Sometimes You Gotta Be Patient...

This robin picture was not just a point and shoot photo, it took over a week of preparation to get it. It involved a dummy tripod with a fake camera to get the birds acclimated to it. I set it up over 50 feet away from the nest on the first day then moved it a little closer each day till it was in the right position for the real camera. When I was ready to take photos I replaced the dummy tripod with the real camera and took my photos from about 35 feet away with a remote cord attached to the auto-winder. I was hidden in the bushes watching the nest with binoculars.

If things continue like they are this winter, this photo is a sight we won't see until July. There's another big storm coming this weekend, that should bring us to over 10 feet for the season so far and March can be a snowy month too. It's going to take forever to melt all of that, I guess we can look at the bright side, we'll be cross country skiing until June.

Beach Sunrise...

I took these shots a few winters ago at Popham Beach. I like going to the beach early in the morning in the winter, I have it all to myself. On this particular morning there was not another soul in sight for as far as the eye could see in both directions.

Never Ending Winter.....

Here's a shot I took a few years ago in northern Maine on a new years day. I like to get my new year off to a good start by taking photographs. This picture also appeared in a calendar the following year.

Preening Puffin....

Here's a photo I took a few years ago. It may be a popular bird with the tourists but its not an easy one to photograph because they only nest on a few islands out at sea. A boat has to be chartered in order to access them. This was taken during my films days, I'm thinking about going back now that I'm shooting 100% digital.

Along Came a Spider......

.....in the middle of February? A few years ago while walking my dog I noticed spiders crawling around on the ice. I never thought I'd see something like that in the middle of winter so I went back home and got my camera and this is one of the photos I took. Most people would've just pointed their camera down and photographed the spider from the top. I laid right down on my belly on the ice with my macro lens and took this head on shot. As it crawled toward me it got closer than my lens would focus so I just slid backward to make sure it would stay in sharp focus. As with photographing any type of wildlife, from spiders to birds, the most important thing to be in focus in the photograph are the eyes. In this picture you can actually see 7 of the 8 eyes.

More Green....

Here's a loon photo from last summer, the green is from the background trees reflecting in the water. I can't wait until the trees are green again.

Another Dab of Color.....

I've decided to take a break from posting winter photos for the rest of the week; I'm more than ready for spring. Last summer I took lots of photos of lupines, there was an area in Greene that had the most lupines in one spot that I had ever seen. This is a good example of seeing a photo within a photo. I was doing wide angle shots when I saw this beetle crawling up and down the blossom so I threw on my macro lens and took some close ups.

A Splash of Color....

I need to see some color so I went through the archives and I'm posting a couple of photos I took last spring. It'll be a while before we see any color outside. After all, we do have mud season to look forward to.

More Ice....

With the cold weather; the water flowing under this chunk of ice splashed up and created mini icicles.

Same Subject, Different Look...

These photos were taken by Sabattus River the morning after the ice storm we had the other day. I took the first photo then I got lower with the camera and pointed it up so I got just the sky as a background. I think I prefer the first photo because the sparkles created by the rising sun show up better against the darker background .

It's All About The Light.....

I took this photo last night right at sunset, the subject itself isn't all that great but the nice golden light makes it interesting.

Late Post Today......

Yesterdays ice storm kicked out my power for almost 24 hours so that's why todays post is late. This photo was taken last Saturday morning when we had the real heavy frost. Every time I had put my camera in the verticle position I lost battery power, after fiddling around a bit I was finally able to get this shot. It was the next day that it was pointed out to me that my battery pack had come loose and because of that the battery connection was broken. I learn something new every day.

Snow, Snow and More Snow.....

The photos posted on Monday were taken just before sunrise and this one taken after sunrise.

There's another snowstorm going on out there, 8 to 14 inches is expected, and even though I've been doing a lot of photography this season I'm officially sick of winter. The shoveling is getting old and the snowbanks by the driveway are so high I can't see down the road. When I pull out I listen for a horn and hope for the best. I guess we just have to deal with it and I'll get out there and get some more winter photos taken and posted here.

Sunday Snowshoeing...

I finally got to use the snowshoes on Sunday, there were a couple times earlier this winter when I should have used them but didn't; especially when I struggled through some deep snow with my camera gear.

The first photo was taken before hitting the trail, the snow storm we had the night before was heavy and wet so it stuck to the tree branches and the warm air created a fog to hang over the river. The second photo was taken on the trail. There were a few times that I got pelted in the head from the snow melting off of the tree branches above.

My new profile pic was taken on the trail on Sunday.

Never Ending Winter......

I think we had more snow last week than we did all of last winter, seems like it anyway. It snowed Friday but cleared up over night and Saturday morning was extremely cold but with no wind. I went to the river and everything was covered in a thick coating of rime ice, these two photos were taken just before the sun came up.

More Eagles...

This shot was taken at Sabattus River in Lisbon Falls last weekend. The photo is color but it was such a dreary day it looks like black and white. We've had tons of snow this week so I'm sure this area looks different now.

Here's another eagle cam link, this one is in Virginia and since the weather is warmer the eagles have already started nesting.

http://www.wvec.com/cams/eagle.html

Eagles and Ducks....

Like the blue jay shot last month, I was packed up and heading back to the vehicle when I saw this merganser fishing in the river. I put my camera on the tripod and every time it would dive under the water I jogged a little closer. I made it right up to the river bank. At one point it came up with a fish but I didn't have the lens pointed in the right direction, every time it went down I didn't know where it would come up. After it had its fish breakfast it just floated around and I was able to grab some shots.

Here's a link to a Maine bald eagle nest cam, they should be starting to work on the nest any day now. For the past two years the female has laid eggs by early March. Last year they lost the chicks because of a bad storm in April but the year before it was interesting to watch the parents raise the young until they fledged.

http://www.briloon.org/watching-wildlife/eagle-cam.php

The Melt Continues...

Just last week I was standing where that open water is in the first photo. The branch hanging over the river is where I photographed the close up of the maple buds that was posted on January 28th. The second photo is from the other side of the same tree and just a shot of the ice melting from the branches and dripping into the water.

Melting Away.....

I was able to take this photo Saturday before all of the ice melted away. I was getting dripped on from the ice melting on the branches above me while I was taking this picture.

Mini Ice Storm...

We had some freezing rain Friday night so I went out Saturday morning to get some pictures. I had to rush because once the sun came up the ice on the branches started to melt fast. By late morning the trees were almost all clear of any ice. Last week the water in front of these trees was frozen solid and I was able to walk on it, what a difference a week makes.

Going With The Flow.....

I like the way the ice contrasts with the flowing water. A slow shutter speed creates that velvet look.