Beaver Pond Journal 2013 #2

Journal Entry for August 25, 2013  Mary and I were up at 4:00 A.M. and on the road at 4:30 A.M.,destination Moose River Plains Wild Forest and the new beaver meadow that was the beaver pond.

 Arrived at the Indian Lake Trailhead parking lot at 8:40 A.M.  After parking the truck I grabbed my 5D Mark ll camera with the 100-400mm lens attached then walked across the road and down to the meadow to see if any wildlife was about. All was quite, suddenly the silence was broken by loon yodels and wails from the area of Squaw Lake.

Looking across the meadow I noticed over thirty dew drenched, backlit spiderwebs along the south edge of the beaver meadow. I couldn't resist, just had to shoot a few images of the spiderwebs.

 Early Morning Spiderwebs

Headed back to the truck to arrange my packs for the bushwhack around to the far side of the meadow. Stopped to retrieve my cached set up pins along the way. After getting the set up pins I'd only gone a few steps when a movement caught my eye. I had nearly stepped on a toad, an American toad I believe. The toad hopped back into a depression it appeared to have dug. Again I couldn't resist, shot an image of the toad nestled below ground level in the depression.

Toad Nestled Down in a Depression

Mary and I arranged our packs then completed the bushwhack that was far more difficult than I had anticipated. We made the bushwhack O.K. but won't go back the same way.
After a short break I positioned my tripod, then assembled the panoramic gear to shoot the beaver meadow. The light was very harsh, lots of contrast, this was going to be a difficult shoot. Put in nearly two hours of shooting five panorama series as the light continually changed. None of the light was
great , but the changing shadows did help.

Beaver Meadow From the Southeast Corner

Meanwhile Mary shot some images along the southern border of the meadow and collected a few flowers and leaves and put them in her flower press.

Packed our gear and began the hike back to the truck before noon. Took a break for lunch, then went over to the beaver dam, found the Dam set up pin and shot an image as close as possible to the original Dam Detail image. Next I moved the tripod about six or eight feet to the right and higher, then shot a few more images of the dam area. That done I moved my gear over to the location of the Timber Detail set up pin and shot five more images.

Dam Detail

Two More Dam Images

Two Timber Detail Images


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Bunch

Beaver Pond Journal 2013 #1

Journal Entry for August 11, 2013   As we approached the new Indian Lake trailhead and parking area I noticed recent roadwork had been completed. The old culvert under the road was washed out on or about June 6th when the old beaver pond dam gave way. A new and better culvert had been installed.

Pulled into the parking area at 9:05 A.M.  Mary and I walked across the road to look over the situation. There was nothing left of the pond. Stacks of dead timber scattered about, the beaver lodge high and dry. A small brook has replaced the pond, only a beaver meadow remains. It will be interesting to observe and document the changes over time.

Returned to the truck to retrieve my camera gear. The panorama set up pin was somewhat difficult to locate. The four small alder stumps that had always guided me to the set up pin seemed to be missing, or was I looking in the wrong place. After poking around some more I discovered the pin, its marking tape badly faded. I had been looking for the four short beaver cut stumps that formed a square. Two of the stumps had been broken off, probably by floating timber during the June flooding of the beaver pond.

Positioned my tripod over the set up pin, then I began assembling the panoramic gear and leveling the the rotational base. After attaching the my camera I corrected for parallax and was ready to shoot by 9:30 A.M. The harsh light didn't look promising, but I went ahead and shot a panorama series anyway. Just as I thought, no good, some portions of the images were overexposed.

Now the waiting game began! It took some patience and finally some clouds, acting as a large diffuser covered the sun, allowing me to capture two good series of images. The last series was the one I chose for the 2013 panorama. This years panorama was shot longer in length than normal to show the entire beaver meadow.

2013 Panorama

Next I turned my attention to reshooting the stump detail image, plus three more images of the lower end of the beaver meadow with its piles of dead and downed timber.

Stump Detail

Dead Timber Shots Just Upstream of the Dam

The Break in the Dam Just to the Right of the Two

Standing Tree Trunks on the Upper Left

I need to return to the beaver meadow later this month to shoot a panorama from the far side of the meadow, plus more detail shots.

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Bunch

Beaver Pond Journal 2012 #3

Journal entry for August 26, 2012  "Mary and I were up at 4 A.M.  When I stepped out on the back porch I was greeted with a sky full of twinkling stars. We finished packing the truck with our camera gear, Mary's sketch pad and bag and our lunch. Our destination was the old abandoned beaver pond at the terminus of Indian Lake Road. The day's goal was to shoot an improved yearly panorama plus more detail images around the pond.

     Arrived at the abandoned beaver pond a little after 9 A.M.  Walked over to the pond to check on the quality of the light. It was very harsh, same as it had been during the two previous visits when I photographed a panorama series last month.

