Carolina Wren: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, December 2025 — It might have been over 20 years ago now when I heard the first reports of Carolina Wren on the local Christmas Bird Count, from a home down by the ocean. It was another 7 or 8 years before they began to show up in our yard, and began nesting in the neighborhood, completely displacing the House Wrens we already had. And now they are with us all year, coming even in the snow. We see them once a week or so, but then we have to be looking at the right time and I suspect they are around every day, checking for spilled seed (and especially suet) on the deck when we are not looking. Sony a6700. Sigma 15-300 at 450mm equivalent field of view. Program with bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.

Eastern Bluebird: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, December 2025 — yet another bird tongue…this time the Eastern Bluebird. Not nearly as fleshy as the chickadee’s…more like the woodpeckers’. I am ready to put forth a theory, based on my limited observations so far, and on intuition. The more complex and melodious the song, the more supple and fleshy the tongue. I plan to continue my study to test the theory. (I could probably just submit it to AI and get the answer in a moment…but where is the fun in that?) Sony a6700. Sigma 16-300 at 450mm equivalent field of view. Program mode with bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator. Taken through double glazed windows.

Black-capped Chickadee: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, December 2025 — I am enjoying what has apparently turned into my “bird tongue” project. It is one thing to continue to photograph the feeder birds through the back deck door, and I will always enjoy that, but trying to catch them with their tongues out adds a bit of spice. This Chickadee is showing a tongue that looks a bit more fleshly than the woodpecker tongues. Appearances can be deceiving as they say, so I will not put much stock in that, but it certainly looks more flexible and forgiving. Perhaps it has to do with the ability to sing a melodious song. Sony a6700. Sigma 16-300 at 450mm equivalent field of view. Program with bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.

Downy Woodpecker: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, December 2025 — One more bird tongue…this time a Downy Woodpecker. Notice how much longer this tongue is, in relationship to the beak, than the tongues of the other birds I have posted. This was taken just this morning in a light snow storm, through the back deck double glazed doors. Sony a6700. Sigma 16-300 at 450mm equivalent field of view. Program with bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.

White-breasted Nuthatch: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, December 2025 — Maybe the start of a theme? In this shot you have another rare sighting of a bird’s tongue…this time a nuthatch. It also appears thin and sharp, not much like our soft fleshy mouthfuls, though much smaller and shorter than the tongue of the Red-bellied Woodpecker from a few days ago. Sony a6700. Sigma 16-300 at 450mm field of view. Taken through a double-glazed deck door. Program mode with bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.

European Starling and Eastern Bluebird: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, December 2025 — One of the Kennebunk flock of Starlings has apparently attached itself to our family of Bluebirds. It is often at the feeders with them. Fortunately it is quite sensitive to my disapproval and flies off if I appear at the deck door…while the bluebirds (confident in my approval) remain. (And how’s that for anthropomorphism?) Unfortunately I cannot bring myself to welcome the starling to our little circle of bird friends…mainly because it can eat its body weight in mealworms at one sitting, not leaving any for the bluebirds and titmice, and chickadees (or the woodpeckers for that matter). Sony a6700. Sigma 16-300 at 450mm equivalent field of view. Program with birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator. Taken through double-glazed deck doors.

Red-bellied Woodpecker: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, December 2025 — I caught the Red-bellied Woodpecker for the first time yesterday on the mealworm feeder. It may have been using it all along, and I just missed it, but it might have been its first attempt. Maybe it saw the Hairy using the same technique and thought to give it a try. I got a few shots of the awkward pose through the double glazed deck door, but this one shows the woodpecker’s tongue…something we do not often see. Sony a6700. Sigma 16-300 at 450mm equivalent field of view. Program mode with bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.

Tufted Titmouse: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, December 2025 — I aways wonder if our feeder birds actually get any energy benefit from the sunflower seeds we put out for them. They spend, it seems, a lot of energy opening each seed one at a time to get the kernel out. Still, I figure they must know what is best for them, and they keep taking sunflower seeds. Of course they could just be sunflower addicts. That would not be good and I would not feel good about enabling them. I bet someone has studied this. I should look it up. The Tufted Titmice and Chickadees are the most obvious about this…coming repeatedly to the feeder to take a single seed and fly off to a perch to dissect it. Sony a6700. Sigma 16-300 at 450mm equivalent field of view. Program with birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.

Black-capped Chickadee: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, December 2025 — The chickadees have developed a taste for mealworms…not surprising I suppose…most of our deck birds take a mealworm when they can get one, either scattered on the deck from filling the feeder or at the feeder itself. Yummy stuff! And I don’t begrudge them, as long as the leave enough for the bluebirds. Sony a6700. Sigma 16-300 at 450mm equivalent. Program mode with bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.

Hairy Woodpecker: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, December 2025 — This Hairy Woodpecker has absolutely no fear of me. It came into this perch on the back deck while I was standing 15 feet from the base of the deck, and moved from here to the suet feeder which is a foot closer. It was not that it was not aware of me…it just did not care. 🙂 Sony a6700. Sigma 16-300 at 450mm equivalent. Program mode with birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.