Monthly Archives: August 2024
Maine! More Ghost Plant
Ghost Plant or Indian Pipe is in full bloom these last days of August here in Southern Maine. This stand is just off the Bridle Path in Kennebunk and is among the largest clumps I have seen and one of the healthiest. I actually went back to photography it a second. I find the range of tones from pink to pure white to be interesting. I assume it is something to do with the soil as many clumps, even nearby, were plain white. Sony a5100 with Sony E 10-18 f4 zoom at 22mm equivalent. Aperture Program mode at f10 for depth of field…and clearly the camera was just above ground level for this shot. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Greater Egret Action
Great Egrets: York County Maine, USA, August 2024 — More of the Egret action from the other day in the marsh. This time two Great Egrets, but again, disputing the fishing rights. My pool! These two actually got along okay as long as they were separated by the width or the length of pool. As soon as they close there was trouble. The wings on these birds never cease to amaze and delight me. Sony a6700 with the Tamron 50-400 Di iii zoom at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds and wildlife modifications. Highlight metering. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Merriland River
One of my favorite views at Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters, looking out over the Merriland River to its junction with the Little River and the sea beyond. Sony a5100 with Sony E 10-18mm f4 zoom at 15mm equivalent. Superior Auto with Landscape Scene mode. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Snowy action
Snowy Egrets: York County, Maine, USA, August 2024 — I found a group of more than dozen Great and Snowy Egrets feeding in the marsh quite close to a trail I use, and was able to work my way through the woods to the edge of the marsh to watch them as they actively hunted a small pool for 30 minutes or so. If I had had a chair I would have watched longer 🙂 There was a lot of interaction as they squabbled for fishing rights. As I have mentioned in recent Egret posts, these kinds of concentrations of Egrets are, I think, new to our area marshes in the past few years. Previously I would see an Egret here or there, always a special treat. The past two years they have been here in large numbers and often congregated in mixed feeding groups like the one I saw yesterday, the second half of summer and through early fall. I can’t testify to anything beyond the past 20 years, or to any other marshes in Maine (if memory serves there have always been larger numbers in the bigger marshes north of us). These two Snowys were playing dominance games. Sony a6700 with the Tamron 50-400 Di iii zoom at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Highlight metering. Processed in Photomator and framed in FrameMagic.
Maine! August afternoon at Rachel Carson
It was an intense August afternoon yesterday on the loop trail at the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge headquarters in Wells, Maine. The last of our hot days for a while with a strong front moving through and building great clouds over the ocean. Sony a5100 with Sony E 10-18 f4 at 15mm equivalent. Superior Auto with Landscape Scene Mode and brightness dialed down a bit to preserve details in the clouds. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse: York County, Maine, USA, August 2024 — I never realized just how close we are to the northern edge of the Tufted Titmouse range. They are so common in our backyard and in the forests around us. This one is “tuft challenged” or at least worn from the nesting season. Actually it is kind of disheveled looking overall. Sony a6700 with the Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC VXD zoom at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! American Lady on Blazing Star
American Lady Butterfly on Northern Blazing Star: Kennebunk Plains Nature Conservancy, Kennebunk, Maine, USA, August 2024 — Both the Monarchs and American Lady butterflies are coming through southern Maine in big numbers the past two weeks. It is not a coincidence that it is also the height of the season for blooming Blazing Star which attracts both of them. As long distance migrants both need all the energy they can get. Sony a6700 with Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC VXD zoom at 321mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Insect recognition auto focus. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Wild Hummingbird
Ruby-throated Hummingbird: York County, Maine, USA, August 2024 — Until this year I would have said that encountering Ruby-throated Hummingbirds away from any feeder, in the wild, was very rare. This summer I have had half a dozen encounters, and gotten photos in two of them. The problem with wild sightings is that, without a feeder to keep them close and coming back, you only have seconds to react…to get the camera up and get off a burst or two of shots before the hummingbird is off to find fresh flowers. And of course, around a feeder you are “primed” for hummers…ready both physically and psychologically to capture the action. Just out on a stroll, seeing what you can see, it is much more difficult to snap to focus and snap the photos. And, of course, it is a testament to how well bird recognition, eye-tracking auto focus works that any of these chance encounters result in focused images. 🙂 Sony a6700 with the Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC VXD zoom at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds and wildlife and action and flight modifications. (I switched between the two shots…so these are shots from two different bursts…on is at 1/500th and one is at 1/2000th. Can you tell which is which?) Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Contrast
Northern Blazing Star and Goldenrod, Kennebunk Plains Nature Conservancy, Kennebunk, Maine, USA — It is Blazing Star season and, though not the best year in recent memory, there is a good crop on the Kennebunk Plains. It seems a bit dry this year. It is, of course, also Goldenrod season and I always look for Blazing Star and Goldenrod growing together for the color contrast. Sony a6700 with the Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC VXD zoom at 106mm equivalent. Program mode with my macro modifications. f10 for depth of field. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Red-tail
Red-tailed Hawk: York County Maine, USA, August 2024 — An immature Red-tailed Hawk has been using this hunting perch along the edge of the marsh a half mile from the river mouth off and on all spring and summer, but this is an adult on the same perch. Sony a6700 with Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC VXD zoom at 1200mm equivalent (2x Clear Image Zoom). Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.