House Finch and American Goldfinch: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, January 2023 — We woke up to one of those winter wonderland scenes with wet snow clinging to every branch and bush and about 3 inches on the ground. It did not last more than a half hour once the sun and the wind got up, but it was traditionally beautiful for a few moments there. I managed a few shots in the early light to catch the contrast between the birds and the snow. House Finches have been coming to the feeders for the past two weeks. They are occasional visitors year round, but way outnumbered by the Purple Finches in the spring. American Goldfinches are another year round visitor. We are currently hosting a flock of at least a dozen. And this scene, with the fresh snow, is just a memory. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 320 @ f4 @ 1/500th.

White-breasted Nuthatch: Kennebunk, Maine, January 2023 — While we are on the subject of backyard birds, here is our resident White-breasted Nuthatch. We have a pair that come daily to the feeders on the back deck, year around. So let us take a moment to celebrate White-breasted Nuthatches. 🙂 Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 1000 @ f4 @ 1/500th.

Red-bellied Woodpecker: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, January 2023 — When we first moved to Kennebunk, going on 30 years ago now, and up to a few years ago, a Red-bellied Woodpecker was a rare sighting in our yard. In fact we had probably been here at least 10 years before we saw our first one. Over the past 5 years, the number of sightings has steadily increased, and they have started coming to our back-deck feeding station on a semi-regular basis. We will go a month without seeing one, and then have a month, or a week at least, when they are at the feeder several times a day…I say “they”, but it could be just one…I have yet to see more than one at a time. They are among the most skitterish of our backyard birds. They generally disappear if there is slightest sign of movement in the house, but even at that they seem to be becoming more bold, or more secure. This one allowed me to stand behind the thermopane glass of the deck door, close enough so I had to zoom out to fit the bird in the frame, and take its photo as it used the feeder. Sony Rx10iv at 458mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 1250 @ f4 @ 1/500th.

Red-breasted Nuthatch: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, January 2023 — To celebrate the first day of 2023, I will come back home from my 2022 travels. It might seem from my postings that I must spend most of every year on foreign soil…but the fact is that I am only away from Maine for a few weeks each year. Most of the time the only birds I see are at the feeders on our back deck or somewhere around the town of Kennebunk. 🙂 I don’t see the Red-breasted Nuthatch every day…but the last few days at least one has been around, maybe more than one. Weather patterns have kept our feeders busy all day with the local mixed feeding flock coming by at least once an hour and staying for 15 minutes or so each visit. This was taken early yesterday, through the thermo-pane glass of the deck door. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro on the Mac Air. ISO 1000 @ f4 @ 1/500th.

Red-bellied Woodpecker: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, June 2022 — It used to be that we would get a Red-bellied Woodpecker in our yard once every few years…then, beginning maybe three years ago, a few times a summer…and now a few times a week all summer…getting on towards daily. I found an article from 2021 on the Maine Audubon site that details the range expansion of the Red-bellied Woodpecker in Maine, that started in 2004, and has gained momentum year by year since. It is very likely that this woodpecker is nesting in our neighborhood. We used to only see it on the suet…but it is now taking mealworms from the mealworm feeder we keep full for our nesting Bluebirds and their young. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 6400 @ f4 @ 1/500th. Taken through a double glazed deck door. 🙂

Northern Cardinal: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, June 2022 — Our neighborhood Cardinal came to visit the other morning, before the sun was really up, but he stayed on the deck rail long enough for me to run to get the camera. 🙂 Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 6400 @ f4 @ 1/400th. (So, not much light at all to work with.)

Pine Warbler: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, April 2022 — last year we only had glimpses of the Pine Warbler as it passed through, stocking up before finding more suitable nesting habitat. The year before it was here for a week or more, visiting the feeders under the pine, and a few times on the deck. This year both a full adult (probably a male) and a first year bird (probably a female, but it could, of course, be the other way around…or they might both be males or females???) have been on the deck several times a day for the past few days. The bright bird visits the suet feeder and the first year bird sticks to the deck and rail under the feeder, picking up crumbs. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. (Taken through the double pane thermal glass doors in the kitchen on a deeply overcast day.) ISO 1600 @ f4 @ 1/500th.