Monthly Archives: May 2021
Lady Slipper Orchid season
It is, at long last, Lady Slipper Orchid season here in southern Maine. I have been watching my spots for two weeks waiting for the bloom. Last year a gentleman I met walking pointed me to the most amazing spread of Orchids that I have ever seen…several hundred plants, at the very least, spread along a hillside in the woods above a stream. The exact location will remain undisclosed as some Lady Slippers were dug up nearby last year. Lady Slippers are almost impossible to transplant, as they rely on a symbiotic fungus in the soil, but it does not stop people from trying. So, despite my broken wrist and various deep bruises and a well tweaked back from my walking encounter with a truck on Saturday, I went out with three cameras to see how they were doing this year. I was not disappointed. The shot above is with my go-to Sony Rx10iv at 31mm equivalent. (Program mode for ISO 100 @ f4 @ 1/250th). The following shot is with my new Nikon B700, which I bought as a back-up camera to carry on trip (and which might become my preferred dragonfly camera). I am reacquainting myself with the Nikon way of doing things. It was also taken in Program at 68mm equivalent with macro engaged, ISO 100 @ f4.1 @ 1/1000th, -1 EV.
And finally here is a shot with my iPhone SE2020, the Moment thin case, and the Sirui 18mm ultra-wide lens. Standard Camera app on Auto. I really like the “in context” effect of the ultra-wide perspective.
Ovenbird
Ovenbird: Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, Wells, Maine, USA — I was almost back to the car when this tiny bird hopped across the path and then proceeded to walk up and down a long dead tree trunk among the leaves and dense brush. I did a lot of very quiet scurrying myself, trying to find a clear view of the moving bird, and managed this one shot. I have seen them closer and more in the open at Magee Marsh in Ohio, but this is the best sighting I have had in Maine. 🙂 It really takes a camera as agile as the Sony Rx10iv to capture a bird in this kind of situation. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos. ISO 800 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Purple Finch. Superzoom.
Purple Finch: Kennebunk, Maine, USA — Nikon B700. I bought a back-up camera last week…and a camera smaller and lighter for taking on my trike when I don’t want to pack my Sony Rx10iv. I found that, while it is very hard to find from US dealers, there seems to a flow of “used, like new” Nikon Coolpix B700s coming out of Japan via Ebay. The B700 was the last upgrade Nikon made to their 60x zoom bridge camera. Basically a P610 with the sensor upgraded to 20mp, and 4K video added. I owned the P610, but gave it away when I got my Sonys. I kept the P900, but that is too big for a back-up camera. I don’t know what I was thinking 🙂 Anyway, I am putting the B700 through its paces, exploring its strengths and limitations. The image quality will never match the Rx10iv, but the longer zoom is nice to have (1400mm equivalent vs 600mm on the Sony). This is a full frame shot in not great light from yesterday afternoon. I really enjoy Purple Finches. 🙂 Nikon B700 at 1440mm equivalent. Shutter mode at 1/500th. Auto everything else. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos. One thing I miss from the Sony already is the ability to pre-set a higher minimum shutter speed in Program without resorting to a fixed shutter speed in Shutter 🙁 But then all cameras have their limits.
fledgling Eastern Bluebird
Eastern Bluebird fledgling: Kennebunk, Maine, USA — It is hard to believe that it is that time of year, but I saw our pair of Eastern Bluebirds feeding fledglings on our deck and at the feeding station out by my photo blind yesterday already. Bluebirds do at least two broods a year, so this is their first nest…they fledged two. The fledglings will often “park” themselves near our feeders while the adults go out to forage, and the adults do take mealworms from the feeders when they return, even if they have other food for the young. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos. ISO 400 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (male)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak: Kennebunk, Maine, USA — We were privileged to have a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak with us for the day yesterday. Carol saw it first and called me to come early in the morning, and it returned to both the feeding station on the deck and the one under the pines where I have my photo blind, every hour or so all day, coming for more sunflower seeds. I put some out on the deck rail, since, unlike the female, he did not seem to like the feeders. By the look of his plumage, he is not a full adult…perhaps just coming into his second year. He still does not have the glossy black of the adult male but he certainly has the full bright red bib. He was remarkably trusting. I took my first photos through the glass of the deck door, but several times I was able to slide the door open far enough for unobstructed photos. The deck rail is only about 8 feet from the door. Such a handsome bird! 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.
