Ashuelot River Park Wildlife, Keene, NH
Early on Saturday morning I found myself strolling through the Ashuelot River Park in Keene, NH. This time I had a longer lens on my camera and was focusing on the wildlife that lives within the park. After walking the length of the park and starting back towards my home, I encountered a robin in a tree just a few feet in front of me who was busy gathering nesting materials.
Just beyond there, I noticed a small turtle warming himself atop a tree limb that was jutting out of the river, his front leg stretched out in front of him.
Just past the turtle I reached a bend in the trail, but before rounding the turn the sound of a woodpecker caught my attention to the left. I walked to the edge of the river and spent several minutes trying to pinpoint the source of the sound. Eventually, with the help of my telephoto lens, I was able to locate a pileated woodpecker drilling into a tree some distance away across the river.
Further up the trail, I paused by the edge of the river once again and decided to wait there to see what kinds of wildlife would pass that spot. After a few minutes, a group of crows started to make a huge racket downriver, and eventually they flew past me. Shortly after that I saw a great blue heron land in the canopy of a tree downstream where the crows had been when I first heard them, but he was much too far away for me to get a decent photo. I committed myself to staying there until the heron departed its perch, and watched for quite some time as the bird cleaned itself and stretched its wings without leaving its perch.
About fifteen minutes passed, and I noticed an unusual bird pass overhead and land on the muddy riverbank almost directly across the river from me. After quickly finding it with my telephoto lens, I realized that it was some type of heron but was very different from a great blue heron which I was more familiar with. I later learned that it was a green heron, and this was the first time I had photographed one. The green heron began to hunt along the muddy river bank, and at this point I had two herons to keep an eye on.
While watching the two herons, I also started to hear distinct splashing noises in the river just a few feet upstream of my position. These seemed to be occurring at regular intervals, so I started to focus on the spot where I had seen ripples emanating from. I did not have to wait too long — a dark, rounded shaped darted up from below the surface of the water, and disappeared just as quickly. Though I did not get a very good look at it, I suspect that this was a snapping turtle feeding along the river bank.
Unfortunately, I had to break off my surveillance of the herons early after having an unusual encounter with a man that appeared to be watching me, and was doing so in a very suspicious way. Though I had committed to waiting for the great blue heron to leave its perch with the hope of being able to photograph a fly-by, I decided to honor my gut feeling and leave before I found out what the man’s intentions were. Unfortunately, the same gear that I use to make these photographs could also make me a target, and it is important to keep that in mind when photographing in areas frequented by other people.
Be safe out there.
A Friday Walk to Work in Keene, NH
A cold front came through Keene overnight, leaving everything outside covered with beads of water left over from the heavy rain. The temperature had also dropped into the upper 50s, making for a beautiful morning for a walk to work. I decided to take a route through the Ashuelot River Park, and left early enough that I could really take my time and pause to take photographs along the way. The combination of the cool air, rain-soaked foliage, and the early morning light was special, as nearly everything I laid eyes on looked like a good photograph to me.
Of course I began by capturing a few photos showing the drops of water that were covering everything.
I have not been out this early in awhile, and with the days being so long now and starting so early, the best light has shifted to this early hour.
Making my way into the Ashuelot River Park from the North, my attention shifted from the raindrop-covered foliage to the trees which are so prominent along the path in the North end of the river park.
Later in the day, I decided to return home via the same route through the Ashuelot River Park, and found one last tree at the North end of the park bathed in interesting late afternoon sunlight.
Ashuelot River Park, Keene, NH
Another cool and cloudy morning allowed me to walk to work again today, this time taking a route through the Ashuelot River Park here in Keene, NH. I decided to travel light today, sticking with a 50mm lens that I tried to shoot wide open as much as possible, just to get used to the shallow depth of field and work on my focusing technique.
These photos were processed using the Portra 400 film emulation by Mastin Labs. After shooting a real roll of Portra 400 film for the first time a few years ago, I have been on a quest to replicate that look using my digital cameras and film emulations from VSCO, Nik Collection, and Replichrome. The Mastin Labs Portra 400 emulation is the first one that looks like the real thing, and it seems to work very well for the nature photos that I prefer. I am also finding that the Mastin emulations are very easy to use, and as a result I am doing far less fiddling with the digital files in Lightroom (also a good thing.)
I especially like the shift in the green hues that Portra provides. While the green hues are not true-to-life, I find them more pleasing than the actual greens which are more yellow and almost fluorescent.
Wood Ducks in the Ashuelot River
During my lunch break today, I visited the Ashuelot River Park here in Keene, NH which is right across the street from my office in the Colony Mill building. During my walk, I startled a family of wood ducks that were floating in the river close to the path that I was walking on. They immediately headed across the river in a tight formation, aiming for a patch of long green grass on the opposite shore.
Once they arrived at their destination, they resumed there normal activities working between the blades of grass rising out of the river.
Lake Target
As promised, I returned to the Monadnock Marketplace shopping plaza in Keene, NH this morning before work to explore a small body of water near the Target store that my wife and I jokingly call “Lake Target.” The sky was painted in long bands of pink-topped clouds that reflected the light from the rising sun to the East, and these bands also appeared on the surface of the water, mingling with the lily pads.
