Wetland Flight Shots

After a strong series of thunderstorms passed through our area beginning Sunday evening and extending through the morning hours Monday the skies broke giving us and incredibly beautiful evening. Not wanting to waste such an evening on mundane task around our home I instead opted for a visit to our local wetland.

A number of wood ducks and Canada geese were present but proved elusive upon my approach.  After reaching the western side I sat down at the waters edge partially concealed by the surrounding willows in hopes of a photo opportunity presenting itself.


While I waited a few wood ducks flew overhead as the bullfrog deep song reverberated across the landscape. Red-winged blackbirds, grackles, and numerous other song birds sang and flitted about with the occasional honking of the Canada geese joining in with the peeping of smaller frogs creating a beautiful chorus courtesy of the spring wetlands choir.


While soaking in the melodious harmony I spied a lone Dragonfly darting past when suddenly is stopped in mid-air and allowed me time to aim, focus and fire three frames; the best of which is posted above.

As the evening shadows crept across the landscape I began the walk back to the car. With all of the waterfowl present I was a little disappointed that I had been unable to capture a usable photograph when suddenly from a tiny pond a pair of wood ducks sprang into the air. Swinging the camera with the drake I pressed the shutter button and hoped for the best.



An evening in the wetlands always beats an evening of chores, a couple of decent flight shots is an added bonus!

Dragonfly in Flight

Dragonflies are always great photographic subjects and capturing them in the air has proven quite difficult.

When a dragonfly hovers it seems that they stay in one place for some time but it is an entirely different story when trying to locate them through the camera lens. Once I do get on them achieving focus and firing before they zoom off has proven nearly next to impossible.

Although far from perfect this is the best I have been able to obtain so far this year.

Life has been a little hectic lately and I haven’t found much time to pursue outdoor photography or blogging thus the sporadic posting of late. With some time away from work coming up next week I do hope to collect some new images for future Country Capture post.

Dragon Webs

It would appear that this Dragonfly has a web to assist it in capturing its prey.

Of course this is not the case as Dragonflies do not spin webs.

A habit of Dragonflies that I have observed numerous times this summer is that of returning time and time again to the same perch. I have found this habit to be very beneficial to the photographer as it has allowed me to scare the Dragonfly away during setup and then have it return to the exact same perch after a wait of only a few minutes.

I have noticed a marked decline in the number of Dragonflies with the onset of autumn.

Another Dragonfly: Haines-Seville Wetland

After a full day of traveling I cannot think of anything to say so I must allow this image to speak for itself.

Haines-Seville Wetland: Dragonfly

Sunday evening my wife & I visited the Haines-Seville Wetlands. Haines-Seville is a man-made wetland that was built a few years ago by Pennsylvania Dept. of Transportation to replace wetlands lost during highway improvements.

Today the Haines-Seville is a thriving wetland community. During the spring migrations it is a favored resting spot for waterfowl passing through our area. Mallards, wood ducks and Canada geese remain throughout the nesting season. Although we sited wild ducks on two different occasions, an opportunity for a photograph did not present itself.

The wetland is alive with insect activity. During our short visit I photographed no less than five different dragonfly varieties along with numerous bees. Song birds were present in good numbers but the lush foliage prevented any acceptable photographs.

This small Dragonfly, illuminated by strong backlighting, posed for the camera.

Celebrating my Second Blog Anniversary

Two years and 500 Post

How swiftly the time has passed since I uploaded my first post on what was to become Country Captures. What began as a whim has become an interesting hobby.

I have found this blogging experience to be very positive. Thanks to you, the photo-blogging community I have learned a great deal, not only about cameras and equipment but also about the world we live in.

So to you, my blogging friends; Thank you for all of your positive comments over the years, thank you for the encouragement, thank you for all of your visits and thank you for the inspiration that comes from reading your blogs and viewing your wonderful photographs.

Red Dragonfly

Last weekend while fishing I noticed many large dark colored dragonflies patrolling along the lake shore along with a very few smaller red ones. This weekend the red dragonflies seemed to outnumber the others.

This dragonfly allowed me to drift the boat right up to the sprig of marsh grass it was resting on.

I attempted to identify this creature by checking some web sites but was unsuccessful. If any of you viewers could enlighten me I would appreciate it.

Of Dragons & Flies

A Dragonfly rest momentarily on a stalk of grass

This morning I spent a considerable amount of time on the lake attempting to capture a Dragonfly in flight. Dragonflies are masters of fast flight and instantaneous directional change. Although I shot quite a bit, none of the images were of the quality I desired.

This evening while checking one of our hay fields which lies near the creek, I came upon this obliging subject.

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