Black-capped Chickadee: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, September 2026 — Gotta love Chickadees. They are so bold and so confident and so personable. (That last is a stretch, I know: maybe so “full of themselves.”) When there is nothing else to photograph, there are still chickadees (most places). Perky. That is what they are. Perky. Sony RX10 V at 600mm equivalent. Cropped to something like 1200mm effective field of view. My birds and wildlife custom mode. Processed in Photomator.

Great Blue Heron: Kennebunkport, Maine, USA, September 2026 — There were at least 3, maybe 4, Great Blue Herons between the estuary backwater and the pond between it and the estuary itself the other day. It was noon already by the time I got there, and heat shimmer was a definite issue, but we rarely see Herons this close here in Southern Maine, where they tend to be somewhat flighty. Sony RX10 V at 600mm equivalent. My custom birds and wildlife mode. Cropped to about 1200mm effective field of view. Processed in Photomator.

Solitary Sandpiper: Kennebunkport, Maine, USA, September 2026 — There are still lots of Lesser Yellowlegs around, but when I saw these two birds, I just knew they were somehow different. Legs too short and not yellow enough, and somehow not quite the right shape. Too chesty. I had to look them up since I see them so rarely, but I am pretty sure these are Solitary Sandpipers. Yes, I know. Despite their being—well—not solitary. 🙂 I love the wing stretch. On any bird. I often chant under my breath: “make a wing, make a wing”—but it always comes as a surprise. Sometimes I am ready, and sometimes I am not. Sony RX10 V at 600mm equivalent. Cropped to around 900mm equivalent. My custom birds and wildlife mode. Processed in Photomator and Apple Photos.

Cedar Waxwing: Kennebunkport, Maine, USA, September 2026 — One more Waxwing from the small flock hawking insects over the pond. When they returned to the perch between sorties, they would often pant, or more precisely employ gular flutter with their beaks open to cool down while they watched for the next bug to chase. (I looked that up just now.) Gular flutter is more energy efficient than the panting we mammals do, and since birds do not sweat, it is their only way of cooling their bodies on a hot day when they are expending a lot of energy chasing bugs. Sony RX10 V at 600mm equivalent. Cropped to 1000mm effective field of view. My Birds and Wildlife mode. Processed in Photomator.

Northern Leopard Frog: Kennebunk Plains Nature Conservancy, W. Kennebunk, Maine, USA, September 2026 — The pond on the south side of the road on the Kennebunk Plains is managed for trout by the State, so it was drained this spring during frog mating season to eliminate invasive bass. Good for the trout, bad for the frogs. It is taking the pond some time to recover. I take this small Northern Leopard Frog on the shore is a good sign. Sony RX10 V at 600mm equivalent. Cropped to about 1100 and 750mm effective field of view. My Birds and Wildlife Mode. Processed in Photomator.

Painted Lady, Great Spangled Fritillary, Clouded Sulphur: Kennebunk Plains Conservation Area, West Kennebunk, Maine, USA, September 2026 — This time of year, some of our butterflies are looking well worn: not these! Two, as you see, are in the last blossoming Northern Blazing Star of the season, and the Clouded Sulphur is on Smooth Blue Aster, in the same area. I included the oblique shot of the Sulphur because I rarely see the upper side of the wing well enough to appreciate the bright orange mark. Sony RX10 V at 600mm equivalent. Cropped to between 750 and 1200mm effective field of view (1200mm on the Sulphur). My birds and wildlife mode. Processed in Photomator.

Cedar Waxwing: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, September 2026 — The Cedar Waxwings in southern Maine are in full hawk mode these days. Perching on trees at the edge of ponds, they swoop out over the water and take insects (probably mosquitoes) out of the air, then come swooping back to their perches, watch for seconds or moments, and swoop out again. It reminds me a bit of that game they play on broomsticks in the Harry Potter movies. I found a spot in the shadows at the edge of the pond near a perch they were using regularly and stood there for an hour or more, in two shifts, to see if I could catch one close and in good light. Of course, they always had their backs to me as they looked out over the pond for insects, but they were close. 🙂 Sony RX10 V at 600mm. Cropped to about 780mm effective field of view. My Birds and Wildlife Mode. Processed in Photomator.

Carolina Wren: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, September 2026 — The Carolina Wrens have been more scarce in August and early September, but they are still around, and probably on our deck several times a day. We just are not always there to see them. Their visits do not last as long these days. Yesterday was dark and just shy of raining most of the day, and there was a lot of activity at the feeders. Including the Carolina. You can see that this bird is just coming out of molt and is maybe not quite finished yet. An unfinished wren. Sony RX10 V at 600mm equivalent. Cropped to about 750mm effective field of view. My birds and wildlife mode. Processed in Photomator.

Greater Yellowlegs: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, September 2026 — Mid-day sun along the tidal creek behind the dunes and a lone Greater Yellowlegs stretching its wings, like a ballerina striking a pose. Sony RX10 V at 600mm equivalent, cropped to about 1500mm effective field of view. My birds and wildlife custom shooting mode. Processed in Photomator.

This is 4 shots, handheld, at 24mm, using the Sony RX10 V and my custom Landscape mode, processed in Photomator and stitched together in BimoStitch—and then the rounded edges of the uncropped panorama filled in with the repair tool in Touch-Retouch. I was keen to capture the “ghost writing in the sky effect” while preserving full color and detail in the marsh and forest and the water. And I like the contrast between the high wispy cirrus clouds and the low-lying cumulus clouds on the horizon at the left. The original is about 96mp, but I had to downsize it to 34 to work with it in Touch-Retouch. And of course there aren’t many displays that can handle 96mp anyway. 🙂 Though it is hard to view on any display, I am quite happy with it.