Posts in Category: birds
A bit full of himself (herself?)
Willet: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, June 2025 — Looking a bit full of him/herself? I know that is a total projection and the Willet is not feeling anything I might think, but I am human and can not help myself 🙂 Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Singer in the stones
Song Sparrow: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, June 2025 — This pair of Song Sparrows were evidently hunting insects or some other small invertebrate in the stones under the bridge over the tidal creek on our local path through the marsh. I was on the bridge. 🙂 Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program with my birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Poser
Eastern Kingbird: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, June 2025 — You never know what you will find along the Bridle Path when you go with your camera, but that’s the fun of it! This Eastern Kingbird posed for me, on a couple of different perches, coming and going as it hunted over the marsh. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program with my birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Landing flaps
Great Blue Heron: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, June 2025 — There are not many Great Blues around yet this summer. Seems like there were more last year by this time. ?? Sometimes though you are just in the right place at the right time. All landing flaps down! Spilling air from the wings. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program with my birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Plover chicks: the movie!
Something different for today. Music (very imperfect) on my little Aether tongue pan. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program. Photomator. Enjoy.
Plover chick again
Piping Plover chicks: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, June 2025 — It was amazing to spend an hour with these two, maybe two day old, Piping Plover chicks and their parents on the beach yesterday. The chicks are totally fearless…eager to explore, finding all kinds of tasty bugs, running like wind-up toys across the sand, going nowhere in particular. The parents are frantic, trying to herd them and protect them from all the considerable dangers in this world. Sound familiar? So much fun, and such a privilege to watch. And a real challenge to photograph, if you into that as well. If you take a close look at any of these photos, you will see why Piping Plover chicks give any camera’s auto focus fits. The things are blurry by nature, intentionally blurry. No sharp edges but their legs, no contrast to the plumage, which is itself too fluffy and undefined to focus on, and their eyes are always hooded, half open, and deep set. No target at all. Still, with persistence, and throwing away way all the many many near-misses, it is possible to come home with a few keepers. 🙂 Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds and wildlife modifications. (I kept switching back and forth between focus areas but I am not sure it made any difference.) Processed in Photomator.
Happy tern (not so happy fish)
Least Tern: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, June 2025 — Continuing to experiment with the dot-sight for photographing terns in flight, I finally found some fishing yesterday at the mouth of the river. It will take more practice than I have had so far but I am happy with this shot of the tern rising with its catch. The dot sight makes it just a bit easier, but, in the long run I don’t think it is increasing the number of keeper I get…just maybe cutting down the time it takes to get one. I still throw away a 100 shots for every one I keep. But it is a lot of fun trying 🙂 I will go back at least one more time before the terns disperse and leave the dot sight at home. 🙂 Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program with my birds-in-flight and action modifications. Dot-sight. Processed in Photomator.
Cardinals
Northern Cardinal: Magee Marsh, Oak Harbor, Ohio, May 2025 — Walking the Estuary Trail out behind the boardwalk at Magee, I can on these two cardinals making ready to mate and nest. Not a great photo…to far…but still a great moment. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm (and heavily copped). Program with my birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Volcano
Volcano Hummingbird: Batsu Gardens, San Geraldo de Dota, Costa Rica, March 2025 — One of the two smallest hummingbirds (with the very similar Scintillated) in the mountains of Costa Rica. This one was working the flowers around the observation deck at Batsu, high above the Savegre River on the mountain side. Despite being only small, they are totally fearless. 🙂 Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
On its own already
Piping Plover chick: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, June 2025 — I have been seeing photos of this piping plover chick since it hatched a week ago, but not seen it myself until Monday. They blend in so well with the sand, and it is, after all, only one tiny puff of feathers and toothpick legs. It is so small and so fuzzy, that the camera still will not focus on it even at a week old. It is pretty much independent now. The parents have even given up trying to keep it corralled to the safe zone behind the nesting area ropes. It is running all over the beach. Which is probably why I finally saw it. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent (and heavily cropped at that). Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.