Maine! Chicks!
Piping Plover: York County, Maine, USA, June 2024 — The first of our protected Piping Plover nests have hatched, and the tiny chicks are running around on the beach…never too far from mom or dad, but getting more and more adventurous, and harder for the the adults to contain or protect. The first image is a composite, to show just how small the chicks are. Both adult and chick are in the same shot, just as they are in this image, but of course they are in different focal planes and only the adult is in focus. I lifted the chick out of a shot where it was the subject and therefor in focus and sized it exactly to fit over the out of focus chick…again, just to give you an accurate impression of the size of the chick. If you know plovers you know what the adult is only about 5 inches long, so the chicks are truly tiny 🙂 They are also very curious, and though I was well outside the protected area on the open beach, I stood still just long enough so one had to come over to check me out. It only stopped a few feet from my feet, and by then I did not dare to move until it moved off. So I have a frame-filling close up. I don’t think it was as impressed by me as I was by it. I am not nearly that cute (or at least my shoes aren’t. OM System OM-1 with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator (composite assembled in Pixomatic.)
Florida! Grace and color
Tricolored Heron and Roseate Spoonbill: Blackpoint Wildlife Drive, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville, Florida, January 2024 — I don’t know enough about Tricolored Herons to know if this is typical hunting behavior…it was certainly the first time I had seen it. The Spoonbill does not seem to be overly impressed though, so maybe it happens more than I know. OM System OM-1 with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds-in-flight and action modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! DoorDash delivery
Least Tern: York County, Maine, USA, June 2024 — I am still learning to capture Least Terns in flight with my OM-1Mkii and the M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom…playing with focus limits to speed up the focus. On this day the Terns were closer than I had figured, and I should have stopped shooting to adjust the inner limit. Hard to do when the terns are in the air all around you and carrying sand eels and you are litterally spinning around trying to get them in frame. This bird was just at my close limit for the day. I have adjusted it before my next outing. 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds-in-flight and action modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Biggest Week in American Birding! Warbler close-up
Bay-breasted Warbler: Magee Marsh Boardwalk, Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, Oak Harbor, Ohio, May 2024 — There is nothing like a good close shot of a warbler…in this case a Bay-breasted…like the ones you sometimes get along the Magee Marsh Boardwalk. This shot was only at 538mm equivalent on the M.Zuiko 800mm equivalent zoom, so I was indeed close, zoomed out a ways to fit the bird in the frame. OM System OM-1Mkii in Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Air Traffic Control
Common and Least Tern: York County, Maine, USA, June 2024 — At the mouth of one of our tidal rivers the Least Terns nest in great numbers, and the Common Terns are attracted by the sand eels. It is inevitable that they sometimes occupy the same airspace. 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! Tricolored Umbrella
Tricolored Heron: Blackpoint Wildlife Drive, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville, Florida, USA, January 2024 — I have never seen a Tricolored Heron umbrella fishing…though it is very common behavior among Reddish Egrets who fish the same pools at Merritt Island. Maybe I have just not been looking at the right times. 🙂 OM System OM-1 with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 584mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds-in-flight and action modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Bobolink at high noon
Bobolink: York County, Maine, USA, June 2024 — Though the light was as harsh as it gets here in southern Maine, the Bobolinks were out singing from the saplings along the road…and any time they are putting on a show is a good time for a photo. I took this from the seat of my eTrike. 🙂 OM System OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Biggest Week in American Birding: Success
Black and White Warbler: Magee Marsh Boardwalk, Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, Oak Harbor, Ohio, USA, May 2024 — I had only a very tiny window in the foliage to work with here, but the Black and White Warbler was close and very busy finding spiders and (dare I hope) ticks. OM System OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Excuse us! Can’t you see we are having a moment here?
Least Terns (and Piping Plover): York County, Maine, USA, June 2024 — Lots of courting action on the beach a couple of days ago, with males showing off their sand eels to prospective females. The females did not seem overly impressed, or even very interested. ?? I guess it works for them, since the colony seems healthy. OM System OM-1 with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. This is cropped to 1600mm equivalent field of view at least. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Florida! Skimmer on approach
Black Skimmer: Blackpoint Wildlife Drive, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville, Florida, January 2024 — I had fun with the Black Skimmers at Merritt Island but never did get exactly the image I wanted. Next time. 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.
