Posts in Category: Laudholm Farm
Maine! Bluebird in the frame
Eastern Bluebird: York County, Maine, USA, March 2024 — As I have mentioned before, Bluebirds are pretty much everywhere you look in York County by now. I see them in my yard every day, no matter the season. This one was along a trail through fields and forest that I walk at least once a month, most months. I like the “frame” here, the way the branches curve around the bird, and the way the light wraps the bird. OM System OM-1 with M. Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Chickadee in the wild
Black-capped Chickadee: York County, Maine, USA, October 2023 — It is somehow aways more satisfying to catch a Chickadee out in the field or forest, away from our feeders. This bird was a member of a mixed feeding flock in an old orchard and, typical of chickadees, worked his way closer and closer to me as I watched. The only issue was finding a more or less clear line of sight through the brambles for a photo. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Migrant
Orange-crowned Warbler: York County, Maine, USA, October 2023 — Here, 10 days into November, I still have a few photos to post from October. This was, to be fair, taken on the very last day of the month. One member of a small mixed feeding flock I encountered in an old overgrown orchard. I have seen other posts of this species over the past week from various locations in Maine, so they must be coming through right now on their way south. We only see them during migration here in Southern Maine. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent field of view. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator Pro. ISO 400 @ f6.3 @ 1/640th.
Maine! White-tail again
White-tailed Deer: Laudholm Farms, Wells, Maine, October 2023 — Another study of the White-tailed Deer that came out onto the marsh at Laudholm while I was waiting for the Great Blue Heron to hunt its way down to me last week. It appears to the a young doe and was certainly wary as it worked it way out deeper into the marsh and into the open. I am not sure what it was looking for. When it saw me on the deck, right in plain slight and wearing my hunter safe colors, it had second thoughts and headed back to the forest. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Blue Jay rampant
Blue Jay: York County, Maine, USA, October 2023 — Just after leaving the deck and my hour long observation of the hunting heron, and my brief observation of the White-tailed Deer, I encountered a small flock of Blue Jays moving through the maple swamp close to the boardwalk. I often see them there, high in the trees and far out from the boardwalk, but this time they were close enough to attempt some photos. I love all the different blues and blue-violets of the plumage, and there is no denying that Blue Birds have personality…or birdinality at any rate. One thing you can’t do with at Blue Bird is to ignore it…they simply are not having any of that! OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Hunting Heron
Great Blue Heron: York County, Maine, USA, October 2023 — Another shot of the Great Blue Heron hunting in the marsh. I watched this bird take a small shrimp or fish from the edges of the pools at the rate of about one very two minutes for over an hour. An amazingly efficient hunter but very small bites. Twice it caught something lager…some kind of snake or eel…but mostly it was just taking the same tiny prey. The impressive thing was that the heron’s attention never wavered. It was continuously on the hunt. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Bird in a stick
Hermit Thrush: York County, Maine, USA, October 2023 — still finishing up photos from last month, as bad weather and hunting season are keeping me out of the woods and off the fields. “Bird on a stick” is the, at least mildly, derogiatory term for static photos of birds on a branch…the most common bird photos. As is generally the case, I can describe my photo, tongue in cheek, as just a bird on a stick photo and that is humor. If you describe my photo as bird on a stick, then I might take umbrage. But in this case, I probably would not as this is very definitely a bird on a stick. A Hermit Thrush from my encounter with several feeding in an old orchard. They bushwhacked under the trees a year or so ago to reclaim the orchard from the brush, and there are lots of these sapling stubs just a few inches tall. The thrush hopped up on one presumably to look for insects moving on the ground. Still, makes an interesting bird on a stick photo. 🙂 OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Patience
Great Blue Heron: York County, Maine, USA, November 2023 — I waited on the marsh observation deck for a good 45 minutes for this Great Blue Heron, who I had spotted while still way out, to work its way down the back edge of the marsh toward me. I had a deer (photos posted a few days ago) to entertain me for a few moments while I waited, but mostly I just sat in the autumn sun and listened to the marsh and the wind in the bare trees of the wet Maple forest behind me. Eventually the Heron got as close to the deck as it was going to and began to work its way around…I took my “keeper” photos…I had taken lots of shots, of course, as it approached, but I did not even bother to process most of those…why would I once the Heron had given me the shots I wanted all along. 🙂 OM Systems OM-1 with the ED 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! bare maples
The maples in the wet maple forest are totally bare now. The lone oak stands out at the edge of the marsh, here at Laudholm Farms. OM Systems OMD EM5Mkiii with 12-45mm zoom at 54mm equivalent. Program mode with in-camera HDR. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Hermit Thrush again
Hermit Thrush: York County, Maine, USA, November 2023 — There were so many Hermit Thrushes in the old orchard that I did not know where to look. I can’t ever remember seeing such a group…too few to be a flock…but still a lot of Hermit Thrushes in one spot. I cannot find anything on the internet to suggest they migrate in groups, but this was most probably such a group headed south and stopping to fuel up in orchard. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.