     Big puffy clouds were heading our way, so I hauled my equipment over to the panorama set up location. The clouds were moving slower than I originally thought. Decided to shoot a "dead timber" detail image from the far side of the outlet bay. When I was here on July 29th I shot an image that focused on a single, standing dead tree. Later it occurred to me that a broader view, surrounding the focus dead tree, would provide a better perspective over time of the timber that had fallen, thus documenting one aspect of the succession of the abandoned beaver pond.

     Moved to the north side of the outlet bay. Looked through the viewfinder at various places to find the best location for the dead timber set up. Finding what I considered the best composition I drove a set up pin under the tripod center column, then recorded the set up data. As the quality of the light changed I shot a number of images.

 Dead Timber Detail

      Meanwhile, Mary discovered a small rock ledge that provided a good seat. Arranging her canoe chair she had a comfortable place to do some drawing. Using the view across the outlet bay of a large dead standing tree trunk surrounded by balsam trees and blackberry bushes, Mary made a wonderful drawing that provides a narrow snapshot of the area adjacent to the panorama set up location.

     After shooting the dead timber images I decided to explore the northeastern shoreline of the pond. I wanted to discover what animal sign I could find which would provide me with some idea of the animals that visit the pond. Whitetail deer and coyote tracks were plentiful. I also found fur that had been stripped from a carcass, most likely a muskrat. It had probably been killed and eaten by either a coyote, fox, bobcat, fisher or otter.

Scraps of Muskrat Fur

Coyote Tracks Along the Muddy Shoreline

     Returned to the panorama set up location and leveled the tripod and adjusted the panorama equipment, then mounted the camera so I was ready to go. The clouds just didn't want to mask the sun and reduce the contrast. I shot two series of panorama images. Finally the clouds did their job, shot the third and final series. This last series is the one I chose for the yearly panorama due to the reduced contrast.

The 2012 Yearly Panorama

     Before disassembling the tripod and camera gear I shot. Some images of the panorama set up, then some of the open camera pack and computer bag with the iPad.

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     Panorama Set Up Over the Set Up Pin

View From the Front

View From the Back

Camera Pack, Computer Bag and iPad 

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Bunch

Beaver Pond Journal 2012 #2

Journal entry for July 29, 2012  Arrived at the end of the road at the new Squaw Lake trailhead at 9:15 A.M.  Mary and I walked back to the abandoned beaver pond to look over the current condition of the pond. There was no noticeable change over the last two weeks.

     The sun was already high in the sky and the light was harsh. Not very pleasing light for photographing. I was hoping that some clouds would cover the sun to tone down the harsh light to provide less contrast. Checked the set up pin cache, it hadn't been disturbed. On the way back to the truck I shot four images of a pair of silver-bordered fritillary butterflies feeding on goldenrod nectar near the dam. Later clouds were building to the west, but they were slow moving so Mary and I ate lunch while I waited for better light.

Silver-bordered Fritillay Butterflies

     After lunch the light wasn't improving any so I decided to try a few shots from the dam set up pin. Finishing the dam shots I thought it would be a good idea to get the equipment set up for the panorama, when clouds covered the sun I'd be ready.

Remains of a Portion of the Dam

Same Shot as Above From a Higher Perspective

A Detail of the Remains Of the Pond

      By 1:30 P.M. The light was still harsh, but I decided to shoot a panorama series, then see what I could do with it in Lightroom and/or Photoshop. Waited for better light to shoot a second series. The surrounding clouds continued to avoid the bright sun so I shot a second series in the harsh light as a backup. When I finished the second series I shot three images of my panoramic set up.

Panorama of the Abandoned Beaver Pond in Harsh Light

     At 2:30 P.M. the sun was finally covered by a thick cloud. Better light but still not great. Shot the third panorama series of the day.

The Abandoned Beaver Pond In Better Light

     I'm considering a detail of one of the pond's dead standing trees, so I shot a few images for consideration. I'd like to shoot the selected tree until it falls. To do a good documentation of the pond's succession I need to designate more detail locations and shoot them year after year.

Detail of Dead Standing Timber

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More abandoned beaver pond posts are on the way.

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Bunch

          

Beaver Pond Journal 2012 #1

Journal entry for July 15, 2012  "As Mary and I traveled over Otter Brook and then Indian Lake Road I was wondering what changes, if any, we would discover at the pond. As we pulled up beside the pond I could hardly believe my eyes, the level of  the water in the pond was lower than I had ever seen it. I wondered if the beaver had been trapped out or if the spring seeps that fed the pond had dried up, forcing the beavers to move on. The dam was still intact, but that gave no clue as to what happened to the beavers. Well, now I was back on track with the abandoned beaver pond succession project.
     Continued another one hundred feet up the road to a small parking turnout, which has been designated as an official trailhead. The road that ends at Indian Lake has been barricaded by four large boulders spaced across the road at the new trailhead.
     It was 9:45 A.M. when I parked the truck, then Mary and I walked the short distance back to the pond to check it out. Found all three of my set up pins; panorama, stump detail and the dam detail. Some of the old standing dead timber had fallen. Lots os new grass growing on the newly exposed ground. A check of the blackberries revealed a poor crop or maybe no crop t all due to the drought this summer.
     We returned to the truck, Mary for her sketch pad and me for my camera gear. Mary wanted to try sketching some of the rocks and interesting dead standing timber. I had forgotten to get my panoramic set up equipment before leaving home, so I tried shooting a panoramic series without it. Worked O.K.

The Beaver Pond Had Been Drained Again

      I discovered a few old moose tracks in the area of the panoramic set up location and decided to shoot some images of the best track. The track was made on dry ground rather than mud so it wasn't as well defined as I would have liked, but not bad.

Moose Track Along The South Side Of The Abandoned Beaver Pond

The last image of the day was a retake of the stump detail I shot last year just before the beavers moved in and repaired the dam and lodge, flooding the detail set up pin under at least a foot of water. Comparing the original stump detail image with the new image clearly shows the difference in the water level between summer 2011 and summer 2012. The 2012 water level is at least a foot lower than 2011.

2012 Stump Detail

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You can view more Adirondack beaver pond images on my website:

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More beaver pond posts are on the way

Thanks for visiting my journal,

Bunch

Beaver Pond Journal 2011 #5

Journal entry for November 15, 2011  "Passed the beaver pond and continued on to the terminus of Indian Lake Road at Squaw Lake trailhead, then returned to the pond. Took my large camera bag and tripod and walked down to the dam. Shot more images of the dam, lodge and pond, then worked my way along the shoreline to a spot where I found numerous fresh beaver cut stumps which I photographed for my image catalog. The beaver have raised the level of the dam somemore. I made my way around to the panorama set up location and found the set up pin under six inches of water.
 Mary got some exercise walking the road to keep warm. The day was overcast and very damp. I finished shooting the photos I wanted, repacked my gear and returned to the truck."

 Looking over the top of the dam at the beaver lodge

 The beaver lodge on November15, 2011

 Fresh cut beaver stumps near the panorama set up location

 The beaver lodge from the panorama set up location

Journal entry for December 4, 2011  "Arrived at the beaver pond at 11:57 A.M.  The temperature must have risen because the snow was melting. Skim ice covered the pond promising winter was on the way. The feedbed had been increased since we were last here on November 15th.
Mary and I both shot images of the ice covered pond. I also shot a series of HDR (High Dynamic Range) images to deal with the bright sunshine. The wide angle image included the pond outlet, dam lodge and an overall view of the pond. I was pleased with the result.
Packed our camera gear back in the truck and headed for a few more destinations in the Moose River Plains Wild Forest.

The HDR image of the beaver pond on December 4, 2011

Wide angle view of a portion of the pond

Winter's ice is beginning to lock the beaver under the surface of the pond

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You can view more Adirondack beaver pond images on my website:

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More beaver pond journal posts are on the way

Thanks for visiting my journal,

Bunch

Beaver Pond Journal 2011 #4

Journal entry for October 23, 2011  "Arrived at the beaver pond about 11:00 A.M.  Flocks of songbirds were filling the air with their songs. The pond looked cold and lonely today. Mary thought the feedbed looked as though it had been added too since we were here last, I wasn't so sure. We were both hungry so we ate a quick snack back at the truck.
Thought I'd photograph the lodge so I could compare the resulting image with earlier ones. After looking things over for a few minutes, I agreed with Mary, there still were beaver occupying the pond. The dam had been increased in height by a few inches. The abandoned beaver pond, without a doubt is very active. I wonder how many beaver are in the pond's new colony.
Well I guess I need to shift the focus of the beaver pond project from documenting succession to documenting the life and changes in and around the pond. I intend to continue shooting the yearly panorama from my original set up location for as long as I'm able.
After shooting some images of the beaver lodge, I shot the set up log. Fortunately it isn't fully submerged yet.
Clouds were still crowding the sky. Mary and I returned to the truck where we ate a more substantial lunch. When we finished lunch I decided to see if I could make my way around to the panorama set location with the new flooded areas blocking the way. After some bushwhacking through a blackberry cane tangle I was there. Shot another image of the repaired beaver lodge, from the area of the set up log.

The repaired beaver lodge from the beaver dam

The set up log nearly fully submerged

Checked my cache of set up pins before returning to the truck, where I exchanged cameras and got my tripod to shoot a few images of the dam and pond.I shot these images with the tripod set up to specs for the dam set up pin. Changed the elevation of the center column a couple of times to provide a slightly different perspective.

After repacking my camera gear we began working our way towards home."

The beaver lodge shot from the set up log

The beaver dam, lodge and pond

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You can view more Adirondack beaver pond images on my website:
bunchlewisphotography.com

More beaver pond journal posts are on the way
Thanks for visiting my journal,
Bunch