Maine! Red again
Red Squirrel: Back deck, Kennebunk, Maine, USA, May 2024 — we had a rainy day visit from the neighborhood Red-Squirrel yesterday. Sometime it runs off as soon as I open the back deck door to take its photo, but sometimes it is bold as brass and just dares me to do something about it. It spent a good hour, coming and going on the deck, and I got the door open far enough for photos a couple of times. Once I had to shoo it off when it was in danger of coming inside. 🙂 OM System OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 246mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications (no need to switch to animal for a squirrel :). Processed in Photomator.
Biggest Week in American Birding: singing loud
House Wren: Estuary Trail, Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, Oak Harbor, Ohio, USA, May 2024 — I took my first group of Point and Shoot for Warblers group out the beginning of the trail around the back of the marsh, on the other side of the channel from the boardwalk. We did not see a lot of warblers…just enough to practice on…but we had a couple of good wrens singing. A bit far away, and not quite out in the open, but still good. Gotta love the wren attitude. OM System OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent (pretty severe crop). Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
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.
