Maine! Diving again
Common Tern: York County, Maine, USA, June 2024 — Two more diving shots, this time a Common Tern. OM System OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds in flight and action modifications. Processed in Photomator and assembled in FrameMagic.
Biggest Week in American Birding! Palm
Palm Warbler: Magee Marsh Boardwalk, Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, Oak Harbor, Ohio, USA, May 2024 — Still working through my warblers and others from The Biggest Week in American Birding this past May. This Palm Warblers posed so nicely who could resist? OM System OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 736mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Both sides now
Least Tern: York County, Maine, USA, June 2024 — Least Terns hunting Sand Eels at the mouth of one of our rivers, along with Roseate and Common Terns. There is a large colony of Least Terns nesting one river south, and a few may nest on this beach…through there are no signs yet (other than the Fish and Wildlife protected area signs). The slope and shape of all our beaches were radically altered by the late winter and early spring storms. Terns in flight are always going to be a challenge to photograph. They are super acrobatic flyers as you see here where two similar postures show the underside and the upper-side of the wings. OM System OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds in flight and action modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Florida! The hunt!
Reddish Egret: Blackpoint Wildlife Drive, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville, Florida, USA, January 2024 — Yes I still have lots of unshared photos from my trip to the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival in January. I will dip back occasionally to bring you highlights. This hunting Reddish Egret is doing its thing. OM System OM-1 with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds in flight and action modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! The dive!
Roseate Tern: York County, Maine, USA, June 2024 — There were three species of Terns actively feeding at the mouth of one of our local rivers on Sunday: Roseate (pictured here), Common, and Least. The sand eels were plentiful. I set out to try to capture the diving terns and terns rising from the water, and the OM System OM-1Mkii and M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom did well, even at 800mm equivalent. Any faults in the photos are user error 🙂 This is Program mode with my custom birds in flight and action modifications. 16.7 frames per second in SH2 mode and 1/2500th and 1/2000th of a second. The hardest part was keeping the bird in frame as it dived and continuing to keep it in frame as it rose. The Roseate Tern tail features are a treat. Processed in Photomator.
Biggest Week in American Birding! caterpillar catcher
Prothonotary Warbler: Magee Marsh Boardwalk, Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, Oak Harbor, Ohio, May 2024 — A Prothonotary Warbler doing what it does…finding and eating some kind of tiny caterpillar in the undergrowth. OM System OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Towhee
Eastern Towhee: York County, Maine, USA, May 2024 — On my way back from the beach and photographing terns and plovers, I walked up under this singing Eastern Towhee on the boardwalk. Literally. It sat and sang from a perch not 12 feet above and slightly out from the boardwalk, right out in the open, not only for me, but for a party of 6 tourists who got there before me. It was not singing its “drink your tea, tea, tea” song…more like its name “towhee, towhee,” but it was singing. After I had walked all around under it, looking for good angles against the background trees and sky, it was still sitting there and singing when I walked on. If you know Towhees at all, you know that that does not happen often. 🙂 OM System OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Incoming!
Least Tern: York County, Maine, USA, May 2024 — Being the object of a Least Tern’s attention on an open beach can be intimidating…which is, of course, the whole point of the exercise as far as the Tern is concerned. He does not want you there. In this case I was guilty by association. As I mentioned a few days ago, the Fish and Wildlife folks were busy moving the protected area ropes to include the nest site this Tern had selected outside the existing roped off area. I just happened to be there when it was happening, hoping for some Terns in flight shots. This is a stack of three shots from a sequence at 16 frames per second…not consecutive shots, but three selected to tell the story. The last shot was last with the Tern in frame before he pulled up to pass over my head with at least 6 inches to spare. 🙂 OM System OM-1Mkii with the M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 400mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds in flight and action modifications. Processed in Photomatic and assembled in FrameMagic.
Maine! Pitcher Plant
Pitcher Plant: Coastal Maine Botanical Garden, Boothbay, Maine, USA, May 2024 — Carol and I took advantage of the Maine resident open days this weekend (free tickets) to visit the Coastal Maine Botanical Garden 2 hours north of us in Boothbay. It was a lovely day, and we have never been there this early in the season. Pitcher Plants are one of my favorite plants, just because they are so bizarre, and they always grow in the tiny and carefully maintained bog at the end of the pool at the Alfond Children’s Garden. Both these shots are in Program mode with in-camera focus stacking, with the OM System OM-1 and M.Zuiko 12-45 f4 Pro zoom at 90mm equivalent and at 72mm equivalent. In the past it has been a challenge to get both the flower stalk and the pitchers themselves in focus at the same time. but hand-held focus stacking makes it easy. I always have mixed feelings about photographing plants in gardens…it is kind of like photographing wildlife in zoos…but I am not going to pass up a chance for a good photo of the Pitcher Plant. 🙂 I might get out to Saco Heath this week, our closest remnant bog, to see if I can find some in the wild.
Biggest Week in American Birding! Eye to Eye
Blackburnian Warbler: Magee Marsh Boardwalk, Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, Oak Harbor, Ohio, USA, May 2024 — The pattern on the top of the Blackburnian’s head is rarely seen, as this warbler is almost always well above eye-level. Here it tipped its head to get a good look at me, or maybe at its own reflection in my lens (or maybe it was not looking at me at all and I just happened to be in line with some insect it was after). OM System OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 776mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
