The beach roses are just beginning to bloom here in Kennebunk, Maine, USA—and though they are invasive and problematic in some places, they are certainly beautiful. And this little green bee thinks so too. Sony a6700. Sigma 16-300 Contemporary at 318mm equivalent field of view. Aperture program with my macro modifications. f/10 for depth of field. Processed in Photomator with my macro preset.

Least Tern: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, May 2026 — The same Least Tern in two different aspects with what is probably a Sand Lance (or eel) on its way to try to attract a mate. Sand Lance is a better name since it is a small fish, not an eel at all, but they are commonly called Sand Eels, and, along with juvenile herrings (which look very much the same), are the favored foods of Least Terns here in Southern Maine. The two frames used to put this sequential shot together were taken at 5 frames per second. Sony a6700. Sigma 16-300 Contemporary at 450mm equivalent field of view (cropped to something like 800mm eq.fov). Program with birds in flight and action modifications. Processed in Photomator and assembled in Pixomatic.

Purple Finch: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, May 2026 — This is not the season when we see Purple Finches at our feeders, so I was mildly surprised—and quite delighted—to see a whole little flock of them in the scruffy pines along the marsh trail. They moved ahead of me until they reached the open area of beach rose and flowering bushes, and then circled around me back to the pines—but not before I got a few shots of them. This one had this interesting ruff of fine breast feathers on both sides under the wings. Maybe a molt pattern? Sony a6700. Sigma 16-300 at about 500mm equivalent field of view. Program with bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.

Blackburnian Warbler: Magee Marsh Boardwalk, Oak Harbor, Ohio, USA, May 2026 — One of my favorite warblers, this Blackburnian posed in a little window in the foliage right beside the boardwalk just long enough for me to get off a burst of exposures at 5 frames per second. He seemed intent on showing me his best side, but, of course, he was actually looking for bugs and spiders on the underside of the leaves. Sony a6700. Sigma 16-300 Contemporary. Program with bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.

Bobolink: York County, Maine, USA, May 2026 — It is bobolink season here in Southern Maine—or I should say the season when the males are up and singing and highly visible. Bobolinks have among the longest migrations of any North American birds, breeding mostly either side of the US-Canada border from coast to coast (with highest densities in the northern Great Plains and the plains of central Canada) and wintering in the pampas of South America—in Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. They need expansive areas of unbroken mixed grasslands and huge meadows. Here in Maine, they are pretty much restricted to hay fields, and their breeding success is determined by when the hay is harvested. Clearly, they have more success on land that is managed for them—on refuges and reserves—but this population takes their chances each year in the fields of a working farm. While the Bobolink is in the same family as blackbirds, it is the only species in its genus, as its totally unique looks might suggest. I am always happy to find them singing from the tops of the tall saplings along the road and doing their flight displays over the fields when I pass on my eTrike. And of course, it is their bubbling liquid song that gives them their name. Sony a6700. Sigma 16-300 Contemporary at about 800mm equivalent field of view crop. Program with bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.

Raccoons: Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, Ohio, USA, May 2026 — No trip to Ohio for the Biggest Week in American Birding is complete without a selection of the “other” wildlife of the Erie Shore. This year we had this raccoon family nesting in a big dead tree along the Estuary Trail and showing well on my second walk out that way with my Point’nShoot for Warblers class. And I saw many turtles, 2 different deer, and several snakes. Not just warblers, and not even just birds. 🙂 Sony a6700. Sigma 16-300 Contemporary at about 800mm equivalent crop. Program with bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.

Magnolia Warbler: Magee Marsh Boardwalk, Oak Harbor, Ohio, USA, May 2026 — Because the foliage was so thick this year, I have lots of photos of pieces of warblers. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t. The Magnolia Warbler was right at the minimum focus of the Sigma lens at 450mm equivalent field of view, so these are full-frame shots only cropped for composition. I literally could have reached out and touched this bird. 🙂 Sony a6700. Sigma 16-300 Contemporary as above. Program with bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.

Cedar Waxwings: Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve, Wells, Maine, USA, May 2026 — I searched for Cedar Waxwings all winter in our ornamental cherry and crab apple trees here in town—without success—but found a flock of at least 15 yesterday, enjoying the hawthorn flowers—or the bugs that live in them—along the boardwalk through the wet maple swamp at Laudholm. They were a bit far—the hawthorn was unusually tall—but they provided a half hour of delight, before they moved on to other flowering trees in the forest. Sony a6700. Sigma 16-300 Contemporary at about 7-800mm equivalent field of view (cropped). Program with birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.

Painted Trillium: Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, Wells, Maine, USA, May 2026 — Another favorite wildflower of May in Southern Maine. This year seems to be a good year at Rachel Carson for Trillium, after several years with very few flowers. Not that they are abundant, just a few more this year. Sony a6700. Sigma 16-300 Contemporary at 450mm equivalent field of view. Aperture program with macro modifications. f/18. Processed in Photomator.

Lady Slipper Orchids: Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, Wells, Maine, USA, May 2026 — I honestly did not expect the Lady Slipper Orchids to be in bloom yet, after our cold, wet spring, but I thought I should check. Good thing I did! And it looks like it might be a good year for them. I always feel obliged to remind folks that you should not try to dig up and transplant Lady Slippers to your yard (and of course, you should not pick them). They depend on a partnership with a specific family of fungi for both germination (their seeds lack any energy store of their own) and throughout their lives for their supply of minerals. This fungi is only found around the roots of certain trees in the forest and will not be in your yard. Interestingly, they also “cheat” the bees that pollinate them, providing no nectar. The big, bright, fleshy bulb is basically a bee trap, and the bees pollinate the flowers as they try to escape. Who knew? Sony a6700. Sigma 16-300mm contemporary at 99 and 48mm equivalents. Aperture program with macro modifications (f18 for depth of field. Tripod mandatory!) Processed in Photomator and bokeh adjusted in Laminar Neo.