Maine! Pitcher Plant
Pitcher Plant: Coastal Maine Botanical Garden, Boothbay, Maine, USA, May 2024 — Carol and I took advantage of the Maine resident open days this weekend (free tickets) to visit the Coastal Maine Botanical Garden 2 hours north of us in Boothbay. It was a lovely day, and we have never been there this early in the season. Pitcher Plants are one of my favorite plants, just because they are so bizarre, and they always grow in the tiny and carefully maintained bog at the end of the pool at the Alfond Children’s Garden. Both these shots are in Program mode with in-camera focus stacking, with the OM System OM-1 and M.Zuiko 12-45 f4 Pro zoom at 90mm equivalent and at 72mm equivalent. In the past it has been a challenge to get both the flower stalk and the pitchers themselves in focus at the same time. but hand-held focus stacking makes it easy. I always have mixed feelings about photographing plants in gardens…it is kind of like photographing wildlife in zoos…but I am not going to pass up a chance for a good photo of the Pitcher Plant. 🙂 I might get out to Saco Heath this week, our closest remnant bog, to see if I can find some in the wild.
Biggest Week in American Birding! Eye to Eye
Blackburnian Warbler: Magee Marsh Boardwalk, Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, Oak Harbor, Ohio, USA, May 2024 — The pattern on the top of the Blackburnian’s head is rarely seen, as this warbler is almost always well above eye-level. Here it tipped its head to get a good look at me, or maybe at its own reflection in my lens (or maybe it was not looking at me at all and I just happened to be in line with some insect it was after). OM System OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 776mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Least Tern on the beach
Least Tern: York County, Maine, USA, May 2024 — As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, the Least Terns are staking out nesting areas on our local beaches…mostly behind the protected area ropes. This one decided to pick a spot beyond the protected area and the Fish and Wildlife folks were there moving the ropes to include the potential nest site. A Tern on the sand is quite a different bird than a tern in the air. These guys were made to fly. This shot is from quite a distance, at 1600mm equivalent, using the OM-1Mkii’s built in digital tele-converted, the M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom, and cropped at that. You can see the effects of the heat shimmer over the sand in the sun. Program mode with my custom birds in flight and action modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Close Encounter?
Least Tern: York County, Maine, USA, May 2024 — Though the Atlantic population of Least Tern is not Federally endangered, the Least Tern is on the Endangered Species list in Maine, and known nesting sites are monitored and protected. If you frequent a beach where Least Terns nest, you will see the signs and roped off areas. Please respect them. On Maine’s well developed coast there is not a lot of habitat left to them. Least Terns are acrobatic flyers and aggressive defenders of their nest sites. If you get too close they will let you know by buzzing you repeatedly until you move on. I happened to be on a beach when the folks from Fish and Wildlife were repositioning the ropes and signs to protect a nest site that terns were trying to establish outside the protected area. The terns were not happy, and, of course, incapable of realizing that the work was for their benefit. I stood well back and tried to photograph the terns in flight…which, if you have ever tried, or even if you have seen Least Terns in flight, you will realize is not easy to do at the best of times. This bird, though it looks close in the cropped version, was still quite a ways from me. OM Systems OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds in flight and action modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Biggest Week in American Birding! Red-head vs Tree Swallow
Red-headed Woodpecker and Tree Swallow: Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, Oak Harbor, Ohio, USA, May 2024 — There was at at least one pair of very active Red-headed Woodpeckers, possibly more, between the Boardwalk and the parking area at Magee. I photographed this one having a dispute over the ownership of a nest cavity with a Tree Swallow (a more common occurrence than you might think) in the band of trees between the parking and the lake, one lunch time. OM System OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Fight
Willits: York County, Maine, USA, May 2024 — I walked most of a mile in to one of the more distant beaches in York County to see if there were any Piping Plover chicks yet…there were not…but while I was looking, two of the many Willits in the area took sudden exception to each other’s presence and engaged in this tumbling, jumping, wing flapping, beak snapping fight just over the beach grasses. I was not close, but I got the camera into action mode and shot a few bursts to see what I could catch. One of them flew off and sulked on the sands down by the river’s edge, but no apparent harm was done to either bird. OM Systems OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds in flight and action modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Biggest Week in American Birding! more Chestnuts
Chestnut-sided Warbler: Magee Marsh Boardwalk, Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, Oak Harbor, Ohio, USA, May 2024 — Chestnut-sided Warblers were among the most abundant warblers at Magee this year. They often are, but the lack of numbers among other species really made it stand out this year. As usual, the Chestnut-sided was also among the most photographically cooperative, feeding at and below eye-level and right next to the boardwalk, though the leaves this year made more challenging. I have lots of photos of Chestnut-sided. OM System OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Common Yellowthroat
Common Yellowthroat: York County, Maine, USA, May 2024 — Not an easy bird to photograph most of the time as it loves to stay tucked in behind the leaves or reeds. This on was at the forest edge in a wet meadow, and though I could hear it just fine, getting a line of sight that showed more than a piece of the bird was very challenging. 🙂 I went home not really convinced I had gotten anything, which is the generally the result of any encounter with the Common Yellowthroat. At least in my experience. OM System OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Biggest Week in American Birding: Blackburnian Song
Blackburnian Warbler: Magee Marsh Boardwalk, Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, Oak Harbor, Ohio, USA, May 2024 — Looking back through my photos from the Biggest Week in American Birding, I have, actually, quite a few shots of Blackburnian Warbler, one of my favorites, even though I am pretty sure I only saw 3 individuals. Here he is in full song. OM System OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator. The Blackburnian, by the way, is one of the birds due for a name change, since it was named after a person, Anna Blackburne, an English naturalist. And it is one of those birds for which I can not imagine a better name 🙁
Maine! Red-eye
Red-eyed Vireo: York County, Maine, USA, May 2024 — This is the first Red-eyed Vireo I have seen in Maine in a while. Maybe I have just not been looking in the right places. I heard it calling before it came close enough for a photo. OM System OM-1 with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
