Al and Joan for getting the plants identified. 

The New England Wildflower Society (“NEWFS”) occasionally sponsors field trips for their “PCVs” (i.e. plant conservation volunteers).  This past weekend was was the occasion of the most recent of these.

Nine folks total… staff, PCVs and two husbands gathered in Pittsburg, NH for a weekend of botanizing. I (one of the husbands, obviously?) tagged along for the adventure in general and the hope of some “interesting” odes.

The far north of NH is interesting ecologically since it represents the southern limit of the range for some species found mainly in Canada (plants and odes included) so we were all hoping to see new “stuff”.

Joan and I left the house mid-morning on Friday with camper in tow. We meandered north up the center of NH (staying west of I-93 until Franconia) studiously avoiding the highways. We passed through Kinsman Notch (the second nicest of the notches*)  in the White Mountains and arrived at the Mountain View Cabins and Campground in Pittsburg by the late afternoon.

After a home-cooked dinner with much great food, we spent the evening observing the neighborhood moths as one of the participants had set up white sheets and  lights to attract these critters. I had heard about this activity before but this was my first time experiencing it. Very interesting!

On Saturday morning, after a breakfast of homemade blueberry pancakes, we headed out to the South Bay Bog (part of the Connecticut Lakes Natural Area) and spent the day slogging through the bog in search of rare plants (especially orchids) and odes. The search for plants was a rousing success. The search for odes was less successful as the weather was not ideal (temperature in the low 70’s and cloudy).  I did observed a couple of emeralds, a few sphagnum sprites and a couple of  unidentified dragonflies but did not make any photographs of them.

Rather, I figured “when in Rome, do as the Romans do” and concentrated on photographing the vegetation.

Wild Flowers in and around South Bay Bog

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On the way back to the campground, we stopped at a spot where there was a large concentration of butterflies nectaring on the roadside flowers. (Also included in this set  are other “miscellaneous” photos.)

Mostly Insects

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Sunday morning we awoke to scattered rain showers, but we headed out again for a second morning of botanizing in the East Inlet area**. The group was successful in finding a number of the rare plants they were looking for. I saw a single ode (a female meadowhawk) during one of the lulls in the rain and, again, entertained myself photographing the flora.

Wild Flowers Near East Inlet

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As the weather continued to be iffy, the group broke up around lunch time. After a quick sandwich at the Lake Francis boat launch with a few of the others, Joan and I pointed the car and camper south. We took an western route home, hugging the Connecticut River as much as possible until we hit the Hanover area where we followed NH 10 (which veers east there) to NH 31. We arrived home about 7 PM.

A good time was had by all!

* The nicest notch… that would be Jefferson… the one driven by hardly anyone!

** We’ will definitely be headed back to East Inlet as it looks like spectacular canoeing/kayaking territory.

 

20 July 2014

A Paucity of Odes

Filed under: Monadnock Region,Nature Conservancy properties,Odontates,Summer,wildflowers — Tags: , , — Frank @ 1:00 PM

Thursday afternoon Joan and I headed out to explore… Joan was interested in wild orchids and I in odes, of course. Our “targets” were the cedar swamp at Lovern’s Mill and the Bradford Bog.

The most significant observation was the low numbers of odes we encountered in what are usually rich environments. The number of dragonflies we observed in four or five hours can be counted on one hand. Damselflies were slightly more numerous, but only at Lovern’s Mill; we saw none at the Bradford Bog.

The main trail near the Lovern’s Mill boardwalk yielded a handful of ebony jewelwings. This is always a reliable place for them. The actual swamp/boardwalk yielded single individuals of two other species.  (All of the photos shown below were made at Lovern’s Mill.)

The dearth of odes continued when I took a careful look around the house on Friday. I saw small numbers of damselflies and two or three dragonflies.

Last Tuesday we had periods of torrential rain which came and went beginning in the evening and continuing for most of the night. I wonder if this weather is related to the general lack of odes?

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If you look closely, you will note that all of the photos of the ebony jewelwing are of the same individual (with a bent wing tip). We encountered this fellow both coming and going from the swamp. We saw three or four other individuals as well.

 

10 July 2014

Odes “Down Back”

Filed under: Monadnock Region,Odontates,Summer,wildflowers — Tags: , , — Frank @ 11:00 AM

Yesterday afternoon, I donned my waders and spent a few hours at the beaver swamp “down back” on our property. I am always amazed how quickly time passes while I am out in the field. The old saying “time flies when you are having fun” is certainly true for me!

