Ice wonder
Crossing the bridge over the Mousam River here in Kennebunk yesterday on my walk, I looked downriver for Eagles, as I generally do, only to spot this amazing ice formation on a branch extending out over the rapids below the dam. The tallest columns here are close to 3 feet long. I will admit that I do not understand the physics of how something like this forms…and my imagination is simply humbled in presence of wonder. There are rough stone steps from Rotary Park by the bridge down to the river’s edge, and I went down to explore more of the ice formations at close range, but this shot is my initial view from the bridge. (I will share at least a few more ice sculptures in the coming days.) Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. HDR mode. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.
Downy Woodpecker
A little Downy Woodpecker playing hide-and-seek in a thicket along my walking route the other day, here in Kennebunk, Maine, USA. We get both Downy and Hairy at our feeders at home…but it is somehow more interesting to see them “in the wild”…even if the “the wild” is just down the street. 🙂 Sony Rx10iv at the 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.
Cedar Waxwings doing their thing…
Most days this week I have found the tribe of Cedar Waxwings that is working its way through the ornamental cherry trees of Kennebunk, Maine, USA where I live…on tree at a time (see my Day Poem today: https://day-poems.tumblr.com/post/611295451427291136/229-cedar-waxwings-cherry-pick-the-ornamental) They are always attractive birds and in this season of the year, their antics while eating berries are something to see. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.
Limpkins on the vine…
Two Limpkins walking up a tangle of vines at Chain of Lakes State Park in Titusville, Florida, USA. Not an angle, in my experience, that you get on Limpkins very often. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.
More Cedar Waxwing
The Cedar Waxwings are definitely enjoying February in southern Maine. There is a large flock working its way though the ornamental cherry trees at this end of Kennebunk, Maine, USA, apparently one tree at a time. I came across it in a front yard just over a few streets from home yesterday afternoon. The light was dull overcast, but still, Cedar Waxwing have a glow all their own. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.
Juvenile Bald Eagle, Florida
A rather scruffy looking Bald Eagle on a power pylon on the way to Black Point Wildlife Drive at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Titusville, Florida, USA. I pulled the car over on the verge and walked past the pole for these shots. This appears to be a 3rd or 4th year juvenile, depending on how you sequence the plumage stages of the Bald Eagle…whether you put full adult plumage at 4 or 5 or even 6 years. However you do it, this bird is still at least a year shy of full adult. The head is getting on towards mostly white, and the bill is all yellow, but it still has the dark terminal tail band. (I had, of course, to look up the sequencing this morning…and the sources I found were not all that consistent. 🙂 Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.
Opinionated Crow
This shot goes sort of goes with my Day Poem today (https://day-poems.tumblr.com/post/610932633729384448/225-there-was-a-crowd-of-crows-just-behind-the). Crows are, of course, one of the more interesting birds…based on their intelligence, not on their looks. Though they might be called handsome, they would never be called pretty. 🙂 Still, I am always impressed when I see them, in particular, playing. Any animal that is able to play has my respect. Then, of course, the rest of their social behavior, and their tool usage, put them high on the list of intelligent birds. They are not easy to photograph. The back on black plumage is difficult to expose if you want to maintain any feather detail. This one posed in great light, with light reflected up from the snow under the tree. I could not have done better with studio lighting. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. I used the touch screen on the Sony to move the focus point to the bird’s head while maintaining good composition. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.
Perfect pinkness.
The perfect pinkness of Roseate Spoonbills again. These two were among a flock of 30 birds that flew into the channel beside the road at Black Point Wildlife Drive at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge near Titusville, Florida, USA. Overcast day so the pinks really burn. The Roseates were particularly intense this year in Florida. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.
Three in a row.
Three Cedar Waxwings at Roger’s Pond Park in Kennebunk Maine, USA, on a cold February morning. They are slightly puffed against the weather. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.
Eastern Bluebird
Though the birds were mostly on the other side of the river at Roger’s Pond Park the other day, this winter plumaged female Eastern Bluebird settled on a branch right in front of me and posed long enough for a few shots. It won’t be long now before the blues begin to pop out more on this bird, though it will never be as bright as the male. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos. Kennebunk, Maine, USA.