Tag Archives: photography

Take 5: Blue Moon

Posted on January 29, 2018 by Ryan D.

There are few sights as breathtaking and awesome as a full, bright moon rising through the sky. The January 31 full moon is extra special: not only is it a Blue Moon (a second full moon in the same month—the first fell on January 2), but just before sunrise, if the weather is clear, we should be able to see a partial (penumbral) lunar eclipse.

The term “blue moon” only came into common usage in the 1940’s. On average, a Blue Moon only occurs every 30 months, but 2018 is not an average year. Following a February completely devoid of full moons, March will see two—on March 1 and 31—meaning we will have two blue moons in two months!

In honor of this fluke of the calendar, here are five beautiful photographs of the moon that have been submitted to our Picture This: Your Great Outdoors photo contest over the years. Learn more about the Blue Moon on our blog. To really get out and enjoy the January Blue Moon, find a night hike program at a sanctuary near you for a moonlit adventure.

Harvest Moon © Rod Delano

Moon Over Water © Rod Delano

Moon Close-Up © Mackenzie Lannon

Moon Close-Up © Mackenzie Lannon

Harvest Moon © Alex Sullivan

Moon © Alex Sullivan

Moon Over Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary © Judith Keneman

Moon Landscape © Judith Keneman

Moon and Herring Gulls © Lucy Loomis

Moon and Herring Gulls © Lucy Loomis

Great horned owl © Phil Sorrentino

Take 5: Great Horned Owls

Posted on January 22, 2018 by Ryan D.

Although great horned owls are year-round residents of Massachusetts, December through February is a particularly good time to go “owling” for this iconic species.

The earliest owl to begin mating season, great horned owls often “duet” in courting pairs, a hauntingly beautiful, stuttering “hoo-hoo-HOO-hoo-hoo” sound. And while males are typically smaller than females, they have larger voice boxes, so you can identify the male voice in a duet by its distinctively lower pitch.

On our website, you listen to a great horned owl call and even report a sighting. Below, enjoy these five photos of great horned owls from past years of our Picture This: Your Great Outdoors photo contest.

Great horned owl © Katherine Sayn-Wittgenstein

Great horned owl © Katherine Sayn-Wittgenstein

Great horned owl © Phil Sorrentino

Great horned owl © Phil Sorrentino

Juvenile Great Horned Owls © Maureen Fregeau

Juvenile Great Horned Owls © Maureen Fregeau

Juvenile Great Horned Owl © Libby Johnson

Juvenile Great Horned Owl © Libby Johnson

Great Horned Owl © Emily Swartz

Great Horned Owl © Emily Swartz

CORRECTION: This blog post originally featured a photo that was misidentified as a Great Horned Owl but is actually a Eurasian Eagle-Owl (Bubo bubo). Thank you to all the careful readers who pointed out our mistake!