Creature in the woods
Porcupine. Emmon’s Preserve, Kennebunkport, Maine, USA — While out looking for the first Trout Lily’s (Adder’s Tongue) of the season (there were none yet) I encountered a creature in the woods. I could not, for any amount of trying, figure out what it was, but I managed a few photos and came home to study them. My first instinct was Porcupine, but the almost total lack of quills had me baffled. There is nothing else it can be though, and I found some other photos on the web showing porcupines in a similar state. Perhaps it had just survived an attack of some sort…or perhaps it was its first venture out of the winter borrow, and it had lost most of its quills rubbing on the rocks all winter. It seemed heathy enough otherwise, and not overly upset at the encounter. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400. Program mode with my birds and wildlife modifications. Photomator.
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Golden-crowned Kinglet: York County, Maine, USA, April 2025 — Mild sunny days have been rare as spring comes on here in Southern Maine. Yesterday inspired me to get out for a photoprowl. I went looking for Trout Lily (not even any leaves showing yet) and then along the path by the river to see what I could see. Again, not much. But I met a fellow photographer/birder on the trail who told me that there were Kinglets up ahead. Otherwise I might have turned around early, and never known what I was missing. It is kind of miracle that they were still there when I got there, and hung around just long enough for a few photos. I am pretty sure these are my first Golden-crowns for York County, though I have seen lots of Ruby-crowned. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Keel-billed Toucan
Keel-billed Toucan: Dave and Dave’s Costa Rican Nature Park, La Vergin, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica, March 2025 — I have not had a close view of a Keel-billed Toucan in my past several trips to Costa Rica. Just not in the right place at the right time I guess. This one sat well out in the tall trees along the edge of Dave and Dave’s property between the house and the road. Still, a wonder to see. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Golden Hooded Tanager
Golden-hooded Tanager: Dave & Dave’s Costa Rican Nature Park, La Vergin, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica, March 2025 — Dave and Dave are a father and son who have transformed an old palm plantation on the bluff above the Sarapiqui river into a bird watcher’s and photographer’s paradise. Due to their elevation above the river, they get Toucans, Tanagers, and Hummingbirds of both the undergrowth and canopy of the Rainforest. This is the Golden-hooded Tanager, one of the standout birds of the lowlands. It is called “siete colores” (seven colors) by the locals. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Scarlet Macaws in love
Scarlet Macaw: La Vergin, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica, March 2025 — Again from our roadside stop in La Vergin on the way to Dave and Dave’s Costa Rican Nature Park. As I said yesterday the clouds came and went rapidly so the sky behind the birds was constantly changing. This is clearly a bonded pair and the Macaw bond is a lifetime bond. This behavior is often described as “affection” and may well be. You can see the mutual preening happening in the third photo. Whatever it is, it is a captivating display. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator and assembled in FrameMagic.
Scarlet Macaw
Scarlet Macaw: La Vergin, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica, March 2025 — We were on our way to Dave and Dave’s Costa Rican Nature Park when the bus came to a more or less abrupt stop in front of little roadside stand or store. Mario, our guide was out the door in an instant, with a single word for us. Macaws. And indeed there were two in a huge dead tree in the field behind the store. The store owner was nice enough to open his gate for us and let us walk closer to the tree. The blue sky came and went as we watched, as clouds moved behind the tree. There is nothing quite as brilliant as a Scarlet Macaw. And these were healthy birds. This shot shows off the full plumage range. I will post a few others over the next days to show the interaction between the pair. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Piping Plover
Piping Plover: York County, Maine, April 2025 — Taking a break from my coverage of the March trip to Costa Rica. I took some time on a sunny afternoon to go check the beach for Plovers. Our Piping Plovers started arriving in York County more than a week ago. Most arrive from the south in April, and the males begin to establish territories. They still, to my eye, look a bit cold and uncomfortable on the beach. It was only in the 40s yesterday, with a deep wind chill, but I saw at least a dozen individuals in a 1/4 mile stretch of beach. As always I will say that I am very careful when I photograph Plovers. They are an endangered species, clinging to very limited habitat here in Maine. In the original photo this bird is still quite small, taking up only about 3% of the frame. I use a long lens and crop in, and I never get close enough so that the birds retreat from me. Shots like this one happen when I am standing still and the plovers come toward me. And I stand there until they move away again on their own. If you see Plovers on the beach, give them their space. If you want to see them close, carry binoculars or a camera with a long lens. And please, if you walk your dog on the beach, obey the signs and use a leash. Never allow your dog to chase birds. We have been privileged to see Plover and Tern numbers grow in recent years. That is a trend we want to contiinue. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Bare-throated Tiger Heron
Bare-throated Tiger Heron: Selve Verde Lodge, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica, March 2025 — Out on the banks of the Sarapiqui early in the morning, we found this Bare-throated Tiger Heron hanging among the rocks…maybe he fancied a change from fish…a lizard might go down well for breakfast. 🙂 There are 6 speices of Tiger Herons in Central and South America. All share the striped feather patterns. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Yellow-throated Toucan
Yellow-throated Toucan: Selve Verde Lodge, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica, March 2025 — As we gathered for a late afternoon prowl around the grounds at Selve Verde, we were greeted by this bold Yellow-throated Toucan, certainly one of the emblem birds of the American tropical rainforest. This bird has had three different names since I have been visiting the rainforest. Perhaps Yellow-throated will stick for a while. It is the largest Toucan in Costa Rica. The word, Toucan, comes, apparently, from the croaking call. Like most Toucans, the Yellow-throated is a voracious egg and chick predator, and not, despite its cheerful colors, a good neighbor at all. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Common Tody Flycatcher
Common Tody Flycatcher: Selve Verde Lodge, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica, March 2025 — We got to Selve Verde late in the afternoon and were shown to our rooms, in the new block of rooms right by the river, and this was one of the first birds to greet us. Not an uncommon bird, but one that is sometimes hard to see. (I have come back from Costa Rica many times without having seen it.) A bright little bird of thickets and undergrowth, the Common Tody Flycatcher found in Eastern Costa Rica and Panama is a sub-species with more green in the back than most. “Tody” is from the French and Latin for “small bird” and the Tody Flycatcher is not related to the Tody family of colorful small birds of the Caribbean islands. It is a tyrant flycatcher, closely related most of our North American flycatchers. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.