Posts in Category: Maine
Maine! Common Yellowthroat
Common Yellowthroat: York County, Maine, USA, May 2024 — Not an easy bird to photograph most of the time as it loves to stay tucked in behind the leaves or reeds. This on was at the forest edge in a wet meadow, and though I could hear it just fine, getting a line of sight that showed more than a piece of the bird was very challenging. 🙂 I went home not really convinced I had gotten anything, which is the generally the result of any encounter with the Common Yellowthroat. At least in my experience. OM System OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Red-eye
Red-eyed Vireo: York County, Maine, USA, May 2024 — This is the first Red-eyed Vireo I have seen in Maine in a while. Maybe I have just not been looking in the right places. I heard it calling before it came close enough for a photo. OM System OM-1 with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Drink your tea tea tea
Eastern Towhee: York County, Maine, USA, May 2024 — While out looking for Lady Slipper Orchids the other day, I head at least two Eastern Towhees singing their “drink your tea” song, and eventually spotted this one well inside the little woodland there. I could not get any closer so I used the 2x digital tele-converter in the OM System OM-1Mkii with my M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent, for a total reach of what amounts to 1600mm. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Stream Cruiser
Stream Cruiser: For All Forever Preserve, Kennebunk, Maine, USA, May 2024 — The For All Forever Preserve of the Kennebunk Land Trust is becoming more accessible as they improve the access road and paths and install benches, etc. It is a great spot for early dragonflies and dragonflies that I generally don’t see elsewhere in southern Maine, like this Stream Cruiser. It is not my first Stream Cruiser, but I saw my first almost in the same spot several years ago. There were also a few Common Whitetails, lots of teneral Lancet Clubtails and both Eastern and Fragile Forktails. OM System OMM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Bobolink
Bobolink: York County, Maine, USA, May 2025 — It is Bobolink season again here in southern Maine. They seem to be nesting across the road from where they nested last year, as the farmer cut the field very short last fall and the grasses are just coming back now. I was wondering if they would return to these fields at all. They still like to sing from the tops of the trees along the road. These were taken from the seat of my eTrike. OM System OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 1600mm equivalent (2x digital tele-extender). Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
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! Tell me it isn’t Monday already!
Monday monday. Just for humor’s sake. But Red Squirrels are always super expressive, and an easy canvas to project almost any emotion. OM System OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 300mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator and TouchRetouch (to remove a feeder pole across the tail).
Maine! Red again
Red Squirrel: Back deck, Kennebunk, Maine, USA, May 2024 — we had a rainy day visit from the neighborhood Red-Squirrel yesterday. Sometime it runs off as soon as I open the back deck door to take its photo, but sometimes it is bold as brass and just dares me to do something about it. It spent a good hour, coming and going on the deck, and I got the door open far enough for photos a couple of times. Once I had to shoo it off when it was in danger of coming inside. 🙂 OM System OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 246mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications (no need to switch to animal for a squirrel :). Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Trillium
It is Painted Trillium season in southern Maine, but, at least in my experience, they are becoming hard to find. I used to know of several patches, but it is down to one now. If anyone knows of any accessible spots where I could respectfully photograph them I would appreciate it. This is a program mode focus stacked image at 1600mm equivalent (1x) using the digital tele-converter in the OM System OM-1Mkii and the M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom, taken from about 4 feet. The remaining flowers I know of are quite small for Painted Trillium, and seem to be getting smaller year to year. ??
Maine! Guard duty
Willet: York County, Maine, USA, May 2024 — This might be a pair of Willets, with the male standing guard as the female feed in grasses below. Or the other way around. 🙂 OM System OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.