Posts in Category: action
Maine! Flying Eagle
Bald Eagle: York County, Maine, USA, January 2024 — We will pause our coverage of my December trip to Costa Rice for this local update. I went out yesterday, after finishing up clearing the drive, and resting for while, to photograph the fresh fallen snow, and check a few spots for birds. You never know if a Snowy Owl might have blown in on the storm. No owls, but our resident Eagle flew into one of its favored perches above the river while I parked the car, and sat for a few portrait shots before showing obvious signs of flight. I could not get my finger off the shutter release long enough to switch to my birds-in-flight mode…in hindsight I should have taken the half second it takes to do that when I first began to think the eagle was about to fly…but I didn’t. Next time. Still I got a few shots as the eagle passed in front of me fairly close. It is amazing how much bigger the bird looks in flight than it does sitting on a branch. OM Systems OM-1 with the ED 100-400mm IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. -0.7 EV. Processed in Pixomator Pro.
Costa Rica! finishing up the Tiger
Bare-throated Tiger-heron (chick): Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica, December 2023 — A few last photos of the Bare-throated Tiger-Heron chick and some of its antics. A very photogenic bird. From the boat on the Sarapiqui River upstream from Puerto Viejo. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm IS zoom at 454mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Costa Rica! Bare-throated Tiger-Heron
Bare-throated Tiger-Heron: Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica, December 2023 — You have to look hard to see the tiger stripes on any adult tiger-heron…there are six species…but all of the chicks and immatures share the same basic brown and white bold stripes. I have to suspect that is where the family name comes from. This immature Bare-throated seen from a boat on the Sarapiqui river (only a chick really as it was still begging and being fed) shows both the striping and some unusual attitude. The full flaring of the neck and the crest are not commonly seen. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm IS zoom at 736mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Costa Rica! feed me
Bare-throated Tiger-Heron: Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica, December 2023 — Not far up the Sarapiqui from the dock our boat captain started maneuvering us in close to the far bank of the river, clearly looking for something. What we saw first was the immature (fledgling) Tiger-Heron on a downed tree trunk at the waterline. But then the adult emerged from the vegetation and gave us good looks. The fledgling was becoming increasingly agitated, assuming all kinds of begging postures, and sure enough the adult came over and deposited a largish fish from its crop into the beak its offspring…though the fledgling was fully as large as the adult. It was, as our guide pointed out, a real “geographic moment”…all any wildlife photographer could want. This sequence of shots does not do it full justice…but it is a close as I could come. 🙂 OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm IS zoom at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator and assembled in FrameMagic.
Costa Rica! Green-crowned Brilliants drying
Green-crowned Brilliant Hummingbirds: Mirador y Soda Cinchona, Costa Rica, December 2023 — It was raining lightly much of the time we were in Cinchona at the Soda, so the hummers were bathing and fluff drying their feathers…providing interesting looks at these otherwise very elegant birds. This is a male and a female Green-crowned Brilliant. We saw the females at other places and at other elevations, but we only found males at Soda Cinchona. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Costa Rica! In one end and out the other
Lesser Violet-ear Hummingbird: Batsu Gardens, San Geraldo de Dota, Costa Rica, December 2023 — Just for a smile. Stuff happens. This Lesser Violet-ear was sipping from a suspended flower and reached the saturation point. This is more common than you might think when hummingbirds drink sugar water. OM Systems OM-1 with the ED 100-400mm IS zoom at 570mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds-in-flight modifications. Processed in Photomator and “photo enhancer and unblur” (great app, terrible title).
Costa Rica! Bird of the day
Lesser Violet-ear Hummingbird: Batsu Gardens, San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica — It was raining off and on and quite dark when we got to Batsu Gardens high above the Savegre River, but the hummingbirds came to flowers placed for them and doused with sugar water. This is a Lesser Violet-ear (and no, there is no greater violet-ear)…one of the common hummingbirds of the foothills and cloud forest of Central America. This is a natural light shot…not a multi-flash setup. I was very pleased with the results from the OM-1 in the low light we had to work with. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm IS zoom at 570mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Splish splash
Canada Geese: I was photographing a small flock of Canada Geese who had spent the night at the high tide mark in one of our tidal rivers when they decided it was time to get up. Nothing has a messier take off than a flock of geese. Splish splash! And the noise! 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! Gullish airshow
Ring-billed Gull: York County, Maine, USA, November 2023 — Difficult lighting, but a show for sure. A small flock of Ring-billed Gulls soaring at eye-level…playing in the strong wind off the point of beach where a tidal river meets the sea. These are 2 selected by my long lens. Precision formation flying at its best. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds-in-flight modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Coming in…
Great Blue Heron: York County, Maine, USA, November 2023 — What goes up must come down, eventually even if you are a bird. This Great Blue Heron startled, very early one morning when the light was still at a low angle, and flew deeper into the marsh, where I captured it coming down. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator and Apple Photos.