Costa Rica! Silky Flycatchers and Parakeet
Sulphur-winged Parakeet and Long-tailed Silky Flycatchers: Miriam’s Quetzals, San Geraldo de Dota, Costa Rica, December 2023 — Typically we do not get close views of Long-tailed Silky Flycatcher at Miriam’s, but they often perch on the very top of the tall tree against the mountains on the other side of the Savegre Valley. This trip they were joined by a pair of Sulphur-winged Parakeets, one of which makes the third in this trio of birds. The tree is a long way off, on the brink of the drop to the valley below. This is a fairly heavy crop. OM System OM-1 with 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Mottled Finch
American Goldfinch: York County, Maine, USA, March 2024 — It is that time of year when the male Goldfinches begin to color up. We have a few Goldfinches all winter, off and on, so we get used to seeing them in their drab winter colors. It is easy to forget how bright they get by early summer. This is the awkward time when they just look unfinished…enough yellow to remind you of their summer splendor but only just. Still, it won’t be long now. OM System OM-1Mkii with 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Florida! Cruickshank Osprey
Osprey: Helen and Alan Cruickshank Sanctuary, Rockledge, Florida, USA, January 2024 — Scrub Jays are not the only birds at the Cruickshank Sanctuary. There has been a nesting pair of Osprey there for at least the past five years. I saw them on my last pre-covid visit in 2019, and I saw one of them again this year. While watching this year a local man came up and in conversation he assured me they had been there every year in the interval. Good to know. OM System OM-1 with 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator and assembled in FrameMagic.
Costa Rica! Yellow-thighed Bushfinch
Yellow-thighed Bushfinch: Miriam’s Quetzals, San Geraldo de Dota, Costa Rica, December 2023 — One of the more unique looking birds of the mountains of Costa Rica and northwest Panama, the Yellow-thighed Bushfinch, with it’s bright yellow leg warmers, is a common visitor to the feeding station at Miriam’s. It is another finch that is not a finch…it is a member of the same family as American Sparrows and Towhees. OM System OM-1 with 100-400IS zoom at 614mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Pale Blue Heron
Great Blue Heron: York County, Maine, USA, March 2024 — This seems really early for Great Blue Heron in York County, but according the information on-line, it is really not. They do sometime arrive in the state in mid-march. And the Great Blues hung on along the coast well into the winter this year…in fact, I am not sure some of them ever left Maine. All they need is ice-free water to hunt, and we had that most of the season. This one was along a little stretch of path that rarely fails to turn up at least one interesting bird. After the herons I photographed in Florida in January, this bird looks very pale to me…kind of washed out…but maybe it is just the March Maine sunshine. OM System OM-1Mkii with 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Just Robins
American Robin: York County, Maine, USA, March 2024 — The American Robin does not get the photographic attention it deserves because it is so common. They are here in York County year around and underfoot all summer in our yards. It really is a beautiful bird though. OM System OM-1Mkii with 100-400IS zoom. Program mode with my custom birds modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Florida! Close up Scrub Jay
Florida Scrub Jay: Helen and Alan Cruickshank Sanctuary, Rockledge, Florida, USA, January 2024 — Even closer. I squatted down to get closer to eye-level. The Florida Scrub Jays at the Cruickshank Sanctuary have absolutely no fear of humans…and I am pretty sure that is not a good thing, except for photographers. OM System OM-1 with 100-400IS zoom at 400mm equivalent (close close). Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Titmouse Song
Tufted Titmouse: York County, Maine, USA, March 2024 — There is perhaps no birds song or call that is a carrying, one might even say, piercing as the Tufted Titmouse in the spring. Common in both yard and forest they certainly make their presence known in season. I caught this one in full voice and you can see the effort going into the call. They are quick and agile and not easy to catch in a photo, at least around our yard. OM System OM-1Mkii with 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Costa Rica! Emerald
Northern Emerald Toucanet: Miriam’s Quetzals, San Geraldo de Dota, Costa Rica, December 2023 — We had seen Emerald Toucanet at Soda y Mirador Cincinola on the way to the Sarapiqui Valley, but it is always nice to see them again in the high valley of the Savegre at Miriam’s and Batsu Gardens…both good spots for this attractive but aggressive egg predator. It is sometimes called the Blue-throated Emerald Toucanet, for obvious reasons. OM System OM-1 with 100-400IS zoom at 552mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Song Sparrows
Song Sparrow: York County, Maine, USA, March 2024 — We had a somewhat spring like day yesterday and I got out for a short walk in an area I don’t visit often. I found at least 3 mixed flocks of Juncos and Song Sparrows feeding avidly in the short grasses and low bushes. OM System OM-1Mkii with 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.