Posts in Category: Maine
Maine! Snowy Egret
Snowy Egret: York County, Maine, USA, June 2023 — Along the reaches of the lower Mousam River, way out in the marsh. This Snowy Egret was leap hunting along the edge of a pool. Two shots going up, and two coming down 🙂 OM Systems OM-1 with 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and assembled in FrameMagic. ISO 200 @ f8 @ 1/1250th. -1EV to save the highlights.
Maine! Two for the price.
Piping Plover: York County, Maine, USA, June 2023 — These are 3-4 week old chicks from our local beach, again, taken from a good distance with my 800mm equivalent lens and cropped for scale. Though they are feeding on their own, and have been for a couple of weeks, they are still calling mom to come attend to them. Often the female has left the chicks to their own devices by now, so she may or may not come running. OM Systems OM-1 with 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro. ISO 200 @ f8 @ 1/1250th.
Maine! Ebony Jewelwing
Ebony Jewelwing: Branch Brook, Kennebunk, Maine, USA, June 2023 — One of my favorite Odonata…the spreadwing damselfly Ebony Jewelwing. I generally go looking for them at Emmons Preserve along the Batson River in Arundel, but I found this one along the Branch Brook nearer to home. The body is metallic green in most lights and from most angles, but you can see here that it can also be a lovely metallic blue. OM Systems OM-1 with 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro. ISO 500 and 200 @ f6.3 @ 1/640th.
Maine! Discovering its wings
Piping Plover: York County, Maine, USA, June 2023 — This Piping Plover chick is 2 to 3 weeks old. It will not fly for at least another week, maybe more, but it is beginning to stretch its wings. This same day there were maybe 2 day old chicks at other end of the beach (they were well away from the nest and that does not happen generally for the first day or so), and they were only half this size…that is the body was half this size, the legs do not grow much after hatching. Piping Plovers grow into their legs 🙂 Notice the fine fringe of down feathers still on the wing. And let me remind you that this photo was taken from at least 30 feet with a long lens and cropped in for scale. I would never get as close to the chick as it looks here, and neither should you. 🙂 OM Systems OM-1 with 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro. ISO 200 @ f8 @ 1/1250th.
Maine! Song Sparrow
Song Sparrow: York County, Maine, USA, June 2023 — What is better than a Song Sparrow singing! This one was on the back side of the dunes on one of our local beaches, apparently trying to drown out the surf. OM Systems OM-1 with 100-400mm zoom at 1600mm (2x digital converter). Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro. ISO 200 @ f9 @ 1/1600th.
Maine! Bee in lupine
Honey Bee in wild Lupine: York County, Maine, USA, June 2023 — It is Lupine season in southern Maine. The crop does not seem as full this year as last, but that might be my aging imagination. I have photographed this same stand of lupine, in a hayfield near Emmon’s Preserve, every year for many years. The bees are always busy there. OM Systems OM-1 with 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my evolving bird modifications (which work for bees and dragonflies very well). Processed in Pixelmator Pro. ISO 640 @ f6.3 @ 1/640th.
Maine! Willet close up
Willet: York County, Maine, USA, June 2023 — Here is that close-up of the Willet from our local beach that I mentioned yesterday. The adults are no longer guarding this area, so I assume they decided to relocate. I saw them further out in the marsh yesterday, and a whole group on the other side of the river mouth. This one was definitely sticking its tongue out at me. OM Systems OM-1 with 100-400mm zoom @ 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my evolving bird modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro. ISO 200 @ f7.1 @ 1/1000th.
Maine! Willet
Willet: York County, Maine, USA — A pair of Willets decided to nest right beside the parking area at one of our local beaches. What can you do? I took lots of photos of this Willet reminding me not to step too close to the nest. I did not even attempt to find the nest and gave the Willet as much space as it would allow, but it’s nest was evidently quite close to the only path back to the road. I have much closer shots but I like the angles and textures in this environmental shot. OM Systems OM-1 with 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my evolving bird modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro. ISO 200 @ f7.1 @ 1/1000th.
Maine! Snapper
Snapping Turtle: Roger’s Pond, Kennebunk, Maine, USA — I posted a Day Poem about this encounter yesterday. Always happy to see a Snapper…from a distance. This is maybe only my 4th sighting as an adult, if I can claim to be one yet at 75. A big one! The underwater shot gives a better impression of just how big. OM Systems OM-1 with 100-400mm zoom at 800 equivalent for the close-ups, 472 for the whole turtle and 200mm for the underwater shot. Program mode with my evolving bird modifications (bird worked better on the turtle than animal…I tried them both.) Processed in Pixelmator Pro. ISO 200 for the land shots, ISO 400 underwater @ f6.3 (f5 underwater) @ 1/640th.
Maine! Tern in flight…
Least Tern: York County, Maine, USA, June 2023 — Another composited image of a Least Tern in flight at the mouth of one of our local rivers…entering hunting mode. Three shots at 25 frames per second, clipped out and arranged and processed in Pixelmator Pro. Program mode with my evolving birds-in-flight modifications. OM Systems OM-1 with 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent. ISO 320 @ f6.3 @ 1/3200th. +.3EV.