Posts in Category: birds
Pine Warbler
Pine Warbler: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, April 2025 — We have at least one bright male Pine Warbler and several duller female or young male Pines hanging around the yard the past week or so. We saw some, surprisingly, in February, briefly, but these are becoming regular. This one was out under the pine where I have a feeding station. They really like suet and mealworms. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Carolina in the brush
Carolina Wren: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, April 2025 — I spent another hour in my blind by the feeding station under the pine, and this time got to see our Carolina Wren pair in their natural environment. I see them on our deck at least once a day, or sitting on the clothes line, but is somehow better to see them in the leaf litter doing what they do most of the time, even if the brush gets in the way. 🙂 Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Purple Finch
Purple Finch: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, April 2025 — The Purple Finches are back. We must have a dozen of them, both male and female, visiting the feeders several times a day. I am going through twice as much sunflower seed as normal. And there is nothing quite like an adult male Purple Finch in the spring. So bright. So rich. Even, or maybe, especially in the rain. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator and PhotoQuality.
Toucan antics
Yellow-throated Toucan: Dave and Dave’s Costa Rican Nature Park, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica, March 2025 — Another visit from the Yellow-throated Toucan at Dave and Dave’s. They certainly put on a show! Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600 and 489mm equivalents. Program mode with my birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator. Assembled in FrameMagic.
Male and female White-necked Jacobin Hummingbird
Male and female White-necked Jacobin Hummingbird: Dave and Dave’s Costa Rican Nature Park, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica, March 2025 — On the day we visited, the White-necked Jacobins were dominating the hummingbird vista at Dave and Dave’s. They are the most aggressive of the local hummers, and some days, they are all you see. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds-in-flight and action modifications. (1/2000th). Processed in Photomator. Assembled in FrameMagic.
Toucan
Yellow-throated Toucan: Dave and Dave’s Costa Rican Nature Park, La Vergin, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica, March 2025 —After hanging out in tops of the trees over the crest of the drop to the river below, the Yellow-throated Toucans finally came in to the bananas hanging on the jungle vine right in front of us…so close I could not use the full 600mm reach of my Tamron lens. Magnificent, if somewhat clowny looking, birds. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 513mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Hermit
Hermit Thrush: York County, Maine, USA, April 2025 — I went out looking for Trout Lily again yesterday as the temperatures climbed up into thee 70s…still only leaves were I looked, but there were quite a few Hermit Thrushes, along with a small flock of Ruby-crowned Kinglets, moving through the waking forest. The Thrushes were not singing, but once I saw one, I saw half a dozen more moving through at eye-level and on the ground, all within 100 yards of each other. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Mrs. Green
Green Honeycreeper: Dave and Dave’s Costa Rican Nature Park, La Vergin, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica, March 2025 — This is the female Green Honeycreeper, and obviously the bird that gave the species its name. If you will remember, I posted Mr. Green a few days ago, and he is more turquoise than green. (His eye is redder too. 🙂 Still, you rarely see a bird as green as the female green honeycreeper. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Olive-backed Euphonia
Female and Male Olive-backed Euphonia: Dave and Dave’s Costa Rican Nature Park, La Vergin, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica, March 2025 — The Euphonias are small colorful finches of the lowland forests of Central America…looking and acting a lot like our Goldfinches…except that they eat more fruit and are even more varied in color. As you might guess from the name, they are all sweet singers. These two Olive-backed, likely a pair, not the brightest or most colorful of the clan by far were coming to the bananas young Dave put out next to the photo area. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Red-throated Ant-tanager
Red-throated Ant-tanager: Dave and Dave’s Costa Rican Nature Park, La Vergin, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica. March 2025 — So, being me, I had to see if I could find out why it is an Ant-tanager? It seems they get the name from their habit of following ant swarms or ant trails to pick off other insects that are disturbed by the ants’ passage, and from their resemblance to tanagers. They were once placed in the “true tanager” family based on that resemblance. Some, like this Red-throated Ant-tanager, are now thought to be more closely related to the cardinals. (Maybe one day they will be the Red-throated Ant-cardinal? ) This is the best look I have ever had at this bird. Generally, as the name suggests, they are skulking around on the ground in dark corners under bushes where the ants live. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.