Wildlife in Photography

Last Saturday, in between runs on Washington DC and the Cherry Blossom Festival, I made a stop at Huntley Meadows Park in Alexandria. The boardwalk has become my favorite destination.

At first I was disappointed by the apparent lack of activity, but as I progressed, I saw another photographer in the distance.

As it turns out, she was looking at a goose, but the broad theme of the day after that point became amphibians.

The snapping turtles that I’ve seen before are becoming more active and several spend time in close proximity to the path.

In addition to the snapping turtles though, more common turtles have begun to appear. This little guy was hanging out for a few minutes sunning itself. It could be a slider. Do you know?

As I was making my way out, a few frogs caught my eye and I made a few portraits as they sang.

Curiously, I noticed this species sings from the sides of its head. Is that a frog standard? Toads, which I’ll talk about in a later post, inflate the area below their mouth as they produce noise.