Red-breasted Merganser, Back Creek, Kennebunk ME

I am 99% sure this is a female Red-breasted Merganser from the mouth of Back Creek where it joins the Mousam River in Kennebunk Maine. I used to see both Common and Red-breasted Mergansers in Back Creek and the Mousam every winter, often. In the past few years I not seen any. So I am out of practice on Mergansers. 🙂 I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong. Sony RX10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode. Processed in Polarr.

Canada Geese, Back Creek, Kennebunk ME

Canada Geese get a bad name in most states where they winter as messy, noisy, aggressive birds that foul sidewalks, parks, and lawns with their droppings, and pollute lakes and ponds with the same. They eat more than any bird should, taking food from other, less aggressive birds, and generally make a nuisance of themselves. But you have to admit, they are handsome birds. Seen here in Kennebunk Maine, where we only get a few on our rivers and marshes. Sony RX10iv at 600mm. Program mode. 1/640th @ ISO 100 @ f4. Processed in Polarr.

Snow on ornimental cherry branch in our yard

We had the kind of snow two days ago that just piles up, light and fluffy, on every thing. Every branch and bush, and railing. No weight to it at all, but it does not settle. Just gets higher. I had to go out and take a few pics of it falling and piling up. This is our ornamental cherry in the front yard (I did not get any further than the yard as the roads were pretty slick). I find it very satisfying in a artsy kind of way. Sony RX10iv in-camera HDR at 182mm equivalent. 1/200th @ ISO 200 @ f4. Processed in Polarr.

Ice structures, Mousam River, Kennebunk Maine

Along with ice bells on willow wands, the right conditions also produce all kinds of ice ordination along edges…here along the edge of an remnant ice sheet from the deep freeze of the previous days. The sheet is lodged along the bank of the Mousam River, and the rise and fall and splash of the rapids has festooned the whole edge with ice baubles. I love the ways in which light interacts with the ice. 🙂 Sony RX10iv at 244mm equivalent. Program mode. 1/400th @ ISO 100 @ f4. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.

Ice bells, Mousam River at Roger’s Pond Park, Kennebunk Maine

Conditions have to be just right for ice bells to form. The water has to rise and fall with heavy rains or tidal effect. There has to be enough wind and current to keep the willow wands or branches constantly moving, and it has to be well below freezing. The rapids on the Mousam River at Roger’s Pond Park in Kennebunk Maine were completely frozen over for several days during our cold snap in early January and have only broken loose due two days of rain last week. The return of sub-zero nights and days in the teens this week made for ideal ice bell weather, and indeed there were some nice ones there when I visited on Sunday. Sony RX10iv at 600mm. Program mode. 1/500th @ f4 @ ISO 100. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.

Mallards on Back Creek, Kennebunk Maine.

I was down at the beach the other day looking for landscapes when I spotted a group of mallards far out from the road on Back Creek, almost to its meeting with the Mousam River. I was shooting them when they suddenly, maybe rattled by the attention, took to the air. I was able to follow them for several flight shots. Sony RX10iv at 600mm. Program mode. 1/1000th @ f5.6 @ ISO 100. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.

American Bison, Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, Denver CO

We went back a second day to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge just at the east edge of greater Denver to see if we could get a close look at Buffalo. I had seen them close enough to touch (if I had been so foolish as to put my arm out the window of car) in North Dakota, but Carol had never seen one closer than 500 yards, and that had been on our first visit to RMANWR two days before. So since we had to go to the airport to drop of Kelia on her way home and were out that way anyway, it was worth a second try. And we were blessed. This great bull was grazing close enough to the road so that I could not get all of him in a 600mm field of view. I like this shot, with the tongue out and him so intent on his graze. He paid no attention to us, safe in our rental car, on the road so close. Sony RX10iv at 500mm equivalent. Program mode. 1/1000th @ f4.5 @ ISO 100. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.

Grey-headed Junco, Bandolier National Monument, New Mexico

The Juncos are under our feeders most days here in southern Maine, but they are all Slate-colored Juncos. Of course they are all, according to the experts, Dark-eyed Juncos, but the DeJ has at least 5 recognizable plumage variations across the country. When we lived in New Mexico, on a good day in the winter, we could get 3 of them at our feeders. This is the Grey-headed variety which I found at Bandolier National Monument on a November visit to New Mexico. Sony RX10iv at 600mm. Program mode. 1/250th @ f4 @ ISO 100. -.3 EV. Processed in Polarr.

Mule Deer, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico

This year we spent a week in Colorado before going on down to Socorro New Mexico for the Festival of the Cranes at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge near Socorro, so we had a chance to observe Mule Deer in both Colorado and New Mexico. I have to say New Mexico Mule Deer have bigger ears than Colorado Mule Deer…at least that is certainly my impression after a chance to compare them. 🙂 These two does were out on the South Loop, browsing contentedly near the loop road. Sony RX10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode. 1/250th @ f4 @ ISO 100. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.

Snow Geese, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico

Taken during a “panic” when a thousand or more Geese came up off the water at the same time and circled close overhead. They are always calling loudly during a panic. Sony RX10iv at 600mm equivalent field of view. Program mode with my special flight and action settings. 1/1000th @ f8 @ ISO 100. Processed in Polarr.