Catalpa Tree Blossoms

I have access to a Catalpa Tree with very low hanging branches. The blossoms are quite beautiful when viewed close up.

Here some shots with my Canon 5D Mark III and 100mm f/2.8L macro lens. These first two are five file HDR composites processed with different presets in HDRSoft's Photomatix Pro software.

These next two shots are single image photos. Exposure information is in the caption.

f/11, 1/1500 sec., ISO 1600

f/11, 1/180 sec, ISO 400

Morning Walk

This morning's walk was over to Waterford and up the old Champlain Canal trail North of the Village. There's a new building on the Waterford waterfront and this is the first time I've shot the scene since construction began.

The path along the old Champlain Canal is great for plantlife, birds, snapping turtles, rabbits, deer, beaver, etc. This morning, it was American Ginseng and Snapping Turtles. The red berries and the leaves to the right of the berries are the Ginseng.

Here's what happens when some animal, I presume a raccoon, discovers a Snapping Turtle nest.

Lastly, here's a shot on top of the old Waterford Town landfill facing South, back towards the village.

Reflections, Rivulets and Rivers - Part 3, Rivers

As I hiked the Peebles Island perimeter trail heading North on the West side of the island I noticed that the water level was lower than it should be. The level on this section of the Mohawk River is controlled by a hydro-electric dam located near the Bald Eagle nest site. It was obvious that something had happened to the dam. There are never ripples in this section of the river. And the water is usually up to the duck blind. I'd estimate the level is about two feet lower.

This is what the dam looks like when it's all intact. Granted, the wooden extension is not the most confidence inspiring construction I've ever seen. When the water's really high, it flows over the top of the extension (Duh).

In any case, here's what the dam looked like once I got to it this morning. Lots of lumber floating down into the Hudson I'd say. This isn't the first time this has happened. The "before" photo above was made prior to the last time it got washed out. The wooden extension was then rebuilt. When it's fully functional, no water goes underneath the wooden part.