We went on a little stroll along the trails of the Warren & Grace Beeken Riverside Preserve in Richmond the other day. Cold morning temperatures had allowed thin ice to form in a vernal pool in the flood plain. As the water receded during the day, the ice was suspended in the air, still clinging to the objects that had help form it. Lovely!
Panasonic GX8, Lumix 14-140mm lens @ 26mm, ISO 400, f/13, 1/125″ exposure.
Bald eagles have made a dramatic recovery in Vermont over the past two decades. Here’s a discussion from the Audubon Vermont website:
“…15 Standard Survey Routes (SSR) were covered for the 2015 winter survey. A record fifty-one Bald Eagles (30 adult 20 immature, and 1 unknown age) were observed by designated observers on Vermont’s SSRs in 2015. This number is well above the record of 30 eagles reported in 2010. Bald Eagles were located on of the 14 SSRs surveyed including three routes along Lake Champlain, two along the Connecticut River, on the upper Winooski River, and on Lake Bomoseen. 2015 was the first year that an eagle was seen on the upper Winooski River route. The area between the Champlain Bridge and Shelburne Point on Lake Champlain supported the largest concentration of Bald Eagles (16 adults, 11 immatures) in the state. The overall numbers are well above totals of full surveys in recent years.”
Panasonic GX8, Lumix 100-300mm lens @ 300mm, ISO 400, f/11, 1/320″ exposure.
The ice along the edges of our pond is slowly receding. This maple leaf from last fall emerges…
Panasonic GX8, Lumix 14-140mm lens @ 73mm, ISO 400, f/10, 1/200″ exposure
It was a fine morning to climb the Hump today. Although there was very little snow in the woods even up at the ridge meadow, traction aids were a must as the trail is still pretty much ice covered above 2500′.
The bluebirds are back! I was enjoying today’s warmth working in my “front office” (on the front porch) when I heard the distinctive burble of a bluebird. Grabbing my camera and long lens, I didn’t have to wait long before this pair came around to inspect one of the boxes we have in our front field. Hopefully they’ll stick around for the season!
Panasonic GX8, Lumix 100-300mm lens @ 300mm, ISO 800, f/9, 1/400″ exposure.
John Hadden Photography 