American Kestrel: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, April 2026 — On my way into the beach to look for the first Piping Plovers of the year, a Kestrel took off from the top of one of the 15-foot-tall maples that now line the road. Too late to even consider stopping, but I told myself to look for it on the way back out. I was, as it happens, running late by the time I left the beach, good plover opportunities and a long conversation with a birder by the cars having ensued, and I almost forgot. But the Kestrel was there, probably in the same tree (though all the trees look the same), and I had to stop and roll down the window for a few awkward shots. I did not dare move the car or get out. I considered it a miracle that the Kestrel continued to sit there while I got the window down and the camera up. The light was not ideal, behind the bird, and the angle was awkward, but still, we take what we can get (and are generally happy to do so—since it is always more than we deserve or can reasonably expect). And the Kestrel is, if I admit to having favorites of any kind (which I seldom do), my favorite raptor—only it isn’t actually. The falcons are, modern genetics tells us, meat-eating parrots. And there is an image to conjure with. Only makes me like Kestrels more. Sony a7CR. Tamron 50-400 at about 800mm equivalent field of view. Program with bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.

The problem with panoramas is displaying them. This panorama, stitched together from five 24mm equivalent field of view shots in Bimostitch, closely replicates the 180-degree field of view of our eyes, but getting it to display on a digital display without losing all detail requires some trickery—like the surround in this finished image. I hope it works. I am a fan of dramatic skies, and of course, this image is much about the sky as it is about the landscape. The expanse of beach is impressive, but the sky really makes the shot. Sony a6700. Sigma 16-300 Contemporary. Auto with auto Landscape Scene Mode selection. Processed in Photomator and assembled in Bimostitch.

Piping Plovers: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, April 2026 — The Piping Plovers are back on our local beaches and showing signs of mating behavior. This is good. Piping Plovers populations in Maine are slowly rebounding from a historical low in the early 80s of 6 nesting pairs to last year’s number of 170 nesting pairs. If you visit southern Maine beaches, you will see the roped-off nesting areas. Please do not violate them. You will also see Piping Plovers running loose on the beach. Please respect their space. Please stop before the birds react to your presence and go well around them. If you want a closer view, stop where you are, before the birds react, and stand still. Very often, the birds will come to you. I have never been able to figure out way, but it happens consistently enough so that I now expect it. All of these photos were taken with a very long lens (after cropping in the 1000=1200mm equivalent field of view range), and I stood still and waited for the birds. After taking these photos, I continued to stand until the birds had moved well away. Even so, it is not something I would do every day. Once a week is about my limit. And I remind tourists on every visit. Mind the ropes, control your kids and pets, and do not chase the birds. Still, Plovers nest successfully on visited beaches for a reason—not simply because there is nowhere else for them to nest. Human activity means there are fewer predators. Dogs mean no cats or foxes. Human presence discourages gulls and pigeons from opportunistic feeding on eggs and chicks. Often, there is a paid nest monitor on sight to further protect the nests and chicks. As long as we respect the birds, we get to enjoy them, and they produce more viable chicks to aid the recovery of the species. Win-win, as they say. Sony a7CR. Tamron 50-400 as above. Program with bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.

Greater Yellowlegs vs Willet: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, April 2026 — While not nearly as difficult as yesterday’s comparison (Purple and House Finch), the Greater Yellowlegs and the Willet are often seen together as the Yellowlegs pass through southern Maine on the way to their breeding grounds. The Willets nest here and are around at least through mid-summer. Of course, if you can get a clear look at the legs, the Yellowlegs is unmistakable, but sometimes you cannot see the legs at all, or the birds are too distant for the color to make an impression. This is a Greater Yellowlegs, by the way, and you can tell by the length of the bill compared to the head, and by size if you have the two Yellowlegs together. Though there is overlap in size between the GYL and the Willet, the Willet is slightly larger, and definitely more “chesty”—it carries its weight further forward and makes the GYL look quite slender and elegant by comparison. Think hockey player and figure skater. You can see this difference from a much greater distance than the color of the legs. Also, the Willet is a brown bird, and the Yellowlegs is a grey bird. That too can be seen from a distance if you are paying attention. If the legs are hidden, the bill on the GYL is thinner, and solid black, while the Willet’s bill is thicker and noticeably bi-colored, with a lighter base near the face of the bird. But it is not about what I see. It is about what you see, and these two photos give you a chance to figure that out for yourselves 🙂 And in reality it is not about individual details at all. It is about overall impression. Good birders do not identify birds, they recognize them, the way we recognize an old friend we have not seen in months all the way across a parking lot. Sony a7CR. Tamron 50-400 at about 1000mm equivalent field of view (heavily cropped). Program with bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator. Assembled in FrameMagic.

