Daily Archives: March 16, 2024
Maine! Not at home, at all.
House Finch: York County, Maine, USA, March 2024 — The House Finch only reached Maine in the early 1970s…it was originally a bird of the Southwest, but has slowly but surely extended its range to cover most of the US (with a strange gap in the center of the continent). Our habit of feeding birds has probably encouraged that extension, as it is among the most common feeder birds wherever it lives. I still can’t convince myself it is at home here though, though it was in Maine well before I got here. OM System OM-1Mkii with 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Costa Rica! Big foot!
Large-footed Finch: Miriam’s Quetzals, San Geraldo de Dota, Costa Rica, December 2023 — Take a look at those feet! The Large-footed Finch is aptly named (though it is not a finch at all…but a large sparrow) and a speciality of the Talamanca mountains of southern Costa Rica and Northwest Panama. Miriam’s is low for this bird. It is more commonly seen in the area on Cerro de la Muerte another 2000 feet almost straight up from Miriam’s. OM System OM-1 with 100-400IS zoom at 614 and 552mm equivalents. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.