Piping Plover: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, June 2026 — Here are a few shots from the last days of June which show some unusual (to me at least) plover behavior. These two adults were guarding two two-week-old chicks, and they had discovered that a perch up on a driftwood snag right at the edge of the protected area of dunes made an ideal vantage point. The chicks were spending most of their time high on the dune, inside the roped-off area, but they would occasionally venture out to the tide line for a snack. I perched myself on my little folding stool and watched. Sony a6700. Sigma 16-300 Contemporary at around 450 to 800mm field of view crops. Program with bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.

Pileated Woodpecker: Benton, Maine, USA, July 2026 — I went for a walk on the old rail bed parallel to the river while visiting up-Maine. I was coming back when a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers took off from ground level and soared out into the forest between the trail and the river. I always forget just how big they are until they fly, and these two flew all around me, back and forth across the trail a dozen feet above me, while I worked at getting photos of them when they perched. The forest was dense, and clear shots were hard to come by, but I got a few images I can live with. Pileated, by the way, means “capped”. 🙂 Sony a6700. Sigma 16-300 contemporary at around 8-900mm equivalent field of view crop. Program mode with bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.

Common Yellowthroat: Benton, Maine, USA, July 2026 — Carol and I went visiting up-Maine yesterday—at least the down edge of up-Maine. A long-time friend was visiting from California. In the fields belonging to her son, I found two pairs of Common Yellowthroats interacting close to each other. According to Gemini, this is still likely a courting couple, and that is certainly what it looked like. Interestingly, it was the female singing and the male that was pursuing. Sony A6700. Sigma 16-300 Contemporary at about an 800mm equivalent field of view crop. Program with birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator and assembled in FrameMagic.

Calico Pennant Dragonfly: Kennebunk Plains Conservancy, Kennebunk, Maine, USA, June 2026 — When I last went out to the Kennebunk Plains, it was looking very dry. Yesterday, it looked much healthier. And there were dragonflies by the pond. This is one of my favorite dragons—though I persist in thinking it is misnamed. It is the Calico Pennant. Calico, I assume, in reference to the printed cotton cloth, and pennant from its habit of landing on tall stalky things and swinging in the wind like a flag. Clearly, though, they missed an opportunity with the red hearts and the general festive redness. Valentine’s Pennant would be so easy. Whatever, I am always delighted to find them, quite early in the dragon season. Sony a6700. Signs 16-300 Contemporary at about 600mm equivalent field of view crop. Program with insect modifications. Processed in Photomator.

One of my favorite vistas along the Bridle Trail in Kennebunk, this swampy meadow always draws my eye and my camera. I am still seeing what the new Viltrox 14mm f/4 lens on the Sony a7CR can do. This is promising. You can blow this up as large as you like and not lose detail. And yet, at whatever size you view it, it captures the soft light of day that started socked in with fog and the gentle way the sun is advancing across the meadow toward us. I like it. Sony a7CR. Viltrox 14mm f/4. Auto with Landscape mode selection. Processed in Photomator.

Blue Toadflax: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, June 2026 — One of the more delicate of Maine wildflowers, favoring sandy soils and roadsides, the Blue Toadflax gets its name from the shape of the tiny flowers—which to some suggest toads—and the shape of the leaves, which resemble true flax. I try to photograph it almost every year, but since the tall, thin stalks catch every hit of breeze, it is not easy. I found these at the road’s edge in the wind shadow of the dense brush at the edge of a marshy area and waited out the breeze. Sony a6700. Sigma 16-300 Contemporary at 99mm equivalent field of view. Mounted on my tiny carbon fiber tripod. Aperture with macro modifications. f/18 @ 1/30th @ ISO 640 (I only selected the aperture for depth of field; the camera did the rest.) Processed in Photomator.

Cedar Waxwing: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, June 2026 — Yesterday’s photoprowl included a relatively close encounter with a whole flock of Cedar Waxwings. They were so eager after the Serviceberries that they did not pay much attention to me. Serviceberries are actually pomes—like apples or pears—not berries at all, but that is a distinction that probably does not matter to the waxwing. Sony a6700. Sigma 16-300 Contemporary at about 600mm equivalent. Program with bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.

Common Tern: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, June 2026 — The tiny fish (possibly herring) are running at the mouth of the river, and the Common Terns have arrived. Just a few so far, mixed in with the Least Terns, both hover-and-dive fishing over the water. I sat on my stool and tried to catch some in the act. This is how fast they are. The plume of splash from hitting the water is still in the air, and the bird is already coming up and out with a fish. If you want to enlarge the image, you can actually just barely see the fish in the Tern’s bill. Quite something to watch. Sony a6700. Sigma 16-300 Contemporary at about 1000mm equivalent field of view crop. Program with flight and action modifications. Processed and enlarged in Photomator.

Pearl Crescent Butterfly: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, July 2026 — One of the most common butterflies in southern Maine in early summer, the Pearl Crescent: not the showiest, but still attractive. And everywhere right now. It is named, apparently, for a light pearly crescent on the underside of the hind wing. I have looked at a lot of photos, including these, and either I do not know what they are talking about, or it is very hard to see. 🙂 These are butterflies from the first spring brood. They overwintered as dormant caterpillars, and woke up to feed and become butterflies only a few weeks ago. Later, full summer, broods will have brighter, bolder colors. Sony a6700. Sigma 16-300 Contemporary at about 600mm equivalent field of view crop. Program with insect modifications. Processed in Photomator and assembled in FrameMagic.

Cedar Waxwings: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, June 2026 — In the spirit of you never know what you will see: these two Cedar Waxwings flew up ahead of me on the trail through the marsh and landed just inside the forest edge. Just barely within reach of my lens. I have several shots with different poses, but this one speaks to me. I am pretty sure they were a couple 🙂 Sony a6700. Sigma 16-300 Contemporary at about 900mm equivalent field of view (crop). Program with bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.