Posts in Category: Maine
Hoover
Red Squirrel: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, May 2025 — I call him (or her) Hoover because he (or she) comes after the Raccoons have been emptying our sunflower seed feeders all over the deck, mostly on rainy days for some reason, to clean up the mess. She (or he) lets me open the deck door for an unobstructed view and photographs. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 543mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator. (ISO 16500 by the way.) (And a second by the way…I am not sure, of course, if our Hoover is a individual squirrel, he or she, or if we have a whole tribe of Hoovers living the woods across the road, just waiting rainy day, “clean-up on the back deck aisle” call??)
Happiness
Eastern Bluebird: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, May 2025 — I am in the section of my Costa Rica photos where I was photographing frogs and snakes, and, being Sunday, I do not want to post a photo that I know will make some of you uncomfortable…so I offer this lovey, always faithful, bluebird from our back yard. 🙂 Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Cardinal
Northern Cardinal: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, April 2025 — I sometimes feel that no morning is compete without a bird photo, and since my pic for today was a frog, I will offer you this bright spring Cardinal from our back deck the other day. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds and wildlife modifications. Taken through a double glazed deck door and processed in PhotoQuality and Photomator.
Pine Warbler
Pine Warbler: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, April 2025 — We have at least one bright male Pine Warbler and several duller female or young male Pines hanging around the yard the past week or so. We saw some, surprisingly, in February, briefly, but these are becoming regular. This one was out under the pine where I have a feeding station. They really like suet and mealworms. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Carolina in the brush
Carolina Wren: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, April 2025 — I spent another hour in my blind by the feeding station under the pine, and this time got to see our Carolina Wren pair in their natural environment. I see them on our deck at least once a day, or sitting on the clothes line, but is somehow better to see them in the leaf litter doing what they do most of the time, even if the brush gets in the way. 🙂 Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Purple Finch
Purple Finch: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, April 2025 — The Purple Finches are back. We must have a dozen of them, both male and female, visiting the feeders several times a day. I am going through twice as much sunflower seed as normal. And there is nothing quite like an adult male Purple Finch in the spring. So bright. So rich. Even, or maybe, especially in the rain. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator and PhotoQuality.
Trout Lily
Trout Lily: Emmon’s Preserve, Kennebunkport, Maine, April 2025 — This early spring flower of the New England woods has many names. Trout lily, Yellow Trout lily, Fawn Lily, Yellow Adder’s-tongue, Dogtooth Violet, or Yellow Dogtooth Violet. Dogtooth Violet is actually a different species, and is, as the name says, purple/violet in color, but many still call this yellow lily by that name. I have always called it Trout Lily. I go looking for them in late March and early April every year. I know a few spots where they grow, in addition to a couple of dense patches at Emmon’s Preserve, a short drive from home. This year I had to make three trips. The second week in April no leaves were showing. The third week I found some leaves, and only now, in the fourth week did I find the flowers. That is late. I shot photos in two different stands at Emmon’s. In one stand the pollen was yellow, and in the second patch the pollen was, as in these photos, orange. I looked it up this morning, and, indeed, there are Trout Lilies with the orange pigment, and there are Trout Lilies without. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 112mm and 114mm equivalent. The closer shot is with the Sigma Achromatic 1.75 diopter Macro attachment. On both I used my Sirui travel tripod at ground level. Processed in Photomator.
Male and Female Maple
Female and male Red Maple Flowers: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, April 2025 — I was not aware until yesterday, when someone commented on my photo of Red Maple flowers, that there are male Red Maples and female Red Maples, and that the flowers are different. I have never, apparently, seen a female Red Maple tree…or at least not looked close enough for it to register. Both of the big maples in our yard are, it turns out, male, and the ones I have photographed in the neighborhood over the years have all been male. So, of course, I had to go out to find a female Red Maple yesterday. It wasn’t hard and I did not have to go far. The neighbors behind us have at least one female Red Maple in their yard. It has no low branches so the photo above is of flowers high in the tree, taken with a long zoom and cropped in to show the detail. The second photo is male flowers for comparison. Those were on a low hanging branch. A little googling around has taught me that, not only are there female and male Red Maples, but some trees have both flowers, and some trees, apparently, change gender over the years. I also was able to confirm my impression that there are more male Red Maples in a local population than females, sometimes by a ratio of 3 to 1. That makes sense, at least to me, since maples have to rely on wind-blown pollen for reproduction, and the more pollen in the air, the better chances the female tree will be fully fertilized. I am always surprised by how little I actually know about the world around me…and delighted by how much there is to learn. Female and male maples. Who knew?
Maple blossoms
Maple Blossoms: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, April 2025 — I am always eager for the Maples in our yard and our neighborhood to blossom. The flowers often go unnoticed, and under appreciated…just a red haze in the tall maple trees. But up close they are quite beautiful. If you can find a low hanging branch, take a look. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at various focal lengths for framing. Program mode.
Rapid run
Batson River, Emmon’s Preserve, Kennebunkport, Maine, April 2025 — Relatively high water on the Batson River (more of a brook really) in Emmon’s Preserve (Kennebunkport Land Trust). Still no leaves on the trees so this is just about as bright as this stretch of water gets. Sony a5100 with Sony 10-18 f4 at 15mm equivalent. Shutter Preferred at 1/40th. Processed in Photomator.