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John Hadden Photography

Photography of the Natural World

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Vermont

Dappled

dappled
Sunlight dapples sand and stone at Shelburne Beach

We made a brief stop at Shelburne Beach yesterday afternoon. The Lake Champlain water level is quite low right now (93.87′ feet—the record low was 92.61′ above mean sea level on December 4, 1908.) There were numerous sandbars exposed going out past the usual pebble and stone shoreline. The sunlight dappled nicely as small wavelets lapped across the sand. The stones in the shot are Iberville shale, a distinctive dark gray and white shale streaked with calcite. 

Panasonic GX8, Lumix 14-140mm lens @ 73mm, ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/500″ exposure.

 

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Pearls

dew-web
Tiny dew droplets on a spider’s web

Morning dew drops suspended in a spider’s web seem to float above the grass in this close up image. The drops are maybe 0.5mm in diameter and look like a fizz in the grass when you stand over them. When you get in close, their structure—and beauty—is revealed.

Panasonic GX8, Olympus 60mm macro lens, ISO 800, f/10, 1/125″ exposure.

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Waiting for breakfast

garden-spider
A banded garden spider (?) waits for breakfast in her dew dappled web

Yesterday morning offered a good time to shoots some dew soaked spider webs. A quick cruise of our yards and fields with my macro lens offered up plenty to focus on. This small spider (maybe a banded garden spider?) posed patiently for me in her web.

Panasonic GX8, Olympus 60mm macro lens, ISO 800, f/5, 1/400″ exposure.

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Hummingbird family portraits

hummingbird-perched
Papa ruby throated hummingbird

We have a prodigious bee balm patch over by the pond that is a favorite of all kinds of pollinators. We also have a family of ruby throated hummingbirds in residence this summer, and they were in full play-and-feed mode yesterday afternoon—zipping about above the flowers, chasing each other, feeding, and, very rarely, perching for a few brief seconds so I could get a shot off. Here are some family portraits.

Shots taken with Panasonic GX8, Lumix 100-300mm lens, ISO 1600, f/5.6, various shutter speeds.

hummingbird-feeding
A juvenile feeding
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Mama hummingbird (or perhaps one of the juveniles?)
hummingbird-juvinile
A juvenile male takes a brief break from the action

 

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Eye to eye

eye-to-eye
Looking a black-eyed Susan in the eye

This wonderfully colored black-eyed Susan (rudbeckia) caught my eye as I headed for a swim at Blueberry Lake in Warren, VT.

Panasonic GX8, Olympus 60mm macro lens, ISO 1600, f/2.8, 1/500″ exposure.

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Consequences

consequences
The crab spider makes a catch!

Following up on yesterday’s “Dubious welcome” post, the little crab spider’s patience paid off as it managed to grab this honey bee as it visited the coneflower. I can only imagine the struggle as it’s hard to believe such a diminutive a spider could capture such a big bee. Quite the prize!

Panasonic GX8, Olympus 60mm macro lens, ISO 1600, f/13, 1/1000″ exposure.

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Dubious welcome…

crab-spider-coneflower
A crab spider casually waiting for prey on a coneflower

I spotted this crab spider hanging out with open arms from our back deck. It was most happy to pose for me as I rattled off shots. Woe betide the unsuspecting insect who comes to feed on the coneflower!

Panasonic GX8, Olympus 60mm macro lens, ISO 800, f/8, 1/200″ exposure.

1

Taking off

red-tail-juvenile
A juvenile red-tailed hawk takes off above Rock River

Robin & I paddled up the Rock River  in Highgate Springs yesterday morning. This juvenile red-tailed hawk (I think…) was perched on wires running across the river near its mouth on Lake Champlain. It patiently waited as I got close enough to get a few shots, then took off to join several other of its probable siblings cruising and squawking above the trees.

Panasonic GX8, Lumix 14-140mm lens @ 140mm, ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/800″ exposure

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Belted Kingfisher

kingfisher
A belted kingfisher perches briefly above the Poultney River

I’ve been trying for years to get a good shot of a belted kingfisher. These common denizens of streams, lakes, and ponds are quite shy and will fly away chattering as you approach limiting the possibilities of getting a good shot. Yesterday, paddling out of South Bay on lower Lake Champlain and up into the Poultney River, this fellow was a bit more patient with me allowing me to get in range and snap off a few shots before flying off. Mission accomplished!

Panasonic GX8, Lumix 100-300mm lens @ 300mm, ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/2000″ exposure

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