Darners have appeared out over the wet meadow since I last visited the swamp. You know…the ones that I have yet to figure out how to photograph! Their numbers are small right now but their arrival is, to me, a signal that summer is truly here.

Additionally,  male spangled skimmers and male frosted white faces were present in good numbers. Mating season for the bluets (which I can not identify exactly) was in full swing… I saw more pairs flying in tandem than I did individuals.

The most common damselfly present was the sphagnum sprite. I had forgotten how frustrating these are to photograph. They spend all of their time down low in the vegetation and are very small. One finds them by looking for the bright blue spot on the end of their abdomen. Then the challenge is to find a clear “window” through  the grasses and sedges in which to photograph them. All good fun!

The fragile forktail is quite rare here. The single individual I saw and photographed yesterday represents only the second time that I have observed one “down back”.

In the water at the edge of the pond, there were large numbers of  rose pogonias in bloom. I had not noticed them in years past. Their foliage is very inconspicuous and thus they are easily missed  if you do not catch them in bloom.

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29 June 2014

Coastal Maine Trip, Part I (Acadia)

Filed under: Landscapes,wildflowers — Tags: , — Frank @ 10:00 PM

Last week (Friday to Friday), Joan and I took a trip up the Maine coast. We left the house on the morning of the 20th and pulled into our campsite at the Seawall Campground in Acadia National Park about 4 PM. We spent the late afternoon and early evening exploring the less traveled side of the park near the campground.  After dark, we had lobster rolls for dinner at Thurston’s Lobster Pound in Bernard, ME. Highly recommended!

On Saturday, we spent most of the day driving the Park’s loop road stopping at many of the sights there are to see. In the late afternoon, we ended up at the Pinnacle Trail  parking lot watching the not-quite-fledged Peregrine Falcon chicks through the spotting scope (i.e. way too far away for photographs). The only other person at the parking lot when we arrived was a die-hard birder named Steve, from Port Washington, NY of all places! (I grew up in “Port”.) Even stranger… Steve had just finished a week volunteering at the Audubon Camp in Maine on Hog Island in Bremen. Our next stop after Acadia was to be Hog Island for the Arts & Birding session!!! Talk about “small world”! Eventually we made it back to Thurston’s for lobster rolls again… they were that good!

Sunday morning we packed up the camper and headed southish/westish… towards Bremen and Hog Island. We arrived mid-afternoon, right in time to get the second boat from the mainland to the island.

Stay tuned… there is more to follow.*

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* I have divided the weeks photos into five galleries. Thus, I expect that this will mean five posts; some may be light on the text!

13 June 2014

Birds & Plants In the Rain

Filed under: Birds,Spring,wildflowers,Wildlife — Tags: , — Frank @ 1:00 PM

Yesterday, Joan had some PCV* business to attend to over in Hinsdale, NH. I planned to tag along and use the time to hunt for “big river” odes on the Connecticut River.

The day dawned cool and gray… not ideal weather for odeing. I decided to make the trip anyway, figuring that there would always be birds to photograph.

We arrived in Hinsdale in a light rain and the temperature was in the mid-50s. Joan met up with her fellow PCVs and, as they headed off to search for rare plants, I headed off  to the Hinsdale Setbacks, along the river, to photograph.

Completely ignoring the “ode rig” (that I had optimistically brought along), I mounted Big Bertha on the tripod and headed out the causeway towards the power line towers in the rain and fog… great weather for photography!

It rained with varying intensity for the roughly three and a half hours I was out. As one would expect, given the weather, I saw no dragonflies or damselflies.

As for birds, there was an osprey on its nest atop one of the powerline towers… way too high for a photograph.

I also spooked a great blue heron from the edge of the main channel of the river as I walked by… I was too slow for a photograph.

Groups of tree swallows appeared during intervals when the  rain let up a bit. They disappeared into the thickets of shrubs whenever the rain picked up. I hoped to photograph them on their way in or out of the vegetation but they do not seem to pause on the surface of the thicket… ever!

Also present in and around the thickets were small groups of song sparrows. They spent most of their time either in the thickets or feeding on the ground. Some of them were kind enough to pause on various perches, as they traveled between protection and food, long enough for me to photograph them.

I was also able to photograph some of  many red-winged black birds that were present in and near the cattail beds.

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While waiting for birds to appear in the proper places, I noticed the photographic possibilities present in wet vegetation. Thus, I was able to fill the intervals between birds by photographing said vegetation.

A long telephoto lens is not the usual tool for this type of photography but it does allow one to nicely isolate subjects against the background. Besides, it was the only lens I was carrying!

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* Plant Conservation Volunteer, a group organized by the New England Wildflower Society.

