Maine! Snowy Egret, shallows dancing
Snowy Egret: York County, Maine, USA, August 2023 — These were taken a week ago, when the congregation of Egrets at the mouth of our local river was still strong. This week, they are mostly gone on south, I think. When I went down a few days ago there was only one lonely Snowy left, hanging out with the gulls. This Snowy was quite active fishing in the shallows along edge of the sandbar. OM Systems OM-1 with the ED 100-400mm zoom at 800mm. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro. ISO 200 @ f6.3 @ 1/800th.
Maine! Scolia Wasp in Goldenrod
Scolia Wasp: Kennebunk Plains Nature Conservancy, York County, Maine, USA, August 2023 — When the Blazing Star blooms on the Kennebunk Plains, it attracts insects of all kinds. This Scolia Wasp happened to be in the Goldenrod, which is also in full bloom on the Plains right now. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro. ISO 200 @ f6.3 @ 1/800th.
Monday Supplement: White Blazing Star
I can’t let Northern Blazing Star season pass without properly celebrating it, so here is another Blazing Star shot. About one in a thousand (just a guess) Blazing Star plants produce white blossoms. I have no idea why…whether it is in the plant itself or in the soil, or some combination of the two. The plants appear otherwise healthy and identical to their purple counterparts. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm zoom at 585mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro. ISO 200 @ f7 @ 1/800th.
Goldfinch among Blazing Star
American Goldfinch: York County, Maine, USA — Along the same lines as Goldenrod and Northern Blazing Star in the same frame, here we have a Goldfinch among Blazing Star. The same color contrast. 🙂 This time of year, as the Blazing Star blossoms ripen, there are flocks of Goldfinches out on the Plains, picking out the thistle like seeds. Getting close enough for a good photo is a trick, as they are fairly exposed and quite flighty. I took this from the seat of my trike, still clipped into the pedals, on the access road for the pond, low and through the foreground blooms. OM System OM-1 with ED 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro. ISO 320 @ f6.3 @ 1/640th. Heavily cropped for scale.
Sunday Supplement! Honey Bee in Blazing Star
For some reason the Carpenter Bees and Ground Bees outnumber the Honey Bees on the Plains, even during the Northern Blazing Star bloom. Maybe no one keeps hives close enough. I am always happy, considering the decline in bee populations, to see a Honey Bee at work. I enjoy my honey! OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent. (Makes a decent macro lens as well 🙂 Program mode with my birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro. ISO 200 @ f6.3 @ 1/800th.
Maine! Snowy Egret in flight
Snowy Egret (and Canada Geese): York County, Maine, USA, August 2023 — Great Egrets outnumber Snowy Egrets by about 5 to 1 this summer on the sandbar at the mouth of one of our local rivers…but that does not mean the Snowies don’t put on a good show. 🙂 OM Systems OM-1 with the ED 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds-in-flight modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro. ISO 200 @ f8 @ 1/1250th. -.7EV.
Maine! Bonus shot. Blazing Star and Goldenrod
I love the extreme color contrast between the Goldenrod and the Northern Blazing Star this time of year…though as I have mentioned before you have do some looking to find the two close enough to include in the same frame. This was taken with the OM Systems OM-1 and the ED 100-400mm zoom at 246mm equivalent. Still with my custom bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro. ISO 200 @ f6.3 @ 1/800th.
Maine! Halloween Pennant
Halloween Pennant: Kennebunk Plains Nature Conservancy, York County, Maine, USA — While out photographing the Northern Blazing Star boom last week, I came across this fairly fresh Halloween Pennant. I am always happy to see one. This one was just back from the edge of Day Brook Pond. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro. ISO 200 @ f6.3 @ 1/640th.
Maine: Robber Flies
Robber Flies: Kennebunk Plains Nature Conservancy, York County, Maine, USA, August 2023 — There are 54 species of Robber Flies living in Maine, comprising 20 different Genera…and there are over 1000 species world-wide. I have no idea which of the 54 these two are, but I found lots of individuals and many mating pairs when I visited the Kennebunk Plains last week to photograph the Northern Blazing Start bloom. This is a hand held in-camera focus stack from the OM Systems OM-1 and the ED 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent and about 4 feet. The stack is 8 exposures deep. Being able to do this hand held with an 800mm equivalent lens and from a comfortable working distance is pretty amazing. 🙂 Program mode. Processed in Pixelmator Pro. Nominal exposure ISO 400 @ f6.3 @ 1/1250th.
Maine! Chipping Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow: York County, Maine, USA, August 2023 — Still working through the photos from my afternoon with the hummingbirds on the back deck. We have more Chipping Sparrows coming to the feeders than any other bird…and indeed when I am out and about, I am amazed at the numbers of this common sparrow this year. They are everywhere and there are lots of them! This season we have adults and this year’s young going through about a 2 pounds of seed a day! OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro. ISO 4000 @ f6.3 @ 1/1250th.