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2013-05-21 11:23:24 (4 comments, 3 reshares, 52 +1s)

Pic 4 Today: A little Flicker action. Magee Marsh
As much as Magee Marsh is about warblers, warblers, and more warblers…there are other birds along the boardwalk. The Woodcocks were a big hit this year, and there are always a few owls. For a day, a Common Nighthawk challenged the best eyes on the boardwalk, though for at least one day they had about 6 spotting scopes trained on it.

This Northern Flicker of the Yellow-shafted race was making its usual racket. It was easy to see…much harder to photograph…as it was very mobile and very agile. I never did catch the whole bird in the frame.  I like the “mid-call” pose here. It makes the bird look very alive. :)

Canon SX50HS. Program with iContrast and Auto Shadow Control. -1/3EV exposure compensation. 1800mm equivalent field of view. f6.5 @ 1/1000th @ ISO 800. Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, andsharpness.... more »

2013-05-20 11:30:16 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 41 +1s)

Pic 4 Today: Emerging Green. Rachel Carson NWR
#macromonday  curated by +Kelli Seeger Kim +Jennifer Eden +Kerry Murphy +Macro Monday 
I went to Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge on Saturday, primarily to practice with my new Panasonic HX-A100 head mounted action camera, but also to see where spring has gotten to along the loop trail. Trillium are still blooming in small numbers, and I found a few Two Bead Lilies open, and many more in bud. There were more visible Lady Slipper plants, but none near blooming. Still a very late spring.

The emerging spruce needle bunchs caught my eye. The contrast of color and texture and form demanded a close up.

Canon SX50HS in Program with iContrast and Auto Shadow Control. -1/3EV exposure compensation. 24mm macro with 2x digital tel-converter. Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and sharpness.

2013-05-19 13:47:46 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 7 +1s)

The warblers have arrived in Southern Maine! Mixed feeding flock just came through the back yard. Yellow-rumped (of course), Cape May, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Redstart, Canada, and a single Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Let the fun begin!

2013-05-19 11:51:31 (2 comments, 2 reshares, 42 +1s)

And just because we can now, here is the vertical version of today's Pic 4 Today vista. :)

2013-05-19 11:48:14 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 29 +1s)

Pic 4  Today: Rachel Carson NWR Vista via phone. Happy Sunday!
This is one of my favorite views at Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, along the short headquarter’s loop of trial. It overlooks the Merriland River, which becomes the Little River for the rest of it’s run t the sea, just beyond those ponds where Branch Brook joins it on the left. The view is exceptional in every season. If you pursue my back trail of posts, you will find many views of this scene over the years. Here the new, emerging foliage of spring gives the trees and forest a delicate look. The sun penetrates deeper and brings out textures in the wood, and in the scene overall. The wide, 6×9 ratio of the image makes it a real vista shot. I like it as well as any shot from this spot I have ever taken!

And now I have to tell you it was taken with my phone. I have new Samsung Galaxy S4, my first Galaxy and myfirst... more »

2013-05-18 11:29:18 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 27 +1s)

Ohio Fox Squirrel for #squirrelsaturday  +Squirrel Saturday 

2013-05-18 11:28:48 (0 comments, 8 reshares, 48 +1s)

Pic 4 Today: Blackburnian Warblers. Magee Marsh
#songbirdsaturday  curated by +John Briggs 
There are few warblers that are as striking as the Blackburnian. If they were a rare bird, they would be much sought after, even at warbler-central, Magee Marsh, during spring migration. As it is they are very common at Magee, and are one of the boldest and most closest warblers present. They often feed on the underside of the canopy, and even in the taller undergrowth, and, like Chestnut-sided and Black-throated Green, will sometimes work a branch within a foot or two of birders’ heads on the boardwalk. And, with their flaming orange breast and throat, they are pretty hard to miss, even in denser foliage.

That is not to say they are easy to photograph. They are fast, highly mobile, and rarely (at least at Magee Marsh in the spring) perch. They are not singing at Magee so they do notjus... more »

2013-05-17 17:57:12 (7 comments, 3 reshares, 79 +1s)

I am totally impressed with the camera on the Samsung S4 :-) The jpgs process well in Lightroom, but you can produce similar results with Snapseed right on the phone!

