Monthly Archives: October 2021
Turkey!
Wild Turkey: Kennebunk, Maine, USA — We had to go to Kennebunkport on an errand yesterday about noon, and saw these two tom turkeys (you can tell by the well developed breast beards) feeding by what will be the new headquarters of the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge when they get around to renovating the existing buildings. The Wildlife Refuge bought (or perhaps was given) a large stone mansion and extensive grounds that already occupied an enclave in Refuge lands just down the street from us. I was not thinking about the turkeys when I decided to take a walk down that way…just out for exercise and maybe a bit of fall color on what was turning out to be an increasingly overcast day…but they were still there, now well out in the lawn, slowly trolling for bugs in the grass. And who can resist a turkey shot when it is on offer? There is not much color on a turkey, but the richness of the feather pattern and the variety of textures in the plumage always strikes me as quite beautiful. Sony Rx10iv. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. 517mm equivalent and ISO 400. 534mm equivalent and ISO 500. Both at f4 and 1/500th. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos. Assembled in FrameMagic.
Again with the chickadees…
Black-capped Chickadee: Kennebunk, Maine, USA — Endlessly entertaining. And this set of shots is distinguished by the out of focus highlights in the background. I could not have set this up if I had tried. Sometimes good things just happen. The chickadee has taken a dried mealworm from the Bluebird feeder, and flown to one of the perches we provide to dispatch it. And, I must say, with a great deal of enjoyment…apparently. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm from the open door onto our deck. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos and assembled in FrameMagic. ISO 800 @ f4 @ 1/1000th.
Flag of fall…
Just above eye-level in forest along the stream above Day Brook Pond on the Kennebunk Plains, where the trees are slowly turning in our frostless fall, this small shoot on the trunk of a large maple, caught by the sun behind it, appears as the flag of the fall that is still coming…the banner of autumn. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Apple Photos. ISO 160 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Nuthatch anyone?
White-breasted Nuthatch: Kennebunk, Maine, USA — No bird is more faithful at our feeders, year in, year out, than the White-breasted Nuthatch, with the obvious exception of the chickadees. And they are almost as expressive as the chickadees…striking poses as they forage and visit the feeders. These shots were taken from the open door leading out to our deck. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Apple Photos. Assembled in FrameMagic. ISO 400 @ f4 @ 1/1000th.
Great! Egret
Great Egret: Kennebunk, Maine, USA — I almost rode right by this Great Egret feeding in the marsh along the access road to our local beach. I was at the end of my eTrike ride, headed for home, just checking the marsh for anything spectacular. So I guess it is safe to say I did not consider the Great Egret, well out in the marsh, spectacular. 🙂 Still, my theory is that if you do not take the easy shots when they are on offer, you might not get the chance of the “special” shots when they happen. And, with a bit of post processing magic to bring the Egret in closer, I managed satisfying, if not spectacular. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr, then enlarged in Pixelmator Pro Photo and recropped for the equivalent of at least a 2000mm field of view. Finished off in Apple Photos. ISO 100 @ f4 @ 1/800th. Assembled in FrameMagic.
Fall coming on nicely!
We had our first sunny day…or at least a few sunny hours, yesterday and I got out on my eTrike for photoprowl, to see how fall is coming along. It has been kind of stuttering after an early start. No worries. At least in the likely spots it is coming along fine. 🙂 This is one of two little ponds right next to Rt. 9 between Brown Street and the Wells Town line. I photograph it in all seasons, but fall is certainly the most striking. I got down just about at ground level with my iPhone and the Sirui 18mm ultra-wide lens. The sky was bright but the foreground was in cloud shadow already. Really an attractive combination that does well with the fall color. Apple Camera app with Smart HDR engaged. Processed in Apple Photos.
Hard not to love a chickadee :)
Black-capped Chickadee: Kennebunk, Maine, USA — The title says it all. It is indeed hard not to love a chickadee. They are so sprightly, and so bold. When all the other birds are being shy they are right there wherever you are, in close…often within your space. I have had them land on the feeder while I was filling it…and of course there are a gazillion photos of them sitting on people’s hands. And they have so much attitude! These shots are from a few moments before I headed out for a rainy day walk yesterday, when I pulled up a chair and sat in the open door leading out to our deck and the feeding station. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos and assembled in FrameMagic. ISO 2500 @ f4 @ 1/1000th.
More fascinating fungi from the pond edge
I found all of these mushrooms growing within 20 feet of Day Brook Pond in the sands of the Kennebunk Plains. I continue to be amazed at the numbers and variety of fungi I am finding this season. Top left is probably Laccaria laccata, or the “scurfy deceiver”, then possibly an Amanita, then maybe a Coltricia, and neither I or my AI assistants can come up with a likely name for the last one, but it might be some kind of “fieldcap”. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Apple Photos and assembled in FrameMagic.
Another pond of autumn…
I went out looking for a little more fall to fill my photo buffer the other day…fall seems to be still bashful here in Southern Maine…just peaking out here and there, generally near water where the cold air settles over night. This is the upper end of Day Brook Pond, often a spot for early color, but even so, not as much color as I expected the first days of October. We expect peak color by Columbus Day. We might not make it this year. 🙂 iPhone SE with Sirui 18mm ultra-wide lens. Apple Camera app with Smart HDR engaged. Processed in Apple Photos.
Frumpy Field Sparrow
Field Sparrow: Kennebunk Plains Preserve, Kennebunk, Maine, USA. — I went for a photoprowl on my eTrike yesterday, since my stock of photos or my Pic for today posts was running low, and had no more than parked the trike at the Kennebunk Plains, than this Field Sparrow hopped up to see what I was doing. It posed long enough for me to get a few portrait shots. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. In order to fill the frame at the distance, I relied on some extra processing. Processed as I normally would in Polarr for highlights and shadows, sharpness, etc. and then run through Pixelmator Pro Photo’s Machine Learning Maximum Resolution, and recropped for scale. The two shot were assembled in FrameMagic to give you a both sides view. ISO 100 @ f4 @ 1/640th.