4 June 2014

Bradford Bog

Filed under: Odontates,Spring,wildflowers — Tags: , , — Frank @ 11:00 AM

On Monday, I spent a few hours exploring the Bradford Bog. I parked the truck at the Bradford Springs site* and began my exploration by walking up the road of the adjacent tree farm. This road skirts the edge of the bog and then gently rises into the uplands surrounding the bog.

There were small numbers of odes present along the road. Most common were baskettails (either beaverpond or spiny). Each individual was patrolling a section of road and hunting. Most never paused in their flight, but every once in a while one would perch briefly allowing for a “photo op”. Along the open patches of water in the bog, were a few teneral individuals of a dragonfly that I have not identified yet.

Although the walk along the road was not long (maybe half a mile one way), it was  hot and dusty.  I was glad to get back to the truck for some water and a snack before heading off towards the boardwalk into the bog proper. I saw exactly zero odes along the boardwalk and at the observation tower. However, I did find some nice wildflowers to photograph instead!

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* I was interested to learn from the sign here, that the Bradford Springs Hotel which once stood at this site was moved to Antrim where is is known as the Maplehurst Inn!

1 June 2014

Athol Bird & Nature Club — Ode Institute

Filed under: Birds,Odontates,Spring,wildflowers — Tags: , , — Frank @ 10:00 PM

Some months ago Dave Small, the president of the Athol Bird and Nature Club , put out call on the NEODES email list looking for folks to present at the group’s 2014 Dragonfly Institute.

After a bit of back-and-forth by email, Dave & I agreed to display my “Life Cycle of Dragonflies and Damselflies”  exhibit for the duration of the institute and that I would present a session on “ode photography” (scheduled for 12 July).

Last Wednesday, I made the drive to Athol and with the help of Dave and three volunteers (whose names I am unable to remember at this juncture… sorry!), we had the exhibit hung in short order.

Yesterday, I again made the trip to Athol, to attend the inaugural session of the Institute. Dave gave an introductory lecture and then the group headed out to the nearby Tom Bog (located within the Harvard Forest) for some field work. The weather was iffy for odes (the temperature was around 60 F and the skies kept changing from bright sun to light sprinkles). We struck out as far as odes went! However, we had a nice walk, had fun looking at birds and plants and ended up at the Petersham General Store for lunch.

When I got back home Joan was in the garden. There, within minutes of arriving home, I was able to photograph both a male Eastern Forktail, the first of the year, on the asparagus in the garden! Moments later, a yellow-bellied sapsucker appeared in one of the oak trees along the road. I certainly don’t need to go far for wildlife!

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2 April 2014

Keeping Busy in the Late Winter and… Signs of Spring

Filed under: Garden Flowers,Landscapes,wildflowers,Wildlife — Tags: , , , — Frank @ 2:00 PM

Arrrgh… blasted computers!

I went to write this post (the first in two months… how time flies!) and found that WordPress was asking me to update a number of things; which I dutifully did. This broke gallery plug-in that I have been using to display sets of photos. I have spent part of two days trying, without success, to get things working again! I have given up (at least for the moment). Thus, you will note a much less elegant presentation of the photos included in this post. Please click on each thumb nail for a larger version and then click on the larger image to close it.

Here is the post I was contemplating before update hell intervened…

February and March are always the slow time in my photographic year and this year has been no exception. Stretches of cold gray weather followed by a day or two of  cloudless bright sun… neither of which are very conducive to landscape or wildlife photography. Most years we see signs of spring by early April and the photographic opportunities reassert themselves… not this year, as yet!

There is still more than a foot of snow on the ground and “ice out” on the lake  is no where in sight. There are a few meager signs that spring is coming… the snow has a nice wet slushy consistency, a few robins have appeared, the temperatures are falling to barely below freezing at night and the road is a quagmire! Yesterday, it was even warm enough to spend some time making saw dust fly in the garage Spring can’t be too far away… right!?

Although the making of new photographs has been slow, I have been “photo-active” in other ways. For instance, I put together and submitted a portfolio of fifteen 8″x 10″ prints (matted to 11″ x 14″)  in support of my application to become an exhibiting member at the Vermont Center for Photography. I am glad to say that this portfolio was favorably received and I was accepted as an exhibiting member at the end of February.

The Vermont Center for Photography is a gallery and resource center located in Brattleboro, VT (about an hours drive from the house). For the moment, I plan to take part in their group exhibits. I also plan to use their darkroom facilities as I experiment with hand-made cameras (see this post, for example).

Here are the photographs I submitted:

 

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