This Red-shouldered Hawk has the nearby woods all to its self, soaking up some sun and surveying the wetlands below at Huntley Meadows park. Even though this hawk was enjoying some solitude, the park was full of a variety of ducks, including Northern Shoveler, Mallard, Green-winged Teal, Hooded Merganser,Gadwall and Northern Pintail. Huntley Meadows is a popular gathering place for many species of birds in the winter.

The evidence of winter is still very much around with ice patterns and the the remains of last year’s vegetation in the wetlands.

Prince William Forest, operated by the National Park Service, has a nice scenic roadway which loops through the park. The road has a dedicated lane for bicycles and people who just want to get outside and walk. The roadway was clear of snow but the trails were another story. I hiked to the Quantico Falls trail which required slogging through a lot of snow but the effort was rewarded with great views along the stream.

 On the trail, I came across a group of leaves floating in a large puddle from the melting snow which gave the leafs a layered look.

On the hike back to my car, I snapped a multiple exposure image of a nice stand of trees surrounded by snow, creating a painting-like effect.

The great thing about Great Falls is that it never looks exactly the same from visit to visit.  I took the photo above this morning as the sun rose trying to capture the churning of the Potomac river as it races through the falls, almost looking like it’s ready to boil.

There is still quite a bit of snow blanketing the park and it gives the place a whole new look.

I checked the backyard today and was surprised to see a number of Bluebirds at my feeders.  Surprised because I hadn’t seen a Bluebird in my backyard since 1991.  I don’t know if this is because of the snow on the ground reducing food supplies or if this is maybe a sign that Spring is just around the corner (I’m hoping it’s the Spring thing…).

Well, there WAS plenty of bird seed in the feeders and on the ground and many other birds were taking advantage of an easy meal, like the Tufted Titmouse and Carolina Wren below. I also saw Black-capped Chickadees, Northern Cardinals, Blue Jays, White-throated Sparrows, House Sparrows, Dark-Eyed Juncos, White-Breasted Nut Hatches, European Starlings, Goldfinches, Red-bellied and Downy Woodpeckers, and an American Robin all grabbing some seed.

Being snow-bound, I took the opportunity to do some indoor photography. I have a Christmas cactus that is just now blooming and it gave me a good subject to work with.  Using available window light along with a silver reflector, I photographed this bloom with a 105mm f/2.8 lens.  I placed a dark grey floor mat from my car as the background to better show off the bloom.

Outside, there was still a lot of snow and a nice, blue sky.

To think that, back in early December, I wondered if this area would get any snow this season…. The second large snow storm arrived today dumping 20+” and was quickly dubbed “snowmageddon” and “snowpocalypse”.  Like most folks here, I stayed indoors during most of the storm but did venture out to photograph some of the great scenery around me.

Another 4-5″ of snow fell here last night and created some wonderful scenery as snow covered every tree branch. It made the drive into work a pleasant one and I snapped a few photos along the way.