insistent Pine Siskins
Pine Siskin: Kennebunk, Maine, USA — The past few days I have seen a female Pine Siskin hanging out with our flock of Goldfinches. Yesterday a pair of them were actively dominating the flock…demanding first serve at the feeder, and generally making a nuisance of themselves. I had no idea they were so much more aggressive than Goldfinches. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos. ISO 400 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Female Rose-breasted Grosbeak at the feeder
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (female): Kennebunk, Maine, USA — I was passing the deck door where we have feeders out when this female Rose-breasted Grosbeak landed on the sunflower dispenser and settled in for a good chow-down. Carol even got to see it. Her response was “that’s a big bird!”and it certainly is, compared even to the Purple Finches that use that feeder. I debated running for the camera, thinking it would certainly fly off while I was gone, but it was still there when I got back. I got shots through the double-glazed glass of the door and then slowly slid the door back enough to get my camera lens through. It was so busy cracking sunflower seeds that it let me take a whole series of photos from about 7 feet. This shot is just cropped slightly at the left to eliminate a feeder pole, but is essentially full frame at 600mm equivalent. Does not get better than that! (Unless of course you could find the bird at the same distance on a natural perch.) It is amazing to me how the Grosbeak deals with sunflower seeds. It simply demolishes the shell with a single crunch. The shell falls away on either side of the beak and it then eats the kernel. Easy when you have the beak for it. The smaller finches have to work the shell, and the chickadees and nuthatches have to pound it open. I suspect, from the shell mess under the feeder, that the Grosbeak has been visiting our feeder over the past week or so when we were not watching. 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.
Pine Warbler singing
Pine Warbler: Kennebunk Plains Wildlife Management Area, West Kennebunk, Maine, USA — Last year we had a Pine Warbler coming to the suet by my backyard photo blind for several weeks. I even have shots of it singing in the branches of the pines over the feeders. This year, at least so far, I have only had a glimpse of one on the suit on our deck. Maybe I have just missed other visits, or maybe our bird has not returned yet. I found this one in full song, responding to another singing warbler further off, on the Kennebunk Plains Wildlife Management Area, along the shore of Day Brook Pond. Both shots have an out of focus branch across the face of the bird, but that is the way it goes when shooting birds in their natural setting. I am always amazed at just how much obstruction you can focus out with a camera…and at the camera’s ability to auto focus through such obstructions. The Pine Warbler’s long high trill is a treat to hear and this bird was not holding back. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent (cropped for greater image scale). Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos. I used the selective luminance tool in Polarr to bring up the shadows in this somewhat back-lighted bird. ISO 100 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Grey Catbird
Grey Catbird: Kennebunk, Maine, USA — Another bird that has been a rare visitor to our yard until this year, is the Grey Catbird. This one came very close while I was in my backyard photo blind waiting for the Eastern Towhee to come out of the deep brush under the feeders. We have two Catbirds this year, and, as well as the spilled seed under the feeders by my photo blind, they seem to like to forage for spilled seed in pansy planter on our deck rail. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos. ISO 1250 @ f4 @ 1/500th. +.3 EV exposure compensation.
Eastern Towhee
Eastern Towhee: Kennebunk, Maine, USA — When I was out filling the bird feeders by my backyard photo blind yesterday morning, I heard an unfamiliar “chink and titter” call. I simply could not place it, but I knew it could be an interesting bird. Later I took a look out the deck doors in the kitchen, just to see what was out under the trees, and saw the leaves hopping up and down as only a Towhee can hop them. Got my binoculars and sure enough it was an Eastern Towhee…a first for our yard. I had been fooled because our bird was singing the “dink, ic,ic,ic,ic,ic,ic” variation of the song rather than the more familiar “drink yur tea tea tea tea tea” version. I went out with my camera, but if you know Towhees you know how hard they are to photograph when feeding in dense cover and heavily leaves. Most of the time they are well buried. He did hop up on the fence and sing once…this time his traditional tea song, but he was still obscured by the brush in the corner of our yard. I saw it again, mostly still buried in brush, several times during the day, so, late in the afternoon I set the blind out and sat there for an hour waiting on the bird to show itself. I have, as you might predict, a great many photos of pieces of Towhee, and an equal number of shots of focused foliage and brush and unfocused bird. I even played his song for him, hoping to strike a competitive streak and inspire him to hop up somewhere and sing. He was not having any of my tom-fool-ery. Eventually I did get some photos I was happy with…if not the full frame, full body, field guide quality shot I might have wanted. 🙂 I am hoping he will attract a mate and that they nest in neighborhood…but I am happy just to have had one in the yard. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos. ISO 2000 @ f4 @ 1/500th. +.3 EV exposure compensation. The high ISO called for some extra processing in Polarr.