House and Purple Finch: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, April 2026 — One of the most common confusions among those who appreciate birds: is it a House Finch or is it a Purple Finch? Here in southern Maine, we have both, seasonally, and sometimes both year-round. Working from my photo blind, I was able to get close-ups of both in the past few days, so I thought I would post them together so you (and I) can learn to appreciate the difference. The color difference is actually more subtle than you might expect. A bright male House Finch is just as intense as a bright male Purple Finch, and unless you see them together, the difference between the orangey red of the House and the more bluey red (raspberry) of the Purple can be easy to miss. Probably my most reliable tell is the boldness of the pattern. I said recently that the House is a pen and ink drawing, and the Purple is a watercolor. There is much more “bleeding” of the red into the darker shades and lighter shades of the chest and back. Also, the pattern on the chest of the House is red on gray, and the pattern on the chest of the Purple is red on white. Finally, the Purple totally lacks the strong grey on white streaking on the body under the wings. And while it is not so obvious in these photos, the Purple is a chunkier bird, and the House more slender. And if you really want to get nit-picky, notice the slight curve in the upper half of the House Finch’s beak and compare it to the straight edge of the Purple Finch’s beak. (You have to be pretty close to see that.) I have a trained eye, and I still have to look twice at every male finch I see this time of year. Sony a7CR. Tamron 150-500 on a tripod at about 800mm equivalent field of view. Program with bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator and assembled in FrameMagic.

Eastern Bluebird: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, April 2026 — As I said a few days ago, sometimes feeder shots can display a range of behavior and postures that it would take a long time to catch on any other perch. So here you have such a range. Bluebirds are, to my eye, one of the more expressive birds—or at least one of the more relatable birds. We can easily see ourselves in them, in a way that might make ourselves easier to see. If I ask you what you see in these postures, I suspect you will not have any trouble telling me, and I have to suspect that it will tell me more about you than it does about bluebirds. In a very real sense, my photos and my selections tell you more about me than they do about bluebirds. 🙂 Sony a7CR. Tamron 150-500 at about 800mm equivalent field of view. Program with bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator and assembled in FrameMagic.

Purple Finch: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, April 2026 — From my new photo blind yesterday. And the kind of “away from the feeders” shots I prefer. This finch appears to have something attached to its left eye—looks like a wire or some kind of wiry plant fiber. It is not slowing it down much. I have noticed the fondness Purple Finches have for the fresh leaves of this plant in years past. They might be after insects that are in the leaf buds, but they eat the whole emerging leaf. Or maybe, like tea lovers, they just prize the pekoe—even the Flowery Pekoe—the first leaves to emerge. If I ever learn to speak Purple Finch, it is one of the first questions I will ask. 🙂 But really, that is one of the things I prize about birds. The mystery of what makes them do the things they do—and the way it resonates with (or even expands) my understanding of why I do the things I do. Sony a7CR. Tamron 150-500 on a tripod at about 1000mm equivalent field of view. Program with bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.

Chipping Sparrow: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, April 2026 — I got my new photo chair blind yesterday and set it up near the backyard feeding station. I took the Sony a7CR and the Tamron 150-500 out with a tripod and sat for several hours to see what I might see. Mostly Chipping Sparrows and Bluebirds at the feeders, but I did catch this chipper on a perch behind the feeders. That is always my intention. I take photos of the birds at the feeders for practice, so I can develop the hand-eye coordination needed to catch the birds on a more attractive perch. The feeder bird shots are useful for studying the detail of the bird, and often capture interesting behavior, but they are never completely satisfying. At least to me. Sony a7CR. Tamron 150-500 at about 800mm equivalent field of view. Program with bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.

Moss and lichen: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, April 2026 — No, it is not a hill. It is just a tiny mound of moss, about 2 inches high, probably growing over a small rock or old tree root. But from ground level and very close, it takes on a life of its own. It is, as are most things in life, a matter of perspective and how close you look. As we learn to take different points of view and look more closely, we grow as human beings. A little practice at the macro scale improves our view at every scale. Or that is how I look at it. (Besides, in this awkward transitional season, there is not a lot else to look at 🙂 Sony a6700. Sigma 16-300 Contemporary at 58mm equivalent field of view. Macro modifications to Aperture program mode. f/16 for depth of field. Processed in Photomator.

Purple Finch: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, April 2026 — We have the Purple Finches in our yard for several weeks in early spring and a few weeks in the fall. They must nest in the pine forests around us, but so far they have not nested in the pine in our yard—and, of course, “our” Purples might be only stopping over for the sunflower seeds on their way north to the dense forests where they breed in greater numbers. Our lone pine might not be all that attractive to them. I will take them however I can get them! I have a disproportionate fondness for Purple Finches over House Finches. I know it is unreasonable, but I can live with it. Maybe if the Purples were as common as the Houses, I would feel differently, but I don’t really think so. Maybe it is that this is the Purples’ historical habitat, and the Houses are, no matter how long they have been here, incomers. I would not like to think I have become that provincial, but then I do live in Maine. I should have more compassion for the House Finches as I am an incomer myself. I will never have the accent. Purple Finches do. (Or am I mistaking Canadian for Mainer?) Anyway. Sony a7CR. Tamron 150-500 @ about 800mm equivalent field of view. Program with bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.