Maine Landscape
Trout Lily (Adder’s Tongue, Yellow Dog Tooth Violet), Emmon’s Preserve, Kennebunkport, Maine, USA. July 2024 — One of the first wildflowers of spring in Southern Maine. OM Systems OM-1 with M.Zuiko 12-45 f4 Pro at 40mm equivalent. Program mode with in-camera HDR. Processed in Photomator.
Florida! Mass lift-off
Great and Snowy Egrets: Blackpoint Wildlife Drive, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville, Florida, January 2024 — When you see this number of birds in a group all looking the same direction as in the top shot, you know a mass lift-off might be coming soon. And indeed it happened…but so fast that I did not even get my eye to the viewfinder. I just pointed the camera and held the shutter button down. 🙂 I am happy to have gotten anything at all. OM System OM-1 with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 372mm and 300mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator and assembled in FrameMagic.
Maine! Her Majesty flys
Red-tailed Hawk: York County, Maine, USA, April 2024 — I spent a long time waiting for Her Majesty to leave her perch when I encountered her along one of my favorite birding trails across the marshes. It took her a long time to decide that the hunting might be better from another perch. I had the camera set for flight and I would hold it on her on the perch, waiting, watching the strong off-shore wind buffet her, for as long as I could hold it up…then I would put it down to give my arms a rest…then back up and waiting some more. Finally it happened, and I caught it 🙂 Again, harsher light than I would have preferred, but otherwise a very cooperative bird. 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 and Apple Photos.
Maine Landscape
Batson River above the rapids at Emmon’s Preserve, Kennebunkport, Maine, USA, April 2024 — A quiet stretch of the Batson, on a sunny April day. The woods are still open and the sun warms the ground and the water. OM System OM-1 with M.Zuiko 12-45 f4 Pro at 24mm equivalent. Program mode with in-camera HDR. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Her Majesty
Red-tailed Hawk: York County, Maine, USA, April 2024 — When I started out on one of my birding trails a Red-tailed Hawk came flying across the marsh right toward me at eye-level and then swooped over and climbed in spirals higher and higher and way inland. All I managed were a few “going way” shots. Ah well. But then, on the way back to car, almost back, I caught sight of big bird shape right over the highway in a tree…sure enough it was the hawk. I watched it hunt from several different perches along the edge of the marsh until it moved on back the way it had originally come from. The light, high noon, was about as harsh and hard as it gets in Southern Maine this time of year…but still, such a majestic bird. OM System OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. -0.3 to hold the highlights. Processed in Photomator.
Florida! White Ibis
White Ibis: Biolab Road, Merritt Island National Wildlife refuge, Titusville, Florida, USA, January 2024 — This White Ibis was standing on another snag along the edge of Indian River Lagoon, right by the Osprey from yesterday. I did not even move the car. You don’t often see the full length of those reddish legs, and seeing them only emphasizes somehow the length of the bill. Impressive bird! OM System OM-1 with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Florida! Another Osprey
Osprey: Biolab Road, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville, Florida, USA, January 2024 — I was pretty happy with the Osprey (and the photos) at the beginning of Biolab road, but that does not mean I did not stop for this one, posed nicely on a snag at the edge of the Indian River Lagoon (Mosquito lagoon), not 30 feet from my rental car window. 🙂 OM System OM-1 with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator and assembled in FrameMagic.
Maine! Honey Bee on Dog Tooth Violet
Western Honey Bee on Dog Tooth Violet (Trout Lily, Adder’s Tongue): Emmon’s Preserve, Kennebunkport, Maine, USA, April 2024 — The bees and the hoverflies were very active in the early blooming Trout Lily patches at Emmon’s Preserve the other day, so I turned the dial on my camera to program mode with my custom birds in flight and action modifications and attempted to catch a few around the flowers. 1/2000th of a second at 15fps and bird subject recognition with eye tracking got me a number of keepers as the Western Honey Bees were busy with the flowers. OM System OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent from about 4 feet. Cropped, these are very close to 1:1 image scale. Processed in Photomator and assembled in FrameMagic.
Maine! Vespers
Vesper Sparrow: York County, Maine, USA, April 2024 — I am falling way behind in my postings. These were taken a week ago already, but I can’t not post my first Vesper Sparrow sighting of the year in Southern Maine. Vespers are not uncommon in Maine, but I know of only one place where I see them commonly, and sure enough, they are back again this year. It always takes me a moment to get reacquainted with this bird. I spend at least a while trying to make it into some other species before my mind settles on Vesper. They are not flighty…this one was actually working its way closer to me, so I get a chance to study them. OM System OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Florida! Osprey
Osprey: Biolab Road, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville, Florida, USA, January 2024 — You can only drive around Blackpoint Wildlife Drive so many times on any extended visit to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, so I almost always get out to Biolab Road at least once. I found this Osprey fairly low in the trees just coming into the parking area near the beginning of the road. It sat nicely for me as I popped out of the car with my camera. OM System OM-1 with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.