Monthly Archives: March 2024
Costa Rica! Talamanca Hummer
Talamanca Hummingbird: Miriam’s Quetzals, San Geraldo de Dota, Costa Rica, December 2024 — The problem at Miriam’s is not that the Talamanca Hummingbirds are too far away…it is that they are too close. They were literally buzzing around our heads and often landed behind us under the eaves at the back of the deck. The Talamanca is among the largest hummingbirds in Central America and used to be called the Magnificent Hummingbird, before the species was split and the Central American birds were renamed after the mountain range where they dwell in Southern Costa Rica and Northern Panama. I had my OM System OM-1 on my birds-in-flight program but the 1/1600th of a second was still not fast enough to completely still the wings at this close distance. 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. -0.3 EV. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Red-tailed in flight
Red-tailed Hawk: York County, Maine, USA, March 2024 — You just never know what is in store when you go out with your camera. On a grey, overcast day, between rain storms, I decided to take a short hike along one of my favorite paths down through the marshes along our local river near the coast, and walked right up under this Red-tailed Hawk hunting the edge of the marsh. It was an unusually high tide and the rising water was moving a lot of moles, voles, and mice. The hawk was so intent about its business that it paid little attention to me, and I got to watch it as moved from perch to perch along the forest edge and took sorties out over the marsh. OM System OM-1Mkii with 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator and Apple Photos.
Florida! Strike one
Little Blue Heron: Blackpoint Wildlife Drive, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville, Florida, USA, January 2024 — This is a particularly “reddish” looking Little Blue, and if not for the beak color might be mistaken for a Reddish Egret. While both Reddish and Little Blue are fearsome hunters, both miss more often than they hit…swing and a miss for a strike…and are left looking at the expanding ripples. OM System OM-1 with 100-400IS zoom at 200mm equivalent (this bird was close!). Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! A second helping of waxwing
Cedar Waxwing: York County, Maine, USA, March 2024 — Apparently, if you can go by the number of images of Cedar Waxwings in Maine posted yesterday on Facebook, the Cedar Waxwing hordes have suddenly overwhelmed the state…or maybe it was just that Friday was a sunny day and the Crabapple berries are finally sweet, and the Waxwings were out everywhere. I, myself, have hundreds (well dozens) of different Waxwing poses from my two encounters on Friday. I like this one because the bird is making itself fat. Seconds later it stretched to its full length and reassumed its elegant posture. It is also one of the few shots I got where the wax on the wing is showing…if only just. OM System OM-1Mkii with 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Costa Rica! Flame
Flame-colored Tanager: Miriam’s Quetzals, San Geraldo de Dota, Costa Rica, December 2023 — Someone in the comments on my recent Acron Woodpecker post, images taken at Miriam’s Quetzals in San Geraldo de Dota, sang the praises of the Flame-colored Tanager…a common bird at the feeders at Miriam’s. One of the brighter of the mountain birds of Central America (and that is saying quite a bit considering the competition), the male and female, while different shades of flame, are both brilliant. These shots, both on the same perch in the partial shade, show off the colors. OM System OM-1 with 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Waxwings!
Cedar Waxwing: York County, Maine, USA, March 2024 — I have been looking for the flock of Cedar Waxwings that generally winters in town for months now, and while I have seen a few birds here and there with the Robin flock, yesterday was my first good Waxwing encounter of the season. And not once, but twice. Being birds, and prone to flight, I cannot say for sure that I did not see the same flock in two different locations, but I do know that I had two close encounters with 8-10 feeding waxwings. This shot is from the second when a few decided to pick off the last of the red berries on a tree in a yard right by the sidewalk. Great light. Great birds. Red berries. Nice background. What more could any photographer ask? (And I only had this second encounter because I decided to treat myself to a scone before walking home.) OM System OM-1Mkii with 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Florida! Immature White Ibis
White Ibis: Blackpoint Wildlife Drive, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville, Florida, USA, January 2024 — Certainly one of the oddest looking birds in all bird-kind, at least to my eye. It will come into its pure white plumage in good time, but this is the awkward stage we all go through. OM System OM-1 with 100-400IS zoom at 628mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Red-tail
Red-tailed Hawk: York County, Maine, USA, March 2024 — Out for a walk around the neighborhood between rain showers the other day, I saw this hawk come into a tall pine above a marshy area between two streets. It was a long way off still but it stayed until I worked my way closer…not close enough…this is a heavy crop from a shot at 800mm equivalent…but close enough to admire the subtle colors of the plumage in the diffuse light, and to catch it calling. OM System OM-1Mkii with 100-400IS zoom. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Costa Rica! Acorn at Miriam’s
Acorn Woodpecker: Miriam’s Quetzals, San Geraldo de Dota, Costa Rica, December 2023 — We drove up to the top of Buena Vista Mountain as it is named on the maps, or Cerro de la Muerte as it is commonly known, but the mountain top was shrouded in dense fog, hiding the vistas, so we returned to Savegre for a morning of photographing silky water in the stream below the hotel. Then for lunch we drove back up to Miriam’s Quetzals, a small family owned restaurant/coffee shop/gift shop half way back up to the Panam highway, perched on the side of the Savegre canyon, with a wonderful deck and feeding station which draws all the common birds at its cloud forest elevation, approaching 9000 feet. In the year since my last visit they have improved and enlarged the deck and it is an even better perch for photographing birds. Acorn Woodpeckers are among the dominant species, and though we can see them in the Western US, they are always a treat to see in the mountains of Costa Rica. The deck at Miriam’s provides close up views. OM System OM-1 with 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Don’t get your tail in a twist
Eastern Grey Squirrel, Mousam River Reserve, Kennebunk, Maine, USA, March 2024 — The squirrels were very active on one of the first moderately warm days of spring, everywhere I went yesterday. And feisty…even for feisty squirrels. This one was doing the whole “You shall not pass!” thing from the Lord of the Rings…his tail whipping around behind him like Gandalf’s cloak. I took a burst of shots hoping to catch the tail in an interesting position. 🙂 OM System OM-1Mkii with 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.