Posts in Category: Maine
American Tree Sparrow
American Tree Sparrow: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, February 2023 — Something different on the deck yesterday in our intermittent snow. Even Carol thought it might not be a Chipping Sparrow (which should not be here now…in middle of a snowstorm…anyway). I actually had to look it up, after taking a few photos through the glass of deck door…that is how rarely we have seen one in the yard over the going-on 30 years we have lived in Southern Maine. We don’t get the flocks by the roadside that are common south of us in winter. Just a single bird on very rare occasions. Nice to see though. We have more snow predicted for Wednesday. I will have my eye out! Sony Rx10iv at 500mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 200 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Long Sands Beach, York, Maine
Long Sands Beach, York, Maine, February 2023 — I got on the wrong road coming back from York Hospital where I had a Travel Medicine appointment yesterday, and came up the coast a ways. Not the first time it has happened. I don’t go to York enough to know where I am. Still, it was a beautiful afternoon in February, and I stopped along Long Sands, south of Nubble Light, for this iPhone ultra-wide shot. Auto exposure (which has HDR always engaged on my iPhone 13). Processed in Apple Photos.
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Red-breasted Nuthatch: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, February 2023 — There are two Red-breasted Nuthatches visiting our back deck feeding station most days this winter. We can go months without seeing one in the summer, when the living is easy, but at least this winter, they seem to frequent the feeders more. Caught this one in the strong afternoon sun on a cold February day. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 160 @ 4 @ 1/500th.
Black-capped Chickadee in the winter sun
Black-capped Chickadee: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, February 2023 — The most common of our common backyard birds here in southern Maine…the Black-capped Chickadees are with us every day, all year long. This one was coming in for mealworms and suet the after the Polar Vortex blew on out to sea. The light was great and I could not resist a portrait. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 320 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Bluebird deals with the Polar Vortex!
Eastern Bluebird: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, February 2023 — It was negative 12 degrees Fahrenheit on my little indoor/outdoor thermometer right beside the double glazed thermopane deck doors, with a wind chill factor of less then -50 outside, when I took this photo from the warm safety of our kitchen. This flattened bluebird is dealing with the Polar Vortex in is own way. Both he and we appreciated the bright winter sun. I kept the meal worm feeder full all day…and the sunflower and suet feeders for the chickadees and nuthatches and titmice and woodpeckers. (The chickadees, of course, took all three.) Action around the feeders was pretty constant all day. It eventually warmed up to about 9 degrees before going back down to negatives for the night. Today it is supposed to 40. 🙂 I am happy to say both we and the birds survived the Polar Vortex…this time. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 160 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Wild Turkeys in the winter…
Wild Turkeys: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, January 2023 — We have this herd of Wild Turkeys in the neighborhood the past few days. They come out of the little patch of forest across the road before sun-up, and yesterday, wandered into our backyard, where they foraged under the trees. A few came right up under the deck to get the spilled bird seed. The snow layer is frozen hard, so I assume they are having trouble finding food in the forest. Carol counted 40 in our yard. Again, these shots are at the limits of light 🙂 Sony Rx10iv at 350 and 240mm equivalents. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications and multi-frame noise reduction. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. Equivalent ISO 6400 @ f4 @ 1/200th and 1/100th.
Mousam River in the snow…
Kennebunk, Maine, USA, January 2023 — It is very rare indeed for the snow to stay on the trees in southern Maine for more than a few hours. We are into our third day of this winter wonderland now…and it looks good to hold until we get some “wintery mix” late this evening into tomorrow. There are downed trees and branches all over town, and there will be more by morning tomorrow. Still, it is undeniably beautiful. This is two more iPhone 13 shots. One with the ultra-wide lens and, of course, a panorama. The computing power of the phone makes these kinds of photos possible and even easy.
Clinging snow…
Kennebunk, Maine, USA, January 2023 — We had one of those days on Friday. Heavy wet snow overnight, with, thankfully, no wind, and we woke to a world frosted in white. (The thankfulness is about broken branches, downed trees, and power lines…which would have been a major problem with any wind at all…as it was the lawn is littered with fallen branches buried in the snow.) I was out clearing the drive with the snowblower, and still had the energy when I finished for a few phone photos. I have a “new” iPhone 13 with the ultrawide lens to try out. If you follow my Day Poems on Tumbler or Facebook, that graze on the big pine is where the truck hit it a few nights ago…during the last snow storm. Anyway, it makes a change from constant photos of tropical birds and wildlife. 🙂
Bluebird Winter
Eastern Bluebird: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, January 2023 — Another visitor from early on our snowy morning. We have 5 Bluebirds that come for the mealworms we put out in a feeder. They are our two adults, a pair that, as far as I can tell, have nested in the yard next door for at least 5 years, and young birds from this year’s two broods. This is the adult male, looking a little wet and very stoic (to me) on this snowy morning. This is an art shot again…more than a portrait…for framing on the wall. 🙂 Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 400 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Snow Finches
House Finch and American Goldfinch: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, January 2023 — We woke up to one of those winter wonderland scenes with wet snow clinging to every branch and bush and about 3 inches on the ground. It did not last more than a half hour once the sun and the wind got up, but it was traditionally beautiful for a few moments there. I managed a few shots in the early light to catch the contrast between the birds and the snow. House Finches have been coming to the feeders for the past two weeks. They are occasional visitors year round, but way outnumbered by the Purple Finches in the spring. American Goldfinches are another year round visitor. We are currently hosting a flock of at least a dozen. And this scene, with the fresh snow, is just a memory. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 320 @ f4 @ 1/500th.