Black-tipped Darner, Emmon’s Preserve, Kennebunkport Maine

The Mosaic Darners are absolutely my favorite dragonflies. Large, brightly patterned, and elegantly shaped. What is not to like? This is a Black-tipped Darner hanging nicely for its photo at Emmon’s Preserve in Kennebunkport Maine. 

Sony Rx10iii at 600mm equivalent. Program mode. -.3EV. Program Shift for greater depth of field. f9 @ 1/80th @ ISO 100. Processed in Polarr. 

Painted Lady Butterfly, Emmon’s Preserve, Kennebunkport, ME

The Painted Lady Butterflies are out in force at Emmon’s Preserve in Kennebunkport Maine. The wild meadows there are full of tall white aster and Goldenrod…and there is some tiny aster (Heath Aster) along the paths. The Ladies are browsing on all three. 

Sony Rx10iii at 600mm equivalent. Program mode, -.3EV. 1/800th @ f4 @ ISO 100. Processed in Polarr. 

White-faced Meadowhawk, Rachel Carson NWR, Kennebunk ME

There were bunches of red Meadowhawks at the pull off just into the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge lands along Brown Street in Kennebunk, Maine. And quite a few darker females. It is hard to seperate the red Meadowhawks, but I am pretty sure this is just a common Whitefaced. 

Sony Rx10iii at 600mm equivalent. Program mode, -.7EV. 1/1000th @ f4 @ ISO 100. Processed in Polarr.

American Toad, the yard, Kennebunk Maine

For some reason our yard is full of tiny toads this summer. I can’t walk through the grass on my way to anywhere without seeing several. You can see the clover and the edge of an acorn in the top right for scale. This is a tiny toad. I think it is just a regular American Toad, but generally I see them much larger. The big ones must be in the yard somewhere…and I actually saw one earlier while mowing the lawn, but mostly I see these little guys, and only these little guys. Maybe we are on a baby toad migration route??

Sony Rx10iii at 600mm equivalent. Program mode. 1/250th @ f4 @ ISO 640. Processed in Polarr. 

Female 12-spotted Skimmer, Kennebunk Bridle Path, Kennebunk ME

While probably not part of the migrant swarm of dragonflies I saw the other day, this female 12-spotted Skimmer was also in same area. Skimmers are much more likely to perch than Darners or Saddlebags, and this one sat quite near for the whole time I was trying to photograph the others. Easy.

Sony Rx10iii at 600mm equivalent. Program mode, -.7EV. 1/1000th @ f4 @ ISO 125. Processed in Polarr. 

Turtlehead, The yard, Kennebunk ME

The purple Turtlehead is bloom along the edge of our yard. The pollen must be sweet indeed to intice a bee so deep. Hard work. And I don’t see heavy sacks of pollon on this bee. 

Sony Rx10iii at 600mm equivalent. Program mode, -.3EV. 1/250th @ f4 @ ISO 640. Processed in Polarr.

Greater Yellowlegs, Kennebunk Bridle Path, Kennebunk Maine

I am pretty sure this is a Greater Yellowlegs. I was completely sure when viewing the bird in the field, but now that I come to post the pic, and have to put the name in writing, I am wondering how I knew it was not a Willet? Okay, it is time for Greater Yellowlegs to pass through, and Willets are more common in early summer…and there is something about the body posture and proportions that says Yellowlegs to me…but I could easily be wrong. There is not a lot of difference in plumage, especially this time of year when breeding plumage is beginning to fade. Of course, if I could have seen the legs 🙁 Still, I am going with Greater Yellowlegs until someone who knows better than I corrects me. Mostly I like the ripples in the water as the bird stalked forward. There is even an interesting optical illusion happening were the bill of the bird crosses the ripple pattern. Can you see it?

Sony Rx10iii at 600mm equivalent. Program mode. -.7EV. 1/800th @ f4 @ ISO 100. Processed in Polarr.

Green Darner, Kennebunk Bridle Path, Kennebunk ME

This is not the best flight shot of a dragonfly, but it is my flight shot of a dragonfly…one of the best I have gotten. I mentioned yesterday the swarm of what I assume were migrant Green Darners over the marsh pools along the Mousam River in Kennebunk Maine. 20 or more. With that many Darners in the air, I could not resist experimenting with different flight shot techniques. If you think Birds in Flight are difficult, try dragonflies. It will make birds seem easy. 1/1000th second, with wide area focus. The dragon came by fairly close and nicely isolated against the sky so the focus could pick up on it. 

Sony Rx10iii at 600mm equivalent. Program mode, with Minimum Shutter Speed Auto ISO set to 1/1000th. f5.6 @ ISO 100. Processed in Polarr. 

Black Saddlebags, Kennebunk Bridle Path, Kennebunk ME

Yesterday I took my eBike for a long loop down to the ocean. I came back on the Kennebunk Bridle Path along the Mousam River. Where it crosses the first stream north of Rt. 9, there are some pools in the marsh that often attract dragonflies. Yesterday there was a swarm of, I assume, migrating Green Darners (I assume the migrating part)…20 or more above the pools next to the tree-line. I had some happy time trying to photograph Green Darners in the air. There was one Black Saddlebags with the swarm (as well as one, I think, Spot-winged Glider), and the Saddlebags did me the favor of landing right in front of me, about 8 feet away, and perching long enough for me to get some shots. 🙂 Black Saddlebags are among my favorite dragons…but, in my experience, they rarely sit for a portrait. 

Sony Rx10iii at 600mm equivalent. Program mode. -.3EV with my Action settings. 1/1000th @ ISO 125 @ f4. Processed in Polarr. 

Slaty Skimmer, Day Brook Pond, Kennebunk Plains WMA, Maine

A Slaty Skimmer along the edge of Day Brook Pond on the Kennebunk Plains Wildlife Management Area in West Kennebunk, Maine. I like the highlights…reflections from the surface of the water…in the background, and the contrast between the bug and the seed head it is sitting on. 🙂

Sony Rx10iii at 600mm equivalent. Program mode, -.7EV. 1/640th @ ISO 100 @ f4. Processed in Polarr.