Purple Gallinule, Lake Yojoa, Honduras

I am still working on the full article on my trip with Honduran Birds and Alex Alvarado to the highlands of Honduras in May, and looking back through the photos I am finding a lot that I have not yet shared. This Purple Gallinule was catching snails along the boardwalk that lead to the boat dock at a resort at the edge of Lake Yojoa. I like the bird, and I like the multicolored setting of the mismatched boardwalk boards. Sony RX10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode. 1/500th @ f4 @ ISO 400. Processed in Polarr.

Bog Copper, and three Summer Azures, 2 well worn males, Laudholm Farms, Wells Maine

There were lots of tiny butterflies at Laudholm Farms when I was looking for Grass Pink Orchids the other day. I am not an expert on Blues, or butterflies in general, but I think I have 3 Summer Azures here. The first bug is almost certainly a Bog Copper. That is the upper surface of the wing. The wing toward us is edge on. Until recently the Summer Azure was considered the summer form of the Spring Azure, but the thinking now is that it is a separate species. Though they are well worn, I think there is too much dark fringe on the open wings of these to be Spring Azures. The closed wing Blue is harder, but since Summers are flying in Southern Maine in July, I am calling it a Summer. Feel free to correct me if I am wrong 🙂 Sony RX10iv at 600mm. Program mode. 1/500th or 1/1000th @ f4 @ ISO 100. Processed in Polarr and assembled in FrameMagic.

Grass Pink Orchid, Laudholm Farms, Wells Maine

I hiked around the external loop at the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve at Laudholm Farms in Wells, Maine yesterday, looking, in part, for Grass Pink Orchids in the little remnant bog there. I only found a few…much less than last year’s show, and only one close enough to the boardwalk to photograph. The Grass Pink is one of the few orchids that hang upside down…with the tongue on top. It is actually a normal orchid, but the stem twists as the flower develops. It is certainly one of the beauties of July in Southern Maine. Sony RX10iv at 600mm equivalent from about 4 feet. Program mode with Program shift for greater depth of field. f11 @ 1/200th @ ISO 100. Processed in Polarr.

12 Spotted Skimmer, SMHC Ponds, Kennebunk Maine

There have been 12 Spotted Skimmer Dragonflies around the drainage ponds at the Southern Maine Health Care center in Kennebunk for a week now, but yesterday was the first day I caught them sitting long enough for photos. The 12 Spot has to be one of the more striking dragonflies, but it also one of the most common, at least here in Southern Maine, so we often pass it by without a second look. Sony RX10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode. 1/800th @ f4 @ ISO 100. Processed in Polarr.

Rachel Carson NWR Headquarters, Wells, Maine

It does not happen often, but occasionally I will find myself seeing in Black and White…not literally, of course, but seeing the possibility of a Black and White image in the world of color. And once I see my first potential B&W, generally I see several. And then it is gone. I may not take another image for intentional B&W treatment for months. 🙂 It happened yesterday while walking the trail at the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge in Wells, Maine. These are “extreme HDR” images from the Sony RX10iv…taken with HDR set to a +/- 6 EV difference. I applied 1930s B&W film filters in Polarr and then tweaked the results to taste with the “light” controls. Borders were added in PhotoShop Express. And the panel was assembled in FrameMagic. I find the B&W images only really pop when displayed on a black background…hence the borders…but even the panel looks best in full screen mode with a dark background.

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on Butterfly Weed, Kancamagus Highway, NH

This is another shot of the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly on Butterfly Weed from the South Falls Recreation Area on the Kancamagus Highway between Conway and Lincoln, New Hampshire. The Swallowtail is certainly as attractive from the underside as it is from the upper, and this shot emphasizes the length and grace of the wings. Not to mention the attractive setting of the two colors of Butterfly Weed. Sony RX10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode. 1/1000th @ f5 @ ISO 100. Processed in Polarr.

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on Butterfly Weed, Lower Falls Recreation Site, Kancamagus Highway, NH

We drove the Kancamagus Highway from Conway to Lincoln, New Hampshire yesterday, on our way to the Flume Gorge, and stopped at the Lower Falls Recreation Area just to see what that was all about. There are Butterfly Weed plantings by the fee station, and the flowers were attracting a half dozen Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterflies. Most of them were well worn this late in the Swallowtail season, but there was at least one nice fresh specimen…caught here for your pleasure (and mine). Sony RX10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode. 1/800th @ f4 @ ISO 100. Processed in Polarr.

Ebony Jewelwing Damselfly, Emmon’s Preserve, Kennebunkport Maine

It is Ebony Jewelwing season along the Baston River at Emmon’s Preserve (Kennebunkport Conservation Trust), and many of the streams in Southern Maine, right now. There is nothing quite like their green metallic bodies (blue in some lights) and velvet black wings. Two males in mock battle over a little ripple in a stream, flashing in out of dappled sun, is always a treat to see. Sony RX10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode. 1/500th @ f4 @ ISO 400 and 250. Processed in Polarr and assembled in FrameMagic.

Pic for today: Scarlet Macaws in flight…As I have mentioned before, one of the highlights of my tour of the Honduran Highlands in May with Alex Alvarado and Honduran Birds was our visit to Copan Ruins and the time we spent with the Scarlet Macaws around the feeders at feeding time. These are free-flying, wild Macaws…part of a successful reintroduction program that has been going on for many years at the Ruins in an attempt to reestablish the once common Macaw, which was important in Mayan culture in the area. Catching them in flight is a real challenge. They are big and fast and close. There was no way I could track them through the viewfinder. I had to resort to extreme point and shoot methods…simply pointing the camera at the birds, swiveling to follow them in flight with the shutter going at 10 frames per second…and hoping for the best. These are some of the best. Sony RX10iv at various focal lengths between 300 and 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my inflight modifications (tracking auto focus and auto ISO set to maintain a minimum 1/1000th shutter speed, 10 fps continuous shooting). Processed in Polarr.