Other than the usual red-winged blackbirds darting about and complaining loudly about my presence, I saw no other birds during my short visit. After snapping a few photos, I headed back to my car up a slight hill on a dirt road that was lined with trees.
Foggy Morning Wetlands
Nestled between the Monadnock Marketplace, the North Bridge, and Route 12 North in Keene, NH there is a sizable wetland area that is home to a significant number of red-winged blackbirds and other bird species. I have also seen ducks and the occasional great blue heron here, but the red-winged blackbirds are the most obvious inhabitants, resting atop the cattails or zipping through the air while making their unique calling sounds. My first photo depicts what I assume to be a lively conversation between a pair of the local residents.
There are numerous cattails visible to the East of the North access road for Monadnock Marketplace. Near the corner of Target, closer to the Route 12 side is a small body of water that my wife and I usually refer to as “Lake Target” using the best French pronunciation of “Target” that we can muster.
Looking to the East, the WKBK radio station antenna is clearly visible near Route 12. I managed to capture an unexpected astronomical alignment of the fog-covered sun sitting just above the top of the antenna. I curse myself for not squatting a bit to place the sun directly atop the antenna, forming the worlds largest lollipop.
Switching to a wider lens, I captured a better contextual photo of the antenna-by-the-road, followed quickly by a shot of the curvy access road, and the leafy green trees that line the road.
I hope to visit again soon to have a better look at the Lake Target area, and see what kinds of birds can be found over there. I expect to find a wide variety of birds, all of whom share an uncanny ability to find the best discounts on sale items.
Tenant Swamp, Keene, NH
A few years ago, the city of Keene built a large and sprawling new middle school complex off Maple Avenue, complete with parking lots, athletic fields, and an outdoor track. To make room for the new school, a large wooded area was cleared between Maple Avenue and the edge of Tenant Swamp. Though I understand the need for a new middle school, I’m never a fan of projects that destroy natural habitat and displace the living creatures within the area.
Following completion of the school, funds were raised to create an outdoor classroom in Tenant Swamp just behind the school grounds. Enough money was raised to build a small loop of boardwalk through a portion of the swamp, complete with benches for people to pause and enjoy the surroundings. The boardwalk sits about a foot above the swamp, allowing visitors to experience a part of the swamp without being knee-deep in muck.
Normally, I’m not a fan of such invasive work within a fragile ecosystem like the swamp. However, in this case I think the result is ultimately a good thing. It’s obvious that care was taken to minimize the impact on the swamp when the boardwalk was constructed. Because it also serves as an outdoor classroom, students will have an opportunity to study the incredible biodiversity of the swamp up close, without requiring any special gear to do so. The boardwalk is also open to the community, and is wheelchair-accessible — this allows people who would normally avoid swampy areas to visit the swamp and develop an appreciation of everything it has to offer.
I was astounded by the incredibly variety of plants that I saw after just one walk of the relatively short loop. One could spend hours on the loop and still not be able to take it all in.
The boardwalks make it very easy to explore the swamp, and I was surprised at how insect-free it was considering that I was there shortly after sunrise.
There are several platforms with benches throughout the boardwalk, making ideal places for photographers and birders to stop and see what kind of birds appear around them. On this visit, I encountered a pair of woodpeckers drilling their way into some of the trees near the boardwalk.
If you live in the Keene area, Tenant Swamp is worth a visit. Enter the Keene Middle School complex from the entrance near the Route 12 overpass and park behind the school near the outdoor track. From there, look for a concessions stand building to the left of the track, and walk around the left side of that building. Once you pass the building on the left, you will see the beginning of the trail that loops its way down into the swamp and its boardwalk complex. Enjoy!
Walking to the Office
A cold front passed through New Hampshire overnight, and with the temperature dropping into the mid 50s, there were tiny drops of dew covering just about every surface. With cool mornings and low humidity being somewhat rare at this time of year, I grabbed my camera and a backpack and headed to my office on foot, a walk of about two and a half miles.
My first stop was an interesting grove of trees halfway down the hill that I live on. I have always enjoyed the arrangement of these trees, and this morning they looked especially good in the early sunlight.
Further down the hill, I found some very interesting weeds growing alongside the road, the leaves covered with an even coating of tiny dewdrops.
Passing through a nearby neighborhood, I found this black mailbox shimmering with reflected light bouncing off the hundreds of tiny dewdrops covering its surface.
Finally, I found an entire section of sidewalk covered with decaying white flowers that had fallen from a nearby bush, the flowers illuminated by the warm, early morning side-lighting.
American Bald Eagle Takeoff Sequence
During my return visit to the American bald eagle nest on the Connecticut River just north of Brattleboro, VT, I was able to observe the adult bald eagle taking off from its nest. This sequence of photos is my favorite of the day. There was something incredible about the light and the movement of the bird’s wings during takeoff that combined for a special sequence of photos.
American Bald Eagle Landing Sequence
During my return visit to the American bald eagle nest on the Connecticut River just North of Brattleboro, VT I saw the adult eagle take flight on two different occasions. At the end of one such flight, I captured a sequence of photos showing the eagle landing on the edge of its large nest, located in a prominent dead tree along the river bank.
