Mallard Duck: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, February 2026 — A pair of Mallards were feeding in the bare marsh grass where the tide had washed the snow away behind the dunes, right next to the road, alongside the parked cars. I mean, who could resist? This is, of course, the female, and lacks the male’s bold colors, but still a very attractive bird. Sony a6700. Sigma 16-300 at 328mm equivalent field of view (yes, that close). Program with birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.

Mallard Duck: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, February 2026 — The ice is, for the moment, receding from the rapids, and the Mallards are feeling a little frisky…putting on a bit of a show for each other…and for anyone (like me) who is watching. It is good to see some “spring is coming” action on the eve of another blizzard in southern Maine. We will only get the north edge of the storm, but even so! Make the most of it while the sun shines. Sony a6700. Sigma 16-300 at 450mm equivalent field of view (cropped to about 600mm). Program mode with bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.

The sea over the cobbles was churned milk white by the crashing surf. Such energy. The sky itself is churned. Marginal Way: Ogunquit, Maine, February 2026 — Sony a6700. Sigma 16-300 at 24mm equivalent field of view. Processed in Photomator.

Black Scoters: Marginal Way, Oqunquit, Maine, USA, February 2026 — I went to the path along the sea cliffs to look for winter sea ducks close in…but most were well out beyond the surf line. Eventually I found a small pod of Scoters at the base of the cliffs, braving the heaving seas. This is cropped in from the large frame which excluded 3 more ducks, but I wanted to show more detail on the individual scoters. Sony a7CR. Tamron 150-500 at 500mm (cropped to something like 1000mm equivalent field of view). Program with bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.

Yellow-rumped Warbler: Marginal Way, Ogunquit, Maine, USA, February 2026 — I have to admit that the last bird I expected to see along the Marginal Way cliff path, above the crashing sea and snow- and ice-covered rocks, was a Yellow-rumped Warbler! I know they arrive early in southern Maine, but February? As it turns out, consulting Gemini AI, there is a small population of Yellow-rumpeds regularly over-wintering along the immediate coast of York County. They can, apparently (unlike most warblers), digest the waxy coatings of bayberry, and eke out an existence here when the other warblers have long gone south. This I did not know. 🙂 Until yesterday. This bird certainly looks healthy. Sony a7CR. Tamron 150-500 at 500mm (cropped to something like 800mm equivalent field of view). Program mode with bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.

Snow Bunting: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, February 2026 — As I drove in, I saw a few small birds flash up into the young maples along the access road to our local beach as I passed, so I was looking for them on the way out. They popped up again as I approached and crossed the road to land about 12 feet up, just below the crown. I grabbed the camera and rolled down the window on my side and maneuvered the car for a better look. (If that sounds like a lot of things to be doing at the same time, it was. I do not recommend attempting it in traffic, and I did check behind me before I attempted it…fortunately, there is not a lot of traffic on the beach access in February. 🙂 We do not get a lot of Snow Buntings along this particular stretch of coast, and I only see them a few times each winter, if that, so I was delighted to see this pair. And they are actually the first I have ever seen in a tree. On the ground, many times. On fence lines, occasionally. But in a tree…this was a first. Sony a7CR. Tamron 150-500 at 500mm (cropped to maybe 800mm equivalent field of view). Program with bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.

Red-tailed Hawk: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, February 2026 — Red-tails live in Maine year-round, and are especially visible during February, as here in Southern Maine we have a mix of resident and short-distance migrant birds…normally. It depends totally on snow cover, and we have a good amount of snow this winter. This bird was hunting the exposed marsh along a tidal creek where it joins the river. It was, relatively speaking, a long way off, and I used the Sony a7CR and Tamron 150-500 at 500mm with a heavy crop…to maybe close to 1500mm equivalent field of view…with resolution enhancement in Photomator in processing. Program with bird and wildlife modifications.

Common Loon: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, February 2026 — It seems to me that the Common Loon was much more common in our tidal rivers and creeks when I first moved to Maine in the late 90s of the last century. (Seems such a time ago, especially when I say it that way.) However, a quick check of the actual data shows that the population in southern Maine has steadily risen over the past 20 years and is at a current high point. It could be that the sea and creek beds in my particular haunts have changed, and that the loons are just congregating elsewhere. Or it could just be my aging imagination. Sony a7CR. Tamron 150-500 at 500mm. Cropped to maybe 800mm equivalent field of view. Program with bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.

It has been so cold for so long here in Kennebunk, Maine, that the rapids in the Mousam River have frozen almost up to the dam. We have had a few days late last week above freezing, so the ice is beginning to break up, but it is still pretty solid, if you can call the filigree of ice sculptures under the surface “solid”. The close-up, at 450mm equivalent field of view, shows the detail. The second shot is a panorama of two 450mm equivalent shots, and the third shot is a panorama of four 24mm equivalent shots. Together, they might come close to capturing the effect of the frozen rapids. Sony a6700. Sigma 16-300mm. Auto with Landscape Scene Mode. Processed in Photomator and panoramas assembled in Bimostitch.

Red-breasted Merganser: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, February 2026 — We had a female Common Merganser hanging out on the river in the rapids just at the tide/ice line, until it pretty much froze over, and we have had a few female Red-breasted Mergansers down at the mouth of the river in the tidal creek that comes in there, just behind the dunes, but yesterday we had a small raft of mixed males and females there…the first male mergansers I have seen this winter. According to the authorities, Red-breasted Mergansers are true sea ducks in winter, preferring salt to fresh, while Commons are freshwater ducks. The female Commons apparently leave the northern lakes and rivers when the ice begins to form and move south and closer to the coast to find open water, while the males hang back until (and if and when) the ice completely closes the waters. You are more likely to see small groups of male and female Red-breasted right along the coast. Handsome ducks in any case, and you have to love the wild headgear. Sony a7CR. Tamron 150-500 at 500mm (cropped to at least 1000mm equivalent field of view). Program with bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.