Posts in Category: Maine
Maine! Juvenile (not delinquent)
Common Merganser: York County, Maine, USA, February 2024 — I am pretty sure these are two juvenile male Common Mergansers, hauled out on rock in our local river. They might look like they are up to no good…but I doubt they are actually delinquent. 🙂 Love the orange legs and feet. 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 and Apple Photos.
Maine! Spring is coming!
Song Sparrow: York County, Maine, USA, February 2024 — The first (or my first, at any rate) Song Sparrow of 2024 here in York County. Spring can’t be far behind. He was not singing yet…just kind of a soft twitter, but song is coming just as sure as spring. 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.
Maine! Bohemian Waxwing antics
Bohemian Waxwing: York County, Maine, USA, February 2024 — I have been back to the area where I saw this Bohemian Waxwing feeding with a flock of Robins on Sunday, several times now, in hopes of finding more, or at least finding a flock of Cedar Waxwings. Nothing doing. I have not seen either since the first sighting. There is nothing more enjoyable than watching Waxwings feed. They are so elegant and so acrobatic in their single-minded pursuit of the sweetest fruit. 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.
Maine! Black Duck
American Black Duck: York County, Maine, USA, February 2024 — The other surprise (besides the Bohemian Waxwing) of my early Sunday morning photo outing was 2 pair of American Black Ducks keeping company with the growing flock of Canada Geese in the tidal creek at the mouth of our local river. This is another bird that I have only seen a few times in Maine, and not for a long time. Again, maybe I have not been looking the right places at the right times, but my impression is that our strange winter is bring out many birds I have not seen in years. (Though American Black Duck is still shown as common along the Maine Coast year-round in the field guides, a bit more research tells me that though once the most common dabbling duck in Eastern North America, populations have radically declined due to habitat loss over the last century, to the point were the Black Duck is a species of concern to many. Though they look like (and may actually be) Mallards they do not seem to be as resilient in the long run.) OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm IS zoom at 800mm equivalent (heavily cropped). Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Both Waxwings!
Cedar and Bohemian Waxwings: York County, Maine, USA, February 2024 — I went out early yesterday to check for Eagles at our local spot and to see if there were any interesting ducks in the tidal creek behind the dunes. No Eagles but the large flock of Robins that I had seen the day before was still working the winterberries along the river, and there was what appeared to be a lone Cedar Waxwing with them. I was excited. I have been expecting the Cedar Waxwings to show up to harvest the winterberry and ornimental cherries around town. A single bird was odd though. They generally arrive and travel in small flocks. I photographed what I thought was the same bird several times around along the river and the wood lot edge as the Robins moved around. It was not until I got the photos up on my tablet for editing that I realized that there were at least two Waxwings with the Robins. One was clearly a Bohemian Waxwing. I can maybe be forgiven for not recognizing the Bohemian when it was in front of me. I was concentrating on my photography and I was expecting to see a Cedar Waxwing. I was not expecting to see a Bohemian! This is only the second Bohemian sighting in my life, and I have not seen one for at least 15 years. And that explains why the two Waxwings were not “flocking”. They are distinctly different species. 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. (Image resolution is limited here by the distance and atmospheric wobble involved in shooting over melting snow.)
Maine! Three’s company
Common Goldeneye (male and female) and Red-breasted Merganser: York County, Maine, USA, January 2024 — The winter ducks are more present this year than in several years past, or so it seems to me. This Goldeneye pair has been hanging out with the Mergansers at the mouth of our local river for a week now. I have to say I think this is the first time I have really noticed the mustard on the female’s beak. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm IS zoom. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Unsettled
Bald Eagle: York County, Maine, USA, January 2024 — The Eagle was active the last time I visited it…flying between perches low over the water, up and down the river. It did not settle in one place for long. 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.
Maine! Filigree ice
More filigree ice from the Mousam River here in Kennebunk. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm IS zoom at 472mm equivalent. Program mode with in-camera HDR. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Smile for the camera
Bald Eagle: York County, Maine, USA, January 2024 — Another shot of our local Eagle on a relatively low perch over the river…smiling for my camera 🙂 At least as close as a perpetually stern Bald Eagle gets to smiling. 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 and Apple Photos.
Maine! Eagle-eyed stare
Bald Eagle: York County, Maine, USA, January 2023 — The river was running fast and there were ice bells on every willow wand along the bank…just the fishing conditions an Eagle likes, and our local Eagle was still at it until almost noon yesterday. I almost missed the Eagle altogether as it was perched much closer to the water than usual. Once I found it I watched as it alternated perches up and down the river. If I were a fish I would not want to be caught in that stare. 🙂 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 and Apple Photos.