Monthly Archives: December 2020
Mousam River vista
Standing on the Route 1 bridge in Kennebunk, Maine, looking mostly south-east along the flow of the river toward the ocean on a December day. The sun was in and out and I caught it out as I crossed the bridge. Sony Rx10iv at 24mm equivalent. Program mode with HDR on auto. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos. Nominal exposure: ISO 100 @ f4 @ 1/360th.
who’s the handsome bird?
American Crow: Kennebunk, Maine, USA — I went for a walk yesterday, just to Roger’s Pond and back, to check if there were Eagles or Mergansers (or maybe Wood Duck) on the river, or just possibly, Cedar Waxwings in the berries. Nothing. Not even a Chickadee to reward my effort. It is the most wonderful time of year 🙂 But almost home there is an open lot bordered with big pines, and there I found a group of Crows very busy turning over leaves to see what was under them. Handsome birds, when you take the time to look. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos. ISO 500 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Winter Sunrise
It was, going by the images posted already on Facebook, a particularly glorious sunrise yesterday all across Maine. This is just from our back deck, looking out over the yard, with the fringe of icicles from our metal roof sliding down over the door. Beauty is where you find it…and a good thing that is in this year of limited mobility. Sony Rx10iv at 24mm equivalent. Program mode with auto HDR. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos. Nominal exposure: ISO 200 @ f2.5 @ 1/60th.
Once again the bluebird…
Eastern Bluebird: Kennebunk, Maine, USA — Once again one of our bluebirds on a favored perch at our back deck feeding station. I had to replace our nice mealworm feeder with an ugly “squirrel proof” multi-seed feeder this week as two of our neighborhood squirrels had figured out how to access the mealworms in the bowl feeder. Not easy, but I always say, “where there is a way there is a squirrel.” Still, it is a feeder the bluebirds used all summer out at my backyard photo blind, so they are used to it. It is difficult to find a hopper feeder that will reliably feed mealworms, and I found this one by chance…ordered it when no other squirrel proof feeders were available this spring for regular seed, and only discovered it worked with mealworms after I got it. The bluebirds have no problem with it, and so far no squirrels have gotten the better of the baffle. 🙂 Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos. ISO 640 @ f4 @ 1/500th. Plus .3 EV exposure compensation.
December sky
We have had a lot of moody days this early winter. At least they make for dramatic skies. This is Branch Brook at high tide, on its way to join the Merriland River to become the Little, on the back side of the trail at Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters. Sony Rx10iv at 24mm equivalent. Program with auto HDR. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos. Nominal exposure: ISO 100 @ f4 @ 1/320th.
Goldfinch against the light
American Goldfinch, Kennebunk, Maine, USA — This Goldfinch posed against strong backlight, straining at the limits of comfort for a digital sensor, but it makes, I think, an interesting portrait. The bird was only about 7 feet from me, and some extra post processing brought up all the detail the excellent ZEISS lens on the Sony can provide. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos. ISO 125 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Merriland River early winter panorama
Something even more different than yesterday’s landscape for the Pic of the day…a sweep panorama under the same brooding sky…looking out over the Merriland River as it heads for its junction with Branch Brook at Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge. Sony Rx10iv at 24mm. Sweep panorama mode. +1 EV (necessary on this camera for this mode, and this scene could have actually used more compensation). Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos. Nominal exposure ISO 100 @ f5.6 @ 1/250.
Brooding on winter…
Something a bit different from my backyard birds today. 🙂 We are expecting our first real snow tonight, but for yesterday the landscape was just huddling under a brooding sky, waiting on winter to decide to come. That tree out there has had, some years, a Snowy Owl, and I always start checking it every trip to the beach along about now. Not yet. Maybe not at all this year. Still waiting on that decision as well. Sony Rx10iv at 24mm equivalent. Program mode with auto HDR. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos. Nominal exposure: ISO 100 @ f4 @ 1/500th. -.3 EV.
Not so gold finch…
American Goldfinch: Kennebunk, Maine, USA — I still have thistle seed out for the Goldfinches, which have not been regular at our feeders since early August. A bunch came through last week, on their way south, but we have one that is hanging around. Not so gold, but a still a pretty little bird. It is, of course, just as interested in the sunflower seed feeder I moved up onto the deck feeding station from out under the trees, so maybe that is really what is keeping it. 🙂 Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos. Got to love that bokeh. ISO 400 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Titmouse in the mist…
Tufted Titmouse: Kennebunk, Maine, USA — Another shot from a cold misty December morning, with very little light. Shooting at ISO 3200. In addition to my normal low light noise reduction, I also used a brush to remove residual noise in the “open” areas of the image, leaving it in the bird itself and the feeder, where detail masks the noise, and removing it would soften the detail. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos. ISO 3200 @ f4 @ 1/500th.