Maine State Bird...

You gotta have quick reflexes to take a photo like this because the chickadees usually don't land for long. I miss the photograph more times than I get it.

Icy Mass...

We've had a week of bitterly cold temparatures so I took a drive to Sabattus River yesterday. With over night temps in the negative numbers and flowing water the ice really builds up on the rocks and branches. This particular overhanging rock really had a mass of icicles built up on it, the mass is about 2 and a half to three feet from top to bottom. There was so little color in the original image I converted it to black and white. I hope we get a break from the cold teperatures soon.

Typical Maine Coastal Scene...

I think I took this photo back in the late 80's or early 90's.

More Frost...

Here's another photo I took the other day. I did a couple of variations of this, one with a large apeture and one with a small apeture setting. I prefer the shallow depth of field in this shot, it brings more attention to the ice crystals on the top of the seed head.

Weather Changes Fast Around Here...

I took this photo about half an hour ago. It's hard to believe but just three days ago I was riding my motorcycle. This weekend we had a snow storm and this morning when I got up it was 12 degrees outside. Definitely not motorcycle riding weather. More snow is in the forecast later this week.

Chickadee...

This chickadee was plucking away at the cat-o-nine tail seeds and I was only able to grab a couple of shots before it flew off.
I had to go back to word verification on leaving comments because I was getting anonymous comments left with unsavory links.

Pretty in Pinks...

Here's a poster I created a few years ago. Novembers in Maine tend to be pretty drab and today it's drizzling so I wanted to post something brightly colored.

Singing Sparrow..

Here's a photo I took last June and forgot to post.

Dog Days of Summer...

We're having the hottest weather of the summer so far so I figured I'd post a "cool" photo. This is Mike's dog Bailey, while cross country skiing a winter or two ago.

Thyme Leaved Speedwell...

I took this photo last summer while I was working on my book but I never posted it on the blog. I don't know why it's called thyme leaved because the leaves are shaped more like oregano.

Mystery Flower....

This is the first new photo I've taken in over a month. Between a new job I've started, all the rain we've been having and a project I have going on (I have some chickens and I'm working on a coop for them) I haven't taken the time to photograph.

This blossom is growing in my flower garden, I planted it about 4 or 5 years ago as a rootlet but I don't remember what it is, it took this long to finally bloom.

Complimentary Colors...

Here's another bird shot I took while photographing lupines last month.

Bumbling Along.....

A bumble bee visiting the honeysuckle in my yard back in May. I took this picture right after the hummingbird sitting in the chokecherry tree.

Resting Hummer...

This hummingbird was at the feeder but when I stepped out on the deck it flew over to the choke cherry tree and waited for me to go back in.

Lupines....

Here are a couple of lupine shots, one standard and one a little more abstract.

Not Just Lupines....

I photographed lupines last week but that's not the only thing I took pictures of in the area. The bird life was crazy so I'm glad I brought my long lens with me. These are the first cedar waxwings I've ever photographed and they let me get pretty close, there was a whole flock.

Chickadee....

Here's a left over picture from back in May when I went to Sabattus River. It landed on the pine for a split second and I was only able to snap one photo.

Pretty in Pink...

I took this photo shortly after the sunrise photo from the last post. The ragged robins were in peak bloom. Like I mentioned before, I was actually headed to photograph lupines so I wasn't really dressed for trudging through a dew laden field. I had about a quarter mile walk from the road to get to the spot where I photographed the sunrise, needless to say I got soaked. I usually wear waders when I go out at dawn. By the way I did make it to the lupine patch this past Saturday morning so I'll be posting photos from that day soon.

Sabattus River Sunrise....

I took this photo last Sunday morning. I was originally headed to photograph a field of lupines and I wanted to be there at sunrise which on that particular morning was at 5 AM. It's a half hour drive to the lupine field so I left the house at 4:30 but I never made it. When I started to see the colors forming in the sky I decided to head to Sabattus River. This was the distraction I mentioned in my last post.

Dewy Daisies...

I got up early yesterday to photograph lupines but I got side tracked by something else, this is one of the photos I took. Later in the week I'll post what distracted me.

Another Hummer.....

I have at least four hummingbirds visiting the feeder. I've seen two males visiting and feeding at the same time but the two females I saw at the same time were battling. Maybe I have more visiting but they're so quick it's hard to tell any differences.

I've had some questions on how I took these photos so I'll share that info. I use my Canon 100-400mm IS zoom lens. With the multiplyer factor of my 40D, the lens zoomed all the way is the equivalent of 640mm. I also have my 550 EX flash on the camera. The first photo of the female in flight I had the camera set at the normal synch speed of 1/200th of a second, that's why the wings were blurry. The flash was set at -1 2/3 stops underexposure so the flash light wouldn't overpower the natural light. There was no flash used on the male sitting at the feeder. On today's photo I had the flash set on the high speed synch mode so I was able to set the shutter speed at a lot faster 1/1000th of a second, which helped freeze the wings a little more. The pic is a tad over exposed but it was my first attempt at high speed so I'll be out there practicing more as the summer progresses.

