Immature Male Slaty-tailed Trogon: Tico Rainforest B&B, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica, December 2024 — Shortly after photographing the full adult male Slaty-tailed Trogon at relatively close range, in Victor’s little patch of second growth rainforest, this bold young male flew in, taking insects from the air. This bird still has the gray shading between the green breast and red belly, and the top mandible is not completely orange yet. You can see the intricate grey patterning on the wings, which is typical of both immatures and adults. These two shots are at 600mm equivalent…so not as close as the bird eventually came. I have head shots at 600mm, and head and shoulder shots at less than 400mm. 🙂 Sony a6700 with Tamron 50-400 Di iii at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Kennebunk, Maine, October 2024 — Fall has come to the floor of the Maine forest. Sony a5100 with Sony E 10-18 f4 wide angle zoom at 15mm equivalent. Superior Auto with Landscape Scene Selection. Processed in Photomator.
We will take another break from Yellowstone to bring you a small sampling of the colors of fall in Maine. I have not gotten out much since getting back, what with my heart acting up, but I took a short walk around the neighborhood yesterday to see what I could find. Mainly orange. Maples and Oak. Sony a6700 with the Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC zoom at various short focal lengths for framing. Program mode with my macro modifications. Processed in Photomator. Assembled in FrameMagic.
Calico Aster, also known as “white woodland aster” is a small flowered aster of, as you might guess, woodlands throughout North and Central Americas. It is a late summer, early fall bloomer. This one was growing in the Walsh Woods Arundel Land Conservancy. Sony a6700 with the Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC zoom at 109mm equivalent. Program mode with my macro modifications. Processed in Photomator.
The very first touch of autumn’s brush along the edge of the marsh in Kennebunk, Maine. Definitely fall in the air. Sony a5100 with the E 10-18 f4 zoom at 15mm equivalent. Superior Auto with Landscape Scene Mode. Processed in Photomator.
I found this small stand of Ghost Flower, or Indian Pipe, in the forest along the Bridle Path in Kennebunk, Maine, where the majority of the flowers had not curled over, giving a great view of the inner parts. Sony a6700 with the Tamron 50-400 Di iii zoom at 75 and 105mm equivalents. Program mode with my macro modifications. Program shift to f10 and f11 for depth of field. Processed in Photomator.
Occasionally you find a Ghost Flower or Indian Pipe plant with the blossom still pointing up so you can see what is inside. And here it is. The inside view of the Ghost Flower. Who would suspect that all the pigment in the plant is mostly hidden. Even viewed on phone you are seeing the flower at life-size or more. Sony a6700 with the Tamron 50-400 Di iii zoom at 106mm equivalent. Program mode with my macro modifications. Program shift to f10 at 1/30th for depth of field. Processed in Photomator.
Ghost Plant or Indian Pipe is in full bloom these last days of August here in Southern Maine. This stand is just off the Bridle Path in Kennebunk and is among the largest clumps I have seen and one of the healthiest. I actually went back to photography it a second. I find the range of tones from pink to pure white to be interesting. I assume it is something to do with the soil as many clumps, even nearby, were plain white. Sony a5100 with Sony E 10-18 f4 zoom at 22mm equivalent. Aperture Program mode at f10 for depth of field…and clearly the camera was just above ground level for this shot. Processed in Photomator.
Three low wide angle perspective shots. Crown-tipped Coral, Golden Fairy Spindle (sometimes Yellow Coral), and a true flower…the Ghost Flower or Indian Pipe, a parasitic plant on some mushrooms, which are themselves parasitic on the tree roots. Sony a5100 with Sony 10-18 f4 zoom at 15mm equivalent. Aperture mode at f10 for depth of field. Processed in Photomator. Assembled in FrameMagic.
We have a little patch of woods across the road which I do not pay enough attention too. It was posted for a long time, but it has changed hands and the posted signs are gone, so maybe I will explore it more. This is the time when the forest floor comes alive with mushrooms of all shapes and kinds and I found these in just a short excursion (incursion) in those woods. Clavulinopsis fusiformis, among whose common names I like “golden fairy spindle” best. Some kind of Hygrophore, one of the Lactarus, and a more mature Hygrophore. (Ids courtesy of Siri Knowledge and Google Lens :). Sony a6700 with the Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC VXD zoom at 75-100mm equivalents. Program mode with my macro modifications. f10 for depth of field and all handheld at low shutter speeds due to the lack of light on the forest floor on a cloudy day. Processed in Photomator and assembled in FrameMagic.