Posts in Category: birds
Maine! Great Blue in Autumn Marsh
Great Blue Heron: York County, Maine, USA, October 2024 — The marsh is never so colorful as in late October when the grasses are turning, and the Great Blue Heron stands out even more. If you look closely you will see the tiny, what looks to be a Sand Eel, it just caught. The past few years the Herons have stayed right into winter. As long as they are still taking enough prey to continue to put on weight they will be with us…and that might be until the marsh freezes over. Sony a6700 with Tamron 50-400 Di iii zoom at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Yellowlegs in the autumn marsh
Greater Yellowlegs: York County, Maine, October 2024 — there are still Great Blue Herons and Greater Yellowlegs hanging out in the autumn marsh along the river…not ready to go south yet. Sony a6700 with Tamron 50-400 Di iii zoom at 600mm equivalent in great light! Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator. Assembled in FrameMagic.
Maine! Old Faithful
Red-tailed Hawk: York County, Maine, October 2024 — Only with less of the old and less of the faithful! Still this hawk has haunted the edges of the marsh along one of my favorite trails for more than a year now, and has given me many photo-ops. I had not been out to the marsh since getting back from Yellowstone (due to heart issues), but I went yesterday for a short walk, and there she was, right where I thought she might be. Not great light…but still. Sony a6700 with the Tamron 50-400 Di iii zoom at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications and +1.7 EV exposure compensation. Processed in Photomator and assembled in FrameMagic.
Yellowstone! Parking Area Security Yellowstone Style
Raven: Yellowstone National Park, September 2024 — Every parking lot and pull-off in Yellowstone has its Raven. They might work in shifts, but there is always one waiting when you park up…rarely more than one at a pull-off, and only one even in a fair sized parking area. The big parking areas, of course: Old Faithful, Tower Falls, Canyon Village, Fishing Bridge, etc. have a small squad of them, but fewer than you might think. They are apparently very efficient and very protective of their assigned area. I bet there is a waiting list for every position. This handsome bird was at the main parking on Firehole Lake Drive and he was so bold that he continued to explore the contents of an unattended duffle bag in back of a pick-up as we approached (undoubtedly checking for explosive materials…someone has to do it 🙂 Ravens are very smart birds, tool users, and the zipper on the duffle was no challenge for this obviously experienced bird. We got so close, with him sitting on the rail of the pick-up, that I took this head-shot, showing off his mid-night plumage and bright eye and stout beak as the wind ruffled his feathers, at 600mm equivalent. He remained on station, until the pick-up’s owner and family came back and dismissed him and put the duffle back together. Job well done. He did not go far. He was still sitting in the grass near where the pick-up had been when we pulled away. Doing his job. Keeping parking safe. Sony a6700 with the Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC zoom at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Yellowstone! Odd Couple
Raven: Sheepeater Cliffs, Yellowstone National Park, September 2024 — Something you do not see every day…two Ravens sharing a perch. Raven tend, in my experience, to be solitary birds except in breeding and nesting season, so to see two sitting side by side in September is odd. These two were at the base of Sheepeater Cliffs where we had stopped to look for Pika…the little rock rabbits with the big round ears. We did not find any, perhaps because of this pair of guardians of the cliffs. You can see the cliffs themselves in my companion post this morning. Sony a6700 with the Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC zoom at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Yellowstone! Magpie
Black-billed Magpie: Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park, September 2024 — We did not see many birds at all in Yellowstone. The season and the wide open terrain don’t favor birds, but we did encounter Black-billed Magpie on several occasions, mostly around well used parking areas. Such a striking bird. These were around us near some picnic tables one morning early as we stopped to photograph the Elk of Mammoth. Who can resist a few photos? Sony a6700 with the Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC zoom at various focal lengths to frame the bird. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Red-bellied
Red-bellied Woodpecker: York County Maine, USA, September 2024 — We have watched this immature Red-bellied Woodpecker “color up” over the past few months. When it first appeared at the feeders it was pale on pale, with just alight grey patch where the red is now coming in. Hard to tell it from the adult now…but the adult rarely comes to the feeders and the immature has been regular. Sony a6700 with the Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC zoom at 600mm through two layers of window glass. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Breakfast
Bald Eagle: York County Maine, USA, September 2024 — I made a quick stop along the river on my way to do errands yesterday and found this immature Bald Eagle having breakfast on large fish on the bar on the far side. Still too far away but beggars can’t be choosers and, in fact, I felt blessed to be there at the right time. The crows were, of course, also very interested in the proceedings. While I was watching a fly-fisherman came walking down the stream and put the Eagle off its breakfast. I am sure it came back if the tide did not get to the fish first. Sony a6700 with the Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC zoom at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. This is a heavy crop upscaled and processed in Photomator.
Maine! Not so strange frame fellows
Great Blue Heron and Great Egret: York County Maine, USA, September 2024 — As I have mentioned before, this month we have been treated to mixed flocks of herons and egrets, probably staging for migration, in our river marshes. This is a manual focus stack…the birds were as they are in the frame but, of course, it was impossible to focus on both of them at the same time. I took two shots, one focused on the heron and one on the egret, processed them in Photomator, then merged them in Pixomatic, and finally touched the image up in Photomator again. Sony a6700 with the Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC zoom at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Highlight metering.
Maine! Incoming!
Great Egret: York County, Maine, USA, September 2024 — The group of Egrets and Herons were close, by Maine standards, to the trail already when this Great Egret decided to move to a pool right in front of me. I got the camera in action and flight mode in time to catch a burst of shots as it crossed the marsh toward me and landed. Another study in wing power. Sony a6700 with the Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC zoom at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my action and flight modifications. Processed in Photomator and assembled in FrameMagic.