I have the feeder set on my deck rail which is about 30" high, I'm standing about ten feet away with the camera looking down. The soft green background is my out of focus lawn, I shoot wide open at f5.6 so that helps with keeping the background soft.

Quite The Ruby Throat...

Here's the male hummingbird grabbing a quick snack while the female isn't around, it's easy to see how they got their name. The feeder was empty the other day so I brought it in to fill it. When I brought it back out the male was hovering around looking for it. When it spotted me it came over and landed on the feeder and started drinking while I was still holding it. It was quite something to see a hummer that close.

She's a Meany....

A couple of weeks ago I noticed a hummingbird by my red tulips so I decided to put out a feeder to see if it would come to it. Within a couple of days I had a male and a female visiting. I took this photo over the weekend and it's the first time in my life I've ever tried to photograph a hummingbird. This female will come and feed then go land in a tree to keep watch. As soon as the male shows up she chases him off. I'm going to experiment with high speed flash to see if I can get some shots of the wings frozen in place, although I do like the wings being blurred in this picture.

Gray Catbirds....

I took these two photos on the afternoon before the picture of the waterfall at Sabattus River. I've had gray catbirds nest in my yard before but I never got too close to them. This pair were pretty cooperative and actually landed next to me. I have no idea which is the male or which is the female.

Ferns and Flow....

I don't care how many times I go back to Sabattus River I always find something new to photograph. I actually found these ferns yesterday afternoon but the lighting was not good so I went back this morning, I knew they would be in the shade.

White Throated Sparrow...

One of the white throated sparrows hanging around my brush pile at sunset.

Yellow Daffodils....

These are three of my daffodils that I photographed on Saturday. These are the type that are very aromatic and when I step outside the air has a sweet scent.

Turtles Everywhere.....

It was an uncharacteristic 90 degrees here on Tuesday and I went kayaking on the Sabattus River again. The wildlife was really enjoyng the weather, I observed a total of 47 painted turtles

and another couple of snappers.

Grackles.....

I photographed these two guys from my kayak shortly after photographing the battling snappers. Even though it was overcast the irredesent blue feathers show up nicely. There was a whole flock of them and it was interesting watching them hunt in the grass or come to the waters edge for a birdbath.

Battling or Mating...?

I went kayaking on the Sabattus River yesterday and I encountered this pair. They were so involved with each other they let me paddle right up to them. At first I thought it was a pair mating but when I got home and looked at the photos one of them had quite a few wounds on it, including its eye gouged out. In the first picture you can make out the cuts on the neck, I actually have a close up of the gouged out eye but didn't post it. The third photo shows the impressive claws and it's easy to see how an eye would get gouged.

Rain Covered Pussywillow....

After a heavy night of rain I went out and took this photograph. As pussywillows develope they do attain a lot of color.

A Little Distraction...

I took a little break from the yardwork yesterday when this guy showed up.

Watchful Nuthatch...

This is the same nuthatch that was freaked out by the hawk that passed through a few weeks ago. I saw the hawk yesterday going after a chickadee but it wasn't successful, I'm sure it must be nesting somewhere close by. My postings will be sporatic because I've been doing a lot of yard work and haven't really taken any new photos in a while. Once that's done I'll get back into the routine.

Posing Pretty....

I took this photo in my yard right next to the bird feeder. When the chickadees come in groups there is a definite pecking order and they have their favorite perches while they wait their turn. This angled branch about two feet from the feeder is one of the favorite perches. All I had to do is point my lens at the branch and wait for a bird to land.

April Showers....

We've been getting a lot of rain lately, the sun is out right now but more rain is on the way later today. It rained Thursday night but it had stopped by Friday morning so I went out and photographed the droplet covered pussywillows. The yellowish background is actually dead grass that was on the ground. When you enlarged the photo you'll notice a squarish, bright spot on the dark area on the underside of the pussywillow. That's a reflection of my foil fill card adding light.

White Breasted Nuthatch...

Here's the best whitebreasted nuthatch photo I've gotten so far. I have a couple that come to the feeder on a regular basis but they're a lot more cautious than the red breasted.

Checking Me Out....

Another one of my visitors checking me out, I thought he was gonna jump on my lap.

Glad It's Spring....

Here's the chickadee I posted the other day, it decided to break out in song.

Curious Chipmunk...

The melting snow exposed this log by the feeder and it's proving to be a popular spot. This chipmunk got up on the same log as yesterdays junco.

Dark Eyed Junco...

Last Thursday and Friday I had tons of juncos visiting the yard. They're a little more skittish than some of the other songbirds but this one landed on the end of that log and posed nicely for me.

Spring Time Chickadee....

It's nice to go outside in the morning and hear a cacophony of birds singing in the woods, it must be spring.

Mourning Dove...

The mourning doves have been coming to the feeder all winter but they're very cautious. They never come around while I'm outside, I usually hear them in the fir trees waiting for me to leave. Yesterday this one flew down from the trees and landed right in an open spot about thirty feet away, it really suprised me, it was the first time all winter one has come that close. I like the way the iridescent pink patch on its neck was showing up in the sun.

Red Squirrel....

The squirrel with the wound on its neck checking me out.