Immature Northern Mockingbird: Wells Estuarine Research Reserve at Laudholm Farms, Wells, Maine, USA, August 2026 — Perhaps because this bird is young (you can tell by the mottling on the breast and the dull eye) and does not know any better, it let me walk up fairly close. I would take a burst of photos, take 3 steps forward, and then take another burst. When it did fly, it only flew up into a tree not much further away. Sony RX10 V at 600mm equivalent, with a crop to 840mm equivalent field of view. My custom Birds and Wildlife shooting mode. Processed in Photomator.

Chestnut-sided Warbler: Wells Estuarine Research Reserve at Laudholm Farms, Wells, Maine, USA, August 2026 — Before this year, I have not seen Chestnut-sided Warblers beyond migration season in southern Maine. I know they breed here, but I have not seen them. This year I have seen a few, including this bird very actively foraging in deep brush along the trail. I guess I just have not been paying enough attention. 🙂 Sony RX10 V at 600mm equivalent. Cropped to about 1500mm equivalent field of view. My custom Birds & Wildlife shooting mode. Processed in Photomator.

Two of my favorite landscape scenes at Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge—the old headquarters trail in Wells, Maine. I love the way the trees frame the marsh and the distant ocean from the first overlook on the trail, and the dappled light and mix of trees further along always catch my eye. Sony RX10 V at 24mm. My custom HDR-like shooting mode. Processed in Photomator.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, August 2026 — I was filming a demonstration of the Subject Recognition and eye-tracking capabilities of the Sony RX10 V, using my patient model bird on the back deck, when a hummingbird flew into the feeder pole where the hummingbird feeders hang, maybe 6 feet from where I was standing. Of course, I was on it as quickly as I could move. It stayed long enough so I could switch between my Birds and Wildlife Mode, and my Flight and Action mode, taking shots with both. I could see that it was not one of “our” hummingbirds. We have a male and a female, and one very plain-looking fledgling from this season’s nest. This bird has a gorget coming on fast, and will be in full male plumage by next year’s breeding season. I have posted two shots from each shooting mode, though I doubt you will be able to see the difference. Sony RX10 V at 600mm equivalent. Modes as above. Processed in Photomator.

Indian Pipe (Ghost Flower): Kennebunk, Maine, USA, August 2026 — So far this year, there is not much Indian Pipe. A few plants here and there, but nothing like past years. Maybe I am just impatient, and the real crop is still coming. This plant was in prime shape and in a patch of sun. Though it looks like it might be mushroom of some sort, it is a true flower, just without chlorophyll of its own. It lives on the energy provided by the roots of green trees. I am gaining confidence in the Sony RX10 V for this kind of forest floor work. Mounted on my tiny carbon fiber tripod down at ground level, it produces very nice closeups, if not true macro. 60mm equivalent. My Macro Mode. f/8. Processed in Photomator.

Snowy Egret: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, August 2026 — There are not nearly the numbers of Egrets in our marsh as there were the past two years. Who knows why? There are still a few of both Snowy (more) and Great (less). And for some reason, they are not working the closer pools, so I am having to stretch to reach them. This lone Snowy flew in just as I came up the path, and I worked out a little closer and spent a half hour with it. Sony RX10 V at 600mm equivalent. My Birds and Wildlife Shooting Mode. Highlight metering. Processed in Photomator.

Dragonhunter Dragonfly: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, August 2026 — I was doing a landscape shot of the Mousam River at Roger’s Pond in Kennebunk when this very large dragonfly flew in and landed in the Loosestrife right beside me at hip level and not 3 feet away. This was only my 2nd Dragonhunter sighting ever! I switched to my Birds and Wildlife shooting mode and took way too many photos. There was enough wind so the flowers were blowing around and it looked a little like a bull rider at the rodeo. Since it seemed oblivious to me, I moved around it as space allowed, in and out, changing to my macro mode and back, varying the zoom setting for framing. Space was limited by a tree on one side and the river on the other, but I managed quite a few angles. Eventually, it moved to another flower stalk up and more against the light, but that made for an interesting angle as well. What a Dragon! It earns its name by the way. It hunts other large dragonflies, including the larger darners and clubtails—dragonflies that most would think twice about attacking. Sony RX10 V at 458 and 600mm. My Birds and Wildlife shooting mode. Processed in Photomator.

White-tailed Deer, Kennebunk, Maine, USA, August 2026 — As the young buck moved away, I caught sight of the doe a few yards back down the trail, in even deeper brush. I moved to find a window and got a few shots before she moved her head, and the window closed. Difficult light and a difficult shot altogether. She is a pretty girl, though. Some extra processing, involving some selective layers in Photomator, was needed to bring up all the details. Sony RX10 V at 600mm equivalent (cropped only for composition). My Birds and Wildlife Shooting Mode. Processed in Photomator.

Seaside Dragonlets ovipositing. Kennebunk, Maine, USA. August 2026 — The Seaside Dragonlets thrive in the brackish pools in the marsh along the tidal river. They are one of the few dragonflies that have a high tolerance for saltwater. This pair has just come out of what we call a mating wheel, and the female is depositing the newly fertilized eggs on the surface of the water. They fly in tandem, linked by the grasp of the male behind the female’s head with his special tool made for that purpose, and her grasp of his abdomen with her legs. If you have ever seen them, you know just how fast they are moving, and how close to the water. It is totally amazing to me that the RX10 V can focus on them. I got a whole series of in-focus photos of this interesting behavior. Sony RX10 V at 600mm equivalent, cropped to about 1500mm equivalent field of view. My custom Flight and Action shooting mode. 1/2000th second. Processed in Photomator.

I never tire of this view. Never the same two days in a row. Rarely the same hour to hour. This is my custom Landscape Shooting mode on the new RX10 V, with processing for HDR effect. I am, as with my Sony a7CR and Viltrox 14mm landscapes, looking for a natural balance between the sky detail and the land detail—natural colors across the whole image and a natural range of light. Since the RX10 V no longer has in-camera multiple exposure HDR, I have tried to do my best with adjustments to DRO and Creative Looks. And, of course, some more aggressive post-processing in Photomator, which I have saved to a preset. 24mm equivalent. Consider this another in my pictures of nothing series.