Maine! Trillium
It is Painted Trillium season in southern Maine, but, at least in my experience, they are becoming hard to find. I used to know of several patches, but it is down to one now. If anyone knows of any accessible spots where I could respectfully photograph them I would appreciate it. This is a program mode focus stacked image at 1600mm equivalent (1x) using the digital tele-converter in the OM System OM-1Mkii and the M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom, taken from about 4 feet. The remaining flowers I know of are quite small for Painted Trillium, and seem to be getting smaller year to year. ??
Biggest Week in American Birding! Song too big for the frame
Yellow Warbler: Estuary Trail, Crane Creek State Park/Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, Oak Harbor, Ohio, USA, May 2024 — The frame cannot really contain the song. Yellow Warblers, of course, were everywhere at Magee, on and off the boardwalk…singing somewhere nearby just about whenever you stopped to listen. They are nesting birds at the marsh and well into the cycle. This one was along the trail that loops around the back of the marsh on the far side of the channel from the boardwalk. Singing away! OM System OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Florida! Fisher king
Belted Kingfisher: Blackpoint Wildlife Drive, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville, Florida, USA, January 2024 — I am always happy to find a Kingfisher, as they are, as a family, among my favorite birds. The Belted Kingfishers of Florida, however, are not easy to photograph. They tend to be very “flighty” and will not sit still for a photo. This was taken from the open window of the car, across the front seat and out the passenger window, from too far away, using the 2x digital tele-converter in the OM-1. Still it is a Kingfisher! An adult male. OM System OM-1 with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 1600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Florida! Purple
Purple Gallinule: Orlando Wetlands Park, Christmas, Florida, USA, January 2024 — Certainly one of the primary target birds at Orlando Wetlands is the Purple Gallinule. I had to walk a long way to find one. 🙂 Worth it though. Check out that foot! It enables the bird to walk on the lily pads without sinking them as it hunts. OM System OM-1 with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Biggest Week in American Birding! Cross purposes
Barn Swallows: Howard Marsh, Beno, Ohio, USA, May 2024 — There is more to the Biggest Week in American Birding than Magee Marsh of course. This is from Howard Marsh, a metro-park development half way between Maumee Bay and Magee. Howard Marsh is always worth a visit while in the area. These two Barn Swallows were working on plumage on the same little twig. OM System OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Guard duty
Willet: York County, Maine, USA, May 2024 — This might be a pair of Willets, with the male standing guard as the female feed in grasses below. Or the other way around. 🙂 OM System OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Common Yellowthroat
Common Yellowthroat: Magee Marsh Boardwalk, Oak Harbor, Ohio, USA, May 2024 and Orlando Wetlands, Christmas, Florida, USA, January 2024 — They call it the Common Yellowthroat because it is just that…common. These two shots were taken over a 1000 miles and 5 months apart. It is still a Yellowthroat wherever you find it. 🙂 OM System OM-1 and OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! More Tree Swallow action
Tree Swallow: York County, Maine, USA, May 2024 — A little more Tree Swallow action from the marsh. Such pretty, elegant, little birds. I would like to say that I worked hard to catch this exact moment and used the ProCapture feature of the camera to help…but I didn’t. It was a happy accident, such as happens to all bird photographers from time to time. 🙂 Especially with birds as active as Tree Swallows. OM System OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds in flight and action mode (okay, that much forethought went into it…I did know action was likely to happen). Processed in Photomator.
Biggest Week in American Birding! All kinds of funky blackbird
Red-winged Blackbird: Magee Marsh Boardwalk, Oak Harbor, Ohio, USA, May 2024 — One of the changes since the big blow-down at Magee Marsh is an exponential increase in the number of Red-winged Blackbirds using the area…or at least that is the way it seems to me. RWBB were everywhere…very visible, very vocal…and I suspect competing heavily for the same food sources as the warblers. Now, I like Red-winged Blackbirds, but if they are disrupting the flow of warblers through the marsh I am not sure that is a good thing. Anyway, I do enjoy their attitude, and the large numbers meant that there was always some territorial display going on. OM System OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Ownership dispute
Tree Swallows: York County, Maine, USA, May 2024 — So who owns this Bluebird box anyway? These two Tree Swallows are ready to fight over it…but in the end the Bluebirds are likely to claim it…they did last year. 🙂 Interestingly there were a group of at least a dozen Tree Swallows around the tidal stream when I went out…and none at all when I came back. They do nest somewhere in area. I will see the young on the rail of the bridge before long. OM System 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 and assembled in FrameMagic.
