Posts in Category: Kennebunk Plains
Maine! Lady Slipper
I went back to the woods to check on my patches of Lady Slipper Orchids here in Kennebunk, Maine. At least some of them have come out fully in the past 5 days and I spent over an hour on the slope where they grow. Others will still require another few days of warm sun. They are all somewhat small this year, maybe because of the peculiar weather we have been having…I don’t mean short, though most of them are…but the blossoms themselves seem a bit undersized compared to past years. This intentionally odd angle shot, an 9 frame in-camera focus stack, really shows off the bloom. OM System OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 12-45 f4 Pro zoom at 42mm equivalent. Program mode. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Vespers
Vesper Sparrow: York County, Maine, USA, April 2024 — I am falling way behind in my postings. These were taken a week ago already, but I can’t not post my first Vesper Sparrow sighting of the year in Southern Maine. Vespers are not uncommon in Maine, but I know of only one place where I see them commonly, and sure enough, they are back again this year. It always takes me a moment to get reacquainted with this bird. I spend at least a while trying to make it into some other species before my mind settles on Vesper. They are not flighty…this one was actually working its way closer to me, so I get a chance to study them. OM System OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine Landscape
Kennebunk Plains Nature Conservancy, Kennebunk, Maine, USA, April 2024 — More of a sky-scape than landscape, since the plains have not really come alive yet after the winter. Signs of life but still pretty subdued. The sky makes up for it. OM System OM-1 with M.Zuiko 12-45 f4 Pro zoom at 24mm equivalent. Program mode. In-camera HDR. Processed in Photomator and Apple Photos.
Maine! Yellow-rumped Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler: York County, Maine, USA, October 2023 — The other, and more expected, warbler in the young birches on the sand plain was, of course, the Yellow-rumped Warbler. Yellow-rumps come early and stay late, and are undoubtedly the most common warbler in southern Maine. Though you might think they are looking up to spot danger…they are actually looking for insects on the underside of the birch leaves. 🙂 OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm zoom at 468mm. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixomator Pro.
Maine! Palm Warblers
Palm Warbler: York County, Maine, USA, October 2023 — I was surprised to find a large mixed flock of warbler working an isolated stand of young birch trees out in the middle of the sand plain. I expected the Yellow-rumped but I was even more surprised to find that at least half of them were Palm Warblers. I don’t see Palms in Maine all that often, and I have never seen them in such numbers. A nice treat, and I took way too many photos. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm zoom at 464mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife medications. Processed in Pixomator Pro.
Maine! Red-legged Grasshopper
Red-legged Grasshopper: Kennebunk Plains, Kennebunk, Maine, USA, October 2023 — There are lots of grasshoppers out on the Kennebunk Plains…from early spring to late fall. I believe this one is a Red-legged Grasshopper, and this is a hand-held focus stacked image at 800mm equivalent with the OM Systems OM-1 and the ED 100-400mm zoom. Eight shots at different focus points, taken automatically and stacked in the camera. It is rare to find a grasshopper cooperative enough for this trick. 🙂 Processed in Pixomator Pro.
Maine! Tuesday Landscape
Along the edge of the Kennebunk Plains…these are always among the first trees to reach full color…not quite yet, but getting there. OM Systems OMD EM5Mkiii with 12-45mm Pro zoom at 78mm equivalent. In-camera HDR scene mode. Processed in Pixomator Pro.
Maine! Thursday special. Chipper
Wildlife photography in southern Maine is much more difficult than bird photography. The birds are pretty much everywhere, but you have to look much harder to find wildlife of any kind…unless, of course, you are talking about Chipmunks. I know, many photographers would scoff at the idea that chipmunks count as wildlife…but we take what we can get, and every once in a while, a chipper just sits up so cute that you have to take notice. And if it out in the wild (or at least away from our yard) that is even better. This one was out on the Kennebunk Plains when I was there checking the Blazing Star bloom and photographing insects. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro. ISO 200 @ f6.3 @ 1/800th.
Maine! Bee in Blazing Star
Common Eastern Bumblebee: Kennebunk Plains, York County, Maine, USA, August 2023 — before Northern Blazing Star season slips completely away, one last shot. Of course the Blazing Star bloom is a magnet to every pollen collecting bug in southern Maine. There were bees of every sort found here, including this common Bumblebee. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 1250 @ f6.3 @ 1/640th.
Maine! Wednesday Damsel
Swamp Spreadwing (?) doing calisthenics. Day Brook Pond, Kennebunk Plains Nature Conservancy, York County, Maine, USA — the spreadwings seem very few in number this year, and very late. ?? I think this is a Swamp Spreadwing doing interesting things with its abdomen. OM Systems OM-1 with the ED 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications.