Mourning Dove, Kennebunk, Maine, USA — Either I don’t remember correctly, or we have a lot more, and a lot more regular, Mourning Doves in our yard this year. They are here every day, foraging under the feeders, both below the deck and under the trees. They are, in a subtle way, a very pretty bird…I also don’t think I had ever really looked at one until this spring, and I have come to appreciate them more and more. Sony Rx10iv at 432mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.

Tufted Titmouse, Kennebunk, Maine, USA — Most of the birds that work the feeders by my chair blind do not seem to know I am there…and, of course, the Chickadees simply do not care…but occasionally a bird will obviously indicate that it has seen me. or seen something where I a sitting inside the blind. It might be just a flash of light reflected from my lens, or they might actually see me. This Titmouse certainly seems very aware of my presence…suddenly aware…and very interested. It only gave me a moment of its attention before deciding, apparently, that I was no threat and getting on with its foraging. This is a good thing. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.

White-breasted Nuthatch, Kennebunk, Maine, USA — The Red-breasted Nuthatches have been getting a lot of attention lately, but of course the White-breasted, which are much more regular at our feeders, are still around. The trick is catching them away from the feeders. 🙂 Patience and persistence. I don’t believe in luck, but I do believe in being in right place at the right time and ready. In this case, in my chair blind and with my camera in my hand. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.

Tufted Titmouse, Kennebunk, Maine, USA — I spent a few hours in my chair photo blind yesterday. Some days it is all about chickadees, but yesterday was all about titmice. There were at least 3, and they were very active…much more than usual. This one came into my bucket water fountain for a drink a couple of times while I watched. The water feature is only about 5 feet from where I set up the blind. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.

Red-breasted Nuthatch, Kennebunk, Maine, USA — Okay, they are just too cute. Irresistible photo subjects. Another shot from my chair blind in the back yard. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.

Black-capped Chickadee, Kennebunk, Maine, USA — And here we are with yet another example of why you have to photograph all the chickadees all the time…or at least watch them closely. You just never know what they are going to get up to. Our Black-capped Chickadees have learned to use the hanging water feeder for their drinking needs, but that does not mean they do not still enjoy a bath. 🙂 Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.

Red-breasted Nuthatch, Kennebunk, Maine, USA — I put my chair blind out the other day for an hour or so in the late afternoon. It was the day before the storm got to us and we had a lot of bird activity around the feeders. The Red-breasted Nuthatch had pretty much single-handedly emptied the sunflower feeder and flew off with the seeds. I suspect the bird was storing them somewhere…no eating them. Still a very attractive little bandit. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Even though the light was still good, it is deeply shaded under the trees, so ISO 2500 @ f4 @ 1/500. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos, with some extra masking for noise.

Red-breasted Nuthatch, Kennebunk, Maine, USA — I started out to say this is a shot of the Red-breasted Nuthatch that visits our thistle feeder “right way up”…but I am not entirely certain that there is a “right way up” for nuthatches. They seem to spend as much time, or more, with their heads down, as they do with their heads up. So what is the right way for an nuthatch? Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.

Red-breasted Nuthatch, Kennebunk, Maine, USA — When I filled the feeders last, I put some thistle seed in the wire mesh feeder that has been empty all summer, and we immediately had this Red-breasted Nuthatch, which we have not seen is at least a month, come visiting many times a day. It apparently really likes thistle. It does not visit the feeders under the pines, as I have had thistle there all summer, but it likes the feeders on the deck. Go figure. It takes one seed at time, and you can see how small the seeds are, puts it on the end of a vertical branch, and bashes it open to get at the kernel inside. That is a lot of work for a very small kernel. 🙂 Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Not great light so already at ISO 2000 even at f4. 1/500th. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.