Trip Report

Conowingo Bald Eagles 2015 /  by Todd Henson

Bald Eagle searching for fish in the Susquehanna River

Every year my brother and I try to make our way to Conowingo Dam in the November to December timeframe. Conowingo Dam is on the Susquehanna River in Maryland, close to the border with Pennsylvania. Route 1 crosses over top the dam. Large numbers of bald eagles congregate here each year to fish in the river. The most active times are when the dam turbines are on. This stirs up the water and stuns some of the fish making them easier meals for the eagles. In addition to the eagles there are cormorants, various gulls, great blue herons, and black vultures. Conowingo has become a very popular site this time of year, so if you go arrive early to assure you find a parking space and viewing location.

Bald Eagle searching for fish in the Susquehanna River

Personally, I’ve found Conowingo to be very hit or miss the times I’ve been there. Several times we’ve arrived by 6:30 or 7 in the morning only to find the entire river completely covered in a thick layer of fog that didn’t clear up till around 10:30. That’s a lot of time standing around with very little to photograph. Sometimes the fog will begin to clear only to fog over again. One day I’ll change to a shorter focal length lens and make some images of the fisherman or other photographers in the fog.

Bald Eagle at an interesting angle as it scans the river below

Below is a sequence of images of a young adult bald eagle catching a fish. I say young adult because its dark feathers are still coming in, notice the occasional white patches. It’s fascinating to watch as they approach the water, spread their wings to slow their descent, reach their talons forward then plunge them into the water and, hopefully, grab hold of a good sized fish. Often they come up empty. When they do catch a fish they are sometimes pursued by other eagles eager to steal their catch.

This year a juvenile bald eagle came very close to us, allowing a great view. The juveniles are mottled brown and white, not yet having white head or tail feathers. I’ve read that juveniles can actually be larger than the adults, and eagles are large birds. Below are two photos of the juvenile as it was flying over the river, veering towards the water having its sights on a fish just under the surface. Further below is a longer sequence of the juvenile catching the fish and flying off. Unfortunately, I didn’t capture the actual moment it brought the fish out of the water, but sometimes you just have to take what you can get.

Juvenile Bald Eagle veering towards the river, it's eye focused on a fish just under the surface

Juvenile Bald Eagle angling down towards a fish in the river

Below is a sequence of the juvenile bald eagle catching a fish and flying away with it. Click on an image to cycle through them all.

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Sunflowers at McKee Beshers Wildlife Management Area - 2015 /  by Todd Henson

There's always something to smile about, even when surrounded by a field of drooping sunflowers.

There were a large number of bees and other insects feeding on the sunflowers.

Every year the folks who manage the McKee Beshers Wildlife Management Area in Maryland plant fields of sunflowers for some of the local wildlife. This makes for a perfect photographic opportunity. Unfortunately, this year I think we showed up about a week later than we should have for peak bloom. Most of the field we visited was well past peak, with rows and rows of drooping, half eaten sunflowers. But we'd made the trip so we made the best of it. Despite the state of the sunflowers I had a great time. One thing I would do differently is to bring bug spray, this place can be full of biting insects. A good pair of water resistant boots might also be a good idea if there's been any rain, something we've had plenty of this year.

Sunflower just beginning to open.

A reasonably young sunflower.

Getting a little older.

A cooperative Blue Dasher dragonfly.

This photograph of a Blue Dasher is available for purchase as wall art or on a variety of products.

The majority of the field was past peak, but there were still a few standout sunflowers scattered around, and some that hadn't even opened yet. It was interesting to see the variety, though it did take a little walking to find young plants. Insects of all kinds, such as bees, were feeding off the sunflowers. And some insects, like dragonflies, were out hunting the other insects. There weren't as many dragonflies as you'd find in a wetlands park, but there still were quite a few. We watched and photographed a number of Blue Dashers and occasionally we found a beautiful green Common Pondhawk.

I love the green coloration of this Common Pondhawk dragonfly.

Male Goldfinch looking over the field of sunflowers.

And, of course, there were birds pulling out seeds from the older sunflowers. Goldfinch were everywhere, flying from sunflower to sunflower. They may be common, but they're beautiful birds. We were also on the lookout for Indigo Bunting. We didn't see a great number of these, but we tried to photograph the few we did see. And we saw a single Common Yellowthroat which almost seemed to be watching us, hopping from leaf to leaf, often hiding behind one before revealing itself again. I believe it was either a female or an adolescent male that hadn't yet taken on its distinctive coloration.

Male Goldfinch. This one was flying around with a female, also photographed.

Female Goldfinch. She was flying around with the male.

Indigo Bunting. These were very difficult to photograph, this was the only decent shot I made.

A Common Yellowthroat Warbler

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Lotus and Water Lilies at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens - 2015 /  by Todd Henson

Dark pink lotus blossoms just opening

Opening lotus blossom covered in rain drops

It’s that time of year again when lotus and water lilies are in bloom at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in Washington, D.C., when they hold their annual Lotus and Water Lily Festival. The day started with rain, leaving us wondering if it was worth the drive if it was going to be a wash out. But the rain was forecast to clear up so we made the trip and it was well worth it. The rain left water droplets on all the flowers, naturally saturated all the colors, and honestly, kept some of the early morning crowds a little lighter than they might have been otherwise, though the crowds did grow as the rain stopped. It’s fascinating all the different people who show up to view these flowers. One day perhaps I’ll photograph some of the people as well as the blooms.

Bumble bee above dark pink lotus blossom. There are several streaks of rain on the left side.

One thing I noticed this year was some of the ponds contained lotus blossoms that were lighter in color, a very pale pink that almost seemed to glow. The overcast day was perfect for photographing these, no harsh light, no hard shadows. Just an evenly lit glowing lotus blossom. Other ponds held lotus blossoms of a much darker, deeper pink. These had beautiful color, but didn't glow quite like the paler blossoms did. I love the variety.

Bumble bee above a lotus blossom

Small green insect on lotus blossom

Six-Spotted Fishing Spider (Dolomedes Triton)

As with last year I found myself looking for insects to add some extra interest to the photos. This year there were very few dragonflies because of the rain, though they did begin coming out after the rain ended. I did manage to capture a couple bumble bees, as well as several other small insects. The most distinctive insect (arachnid, actually) I photographed was a fishing spider. I believe it was a six-spotted fishing spider (Dolomedes Triton), if I've identified it correctly. I found it on a lily pad. When other folks walked closer it dove into the water and disappeared. Fascinating.

Pink water lily and a small insect

The lotus blossoms draw the largest crowds, but if your timing is good you can also view some of the beautiful water lilies in other ponds. Kenilworth has a nice variety of water lilies. Some are very simple white flowers, in fact, my favorite photo of the day is of a white water lily. Some of the water lilies are similar shades of pink to those of the lotus. And some of the water lilies are amazing shades of purple, though I don't have any photos of those in this post.

White water lily, my favorite image of the day

The photograph, White Water Lily, is available for purchase as wall art or on a variety of products.

We usually arrive early in the morning and continue photographing and walking around until we get comfortably tired. But this means we often don't spend a lot of time around the festival events. This year was no different, but we did see the tail end of a presentation by and about Cindy Dyer, an Alexandria-based photographer who was recently honored by the United States Postal Service by having a series of her photographs used on a set of Forever Stamps. She's a very talented photographer and has produced some beautiful images. She is well deserving of the honor.

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