A few more northern New England photos

Posted on October 22, 2014 by Chris Bosak

Photo by Chris Bosak
A Common Loon at a pond in northern New Hampshire, Oct. 2014. This loon is transitioning between summer and winter plumage.

Here are a few more shots from my recent trip to northern New England. I’m already looking forward to getting up there again.

I call this one “The one that got away.” I was canoeing on a pond in New Hampshire and focusing so heavily on the loon pictured above that I wasn’t aware of the rest of my surroundings. Suddenly I noticed a Bald Eagle flying away from scene. It had been perched on the top of a pine tree and I completely missed it — well, almost completely. I managed this quick shot of it flying away.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A Bald Eagle flies across the autumn scene in northern New Hampshire, Oct. 2014.

Finally, here’s an American River Otter. There were two of them and it was the first time in years I’ve seen otters while I was canoeing. Unfortunately, this particular morning was very dark and gray, hence the not-so-good quality of the photo.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A River Otter looks around a small pond in northern New Hampshire, Oct. 2014.

A great night at the nature center

Posted on October 20, 2014 by Chris Bosak

Photo by Chris Bosak
The entrance to the “Our Meadows: Alive and Buzzing” exhibit at the Darien Nature Center.

Friday was the reception for the “Our Meadows: Alive and Buzzing” photo exhibit at the Darien Nature Center. It was a great night that would not have been possible without the hard work of many people. Also, thanks go to everyone who attended. It was a good crowd and a good time.

The exhibit features photos that I took on Darien Land Trust meadow properties. The photos include subjects such as flowers, insects and, of course, birds. The photos may also be found on the “Meadow close-ups” page of this website.

Here is a link to a photograph taken during the reception by The Hour photographer Alex von Kleydorff.

The exhibit will run through Nov. 16 at the Darien Nature Center at 120 Brookside Road (within Cherry Lawn Park) in Darien, Conn.

What will this late-fall/early-winter bring?

Posted on October 1, 2014 by Chris Bosak

Photo by Chris Bosak
An Eastern Towhee calls from his perch at Selleck’s Woods in Darien, Conn., April 2014.

For years I’ve struggled to get decent shots of Eastern Towhees. Either I couldn’t find them or they remained in thick brush, rendering them unphotographable (but safe from predators, which I guess is way more important than me getting a photograph of one.)

But last fall and early winter, I saw plenty of towhees. The best part is they occasionally came out into the open to be photographed. It was one of the highlights of last fall/early winter. Then, remember, the Snowy Owls came in force into New England.

What will this year bring? I guess we have to wait and see. If you see something interesting out there or you’ve taken a neat photo of a bird (or other wildlife), drop me a line at bozclark@earthlink.net. I’d love to put more photos on my “Reader Submitted Photos” page.

I’m trying to work on Labor Day, but it’s tough with these guys flying around

Posted on September 1, 2014 by Chris Bosak

Photo by Chris Bosak
An Osprey soars over the Norwalk River on Monday, Sept. 1, 2014.

So I’m sitting here at The Hour office along the Norwalk River trying to get Tuesday’s pages out, but every five minutes one of these guys flies across my view. Love this time of year for Osprey sightings. More on that here.

Drying up flower, the last meadow close-up

Posted on August 31, 2014 by Chris Bosak

With summer coming to an end (sort of), here’s a fitting end to this collection of close-up photographs taken at a meadow property of the Darien Land Trust. The purpose of the photos was to draw attention to the beauty and importance of meadow habitat, which unfortunately continues to be destroyed for development. This leaves the plants and animals that depend on the meadow to seek other homes, or worse, perish. Ultimately some of these species will disappear if the destruction rate continues. Support your local Land Trust or other conservation group.

Photo by Chris Bosak
Dried-up flower from a meadow property of the Darien Land Trust, summer 2013.

Here is the latest in a series of close-up (macro) photographs I took last summer while tromping through the meadow properties of the Darien Land Trust. From July 24 to Aug. 31, I’ll post a different close-up meadow photograph on this site.

Here’s more background on the project.