Costa Rica! Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird: Dave and Dave’s Costa Rican Nature Park, La Vergin, Costa Rica, December 2023 — The Rufous-tailed Hummingbird showing off its name-sake tail with the sun behind it. The different gorget colors are purely due to the angle of the light. The scientific name of this bird comes from the Aztec for warrior, which is appropriate as in many places the Rufous-tiled dominates feeders and flowering plants…vigorously guarding them from all other species. At Dave and Dave’s the White-necked Jacobins dominate even the Rufous-tailed, but perhaps just because their numbers are higher. OM Systems OM-1 with the ED 100-400mm IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds in flight modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Goldeneye
Common Goldeneye: York County, Maine, USA, January 2024 — Another bird that I have not seen much of off our coast here in Southern Maine for many years is the Common Goldeneye. When I first moved here in the mid 90’s, if memory serves, they were relatively common near our local beach. Perhaps the recent storm brought these. There were the two males and at least one female. It is nice to catch them in good light to show off the green of head…just one of the colors it can be in changing light. OM Systems OM-1 with the ED 100-400mm IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator. Assembled in FrameMagic.
Costa Rica! Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer
Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer: Dave and Dave’s Costa Rican Nature Reserve, La Vergin, Costa Rica, December 2023 — Another hummingbird from Dave and Dave’s. More rare than the White-necked Jacobin, both in general and at the flowers at Dave and Dave’s, which makes it a more special bird to see and photograph. However the dominant White-necked Jacobins do their best to keep the Plumeleteer away from the feeding area, so they are quick in and out. This one managed a brief rest stop right in front of us. The only Central American hummingbird with red feet! OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm IS zoom at 472mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds in flight modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Horned Grebe
Horned Grebe: York County, Maine, USA, January 2024 — Eared Grebe used to be a common sight at the mouths of our rivers here in Southern Maine, but this might be the first one I photographed in at least a decade. Something happened to the sea bed along our coast in a major storm going on 20 years ago, and the big flocks of Eiders, the Horned and Red-necked Grebes, Long-tailed Ducks, the Surf and White-winged Scoters, were pretty much gone over-night. Or maybe I just have not been looking hard enough. 🙂 Two Horned Grebes showed up after the weekend storm that also did quite a bit of damage to the sea-bed and shore line all up the coast of Southern Maine. Could be a coincidence, but maybe not. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro.
Costa Rica! White-necked Jacobin
White-necked Jacobin: Dave and Dave’s Costa Rican Nature Reserve, La Vergin, Costa Rica, December 2023 — Dave and Dave’s is one of my favorite stops for birds and bird photography in the Sarapiqui Valley. Perched on a bluff at canopy level above the river, their rewilded Banana plantation attracts birds of both the canopy and the forest. And their set-up off the back deck is ideal for hummingbird photography. White-necked Jacobin is the dominant species, but they attract several others as well. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds in flight modifications. Natural light (no flash). Processed in Photomator. ISO 4000 @ f6.3 @ 1/1600th. -0.3EV
Maine! Flying Eagle again
Bald Eagle: York County, Maine, USA, January 2024 — Another from the flight sequence of one of the two Eagles who often sit in the tall trees on the far side one of our local rivers. Right place at the right time as the bird launched out and came right by me. OM Systems OM-1 with the ED 100-400mm IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixomator Pro.
Maine! The way winter is supposed to be
Mousam River, Kennebunk, Maine: We had winter for a few days there, but today it is raining hard, with high winds, and will reach 50 degrees. Not winter, the way it supposed to be…as far as I am concerned. The snow is still on the ground but it is a soggy mess and will probably be totally washed away by day’s end. So this will be, for the moment, my celebration of the Maine winter the way it is supposed to be. OM Systems OMD E-M5Mkiii with 12-45mm zoom. Program with in-camera HDR. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Snow birds
Eastern Bluebird: Carolina Wren: York County, Maine, USA, January 2024 — Before it slips totally into long-term memory, here are a couple of mandatory bird shots from Sunday’s snow storm. Unlike many in Maine, we have had our regular birds at the feeders through the late fall and early winter, so we were not surprised to see a flurry of activity as the snow fell. The Carolina Wren has been an occasional visitor for the past year, and must be nesting in the area, and we had 7 Bluebirds at the same time around our mealworm feeder…as well as the Titmice, Gold and House finches, Chickadees, Nuthatches, and both Downy and Hariy Woodpeckers. The Red-bellied even put in a brief appearance, along with a pair of Mourning Doves. We even have one lonely Chipping Sparrow still hanging out with the mixed flock. So, yes, busy feeders. And, of course, there is nothing like a bird in the snow shot to warm the winter heart. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Snowy day bonus
Two HDR snowy landscapes from behind the dunes at our local beach, and a forest panorama (three HDR shots stitched). OM Systems OMD E-M5mkiii and the Olympus 12-45mm zoom. Program mode with HDR. Processed in Photomator and stitched in Panorama Stitcher. Assembled in FrameMagic.
Maine! Flying Eagle
Bald Eagle: York County, Maine, USA, January 2024 — We will pause our coverage of my December trip to Costa Rice for this local update. I went out yesterday, after finishing up clearing the drive, and resting for while, to photograph the fresh fallen snow, and check a few spots for birds. You never know if a Snowy Owl might have blown in on the storm. No owls, but our resident Eagle flew into one of its favored perches above the river while I parked the car, and sat for a few portrait shots before showing obvious signs of flight. I could not get my finger off the shutter release long enough to switch to my birds-in-flight mode…in hindsight I should have taken the half second it takes to do that when I first began to think the eagle was about to fly…but I didn’t. Next time. Still I got a few shots as the eagle passed in front of me fairly close. It is amazing how much bigger the bird looks in flight than it does sitting on a branch. OM Systems OM-1 with the ED 100-400mm IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. -0.7 EV. Processed in Pixomator Pro.