Again with the Cedar Waxwings. Though the birds in general have become more active in the past week, Cedar Waxwings are still the primary photo subjects in Kennebunk right now. This is from a few days ago, and from the largest flock I have seen in one yard yet…over 40 birds. I like the way the two birds interact within the frame here. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos. Kennebunk, Maine, USA

I seems to me most days (and it might beginning to seen to you), that if there were not Cedar Waxwings in February and March in Kennebunk, there would be nothing to photograph. Neither of us would be far from wrong. At the very least, the large flock of Cedar Waxwings currently working their way through the ornamental berries of the village are the most interesting photographic subjects…and much easier to find than the Eagles that show up occasionally at Roger’s Pond Park. This sequence shows a Cedar Waxwing picking berries on the wing. The bird never did land, which is uncommon, in my experience, for a Waxwing. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications (which includes 3.5 frames per second continuous shooting). Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos, and assembled in FrameMagic.

On my walk yesterday I came upon a flock of at least 40 Cedar Waxwings. I have been seeing flocks of 15 to 20 around town, but yesterday’s congregation was the largest I have seen…I think the largest I have ever seen. The yard where I found them had a number of plants with winter berries, but that is true of most yards in Kennebunk. This is an interesting shot in that it is what I would call an “accidental” focus stack. I took a burst of this pair of Waxwings. They were just far enough apart (the bottom bird is a good 6 to 8 inches in front of the top bird) that they were not in focus at the same time, so I switched the focus point back and forth between them. Two of the shots were framed closely enough so that, during processing I immediately saw the possibility of combining the two into one shot with both birds in focus. After my standard processing in Polarr I applied a little careful manipulation of the two images in Pixomatic, and here you have it. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos. 2 images focus stacked in Pixomatic.

A little Downy Woodpecker playing hide-and-seek in a thicket along my walking route the other day, here in Kennebunk, Maine, USA. We get both Downy and Hairy at our feeders at home…but it is somehow more interesting to see them “in the wild”…even if the “the wild” is just down the street. 🙂 Sony Rx10iv at the 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.

Most days this week I have found the tribe of Cedar Waxwings that is working its way through the ornamental cherry trees of Kennebunk, Maine, USA where I live…on tree at a time (see my Day Poem today: https://day-poems.tumblr.com/post/611295451427291136/229-cedar-waxwings-cherry-pick-the-ornamental) They are always attractive birds and in this season of the year, their antics while eating berries are something to see. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.

The Cedar Waxwings are definitely enjoying February in southern Maine. There is a large flock working its way though the ornamental cherry trees at this end of Kennebunk, Maine, USA, apparently one tree at a time. I came across it in a front yard just over a few streets from home yesterday afternoon. The light was dull overcast, but still, Cedar Waxwing have a glow all their own. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.

This shot goes sort of goes with my Day Poem today (https://day-poems.tumblr.com/post/610932633729384448/225-there-was-a-crowd-of-crows-just-behind-the). Crows are, of course, one of the more interesting birds…based on their intelligence, not on their looks. Though they might be called handsome, they would never be called pretty. 🙂 Still, I am always impressed when I see them, in particular, playing. Any animal that is able to play has my respect. Then, of course, the rest of their social behavior, and their tool usage, put them high on the list of intelligent birds. They are not easy to photograph. The back on black plumage is difficult to expose if you want to maintain any feather detail. This one posed in great light, with light reflected up from the snow under the tree. I could not have done better with studio lighting. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. I used the touch screen on the Sony to move the focus point to the bird’s head while maintaining good composition. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.