2013-05-17 11:33:59 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 57 +1s)

Pic 4 Today: Wildflowers in the Yard. Spring at Last!
(if anyone knows how to make another image fill the main box, please share the secret with me :)
#floralfriday  curated by +Tamara Pruessner +FloralFriday 
I still have lots of birds to share from my trip to The Biggest Week in American Birding, but I feel compelled to celebrate the late but inevitable arrival of spring in Southern Maine. My wife has been working in the yard, planting and transplanting flowers, but I was mostly interested in the volunteers…the wildflowers of my mossy yard. Spring Beauty is always there, but the clumps this year seem bigger. And I caught a bonus Hoverfly at work in this clump.

The Dog-tooth Violets are blooming in every woodlot, and are even more lush in our sunny yard.

Then you have the Wild Strawberry, another widely abundant plant in Southern Maine, that has made a homein t... more »

2013-05-16 11:39:54 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 19 +1s)

#biggestweek Some birds of Magee Marsh during the Biggest Week in American Birding.

2013-05-16 11:30:11 (1 comments, 2 reshares, 38 +1s)

Pic 4 Today: Blue-grey Gnatchatcher. Magee Marsh
They are, of course, seeing Kirtland’s Warbler at Magee Marsh this week, after the official Biggest Week in American Birding is all over, and while I am long back in Maine.

Still I was delighted to catch this much more common Blue-grey Gnatcatcher near the boardwalk at Magee. I don’t see them often and they are certainly hard to catch. 

Canon SX50HS. Program with iContrast and Auto Shadow Control. – 1/3 ev exposure compensation. 1200mm equivalent field of view. Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and brightness.

2013-05-15 18:23:29 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 50 +1s)

You did not really think I was going to let you get away without at least one bird today, did you :) One of the things about Magee Marsh is that the birds are low, often at eye-level, and sometimes below...which allows you to see often overlooked features like the red cap on this Nashville Warbler. 

2013-05-15 11:22:47 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 30 +1s)

Pic 4 Today: Magee Marsh Wide with Clouds
#widewednesdaypanorama  +WideWednesdayPanorama 
#landscapephotography  +Landscape Photography 
Taking a break from birds for a day, here is the scene on the way into Magee Marsh on Sunday Morning. This is a sweep panorama using the Samsung Galaxy S4 phone camera. I have experimented with sweep panoramas on Sony cameras a few generations ago, and found the results disappointing, but the technology, at least as implemented by Samsung, has come a long way. I did this with the phone in vertical position, to capture maximum pixels. The full shot is 10840×2776 (cropped slightly when straightening the horizon) and covers, as you see by the road, close to 180 degrees. You can see the image at your full screen resolution by clicking HERE.

But of course, it is more than a technical exercise. I love the clouds, the blue of the water, theswee... more »

2013-05-14 11:30:56 (8 comments, 2 reshares, 50 +1s)

Pic 4 Today: Cape May Warbler. Magee Marsh
Sunday morning at Magee Marsh was cold, but we had intermittent sun, and therefore pretty good light for photography. There was one tree, just beyond the west entrance to the boardwalk, right over the parking lot with the sun on it, that had at least 10 species of warblers actively feeding. The long lens crew made a solid semi-circle around it…tripod city.

This Cape May Warbler was among the birds, and it was putting on quite a show. The Cape May was named for spot where it was first observed, but it actually only passes through Cape May, New Jersey during migration to it’s breeding grounds, which, except for Northern Maine and the extreme upper Mid-West, is all in Canada. That did not keep this handsome fellow from singing in Ohio!

I like this composition, with the bird at the powerpoint of the rule of thirds, and the richbok... more »

2013-05-13 15:29:00 (5 comments, 1 reshares, 40 +1s)

A reminder of what Magee Marsh means to the birds who stop there :-) Nashville Warbler with worm. And yes I will miss the Biggest Week in American Birding.

2013-05-13 11:18:16 (7 comments, 2 reshares, 49 +1s)

Pic 4 Today: Yellow Warbler Wow! Magee Marsh
#biggestweek   #macromonday  curated by +Kelli Seeger Kim +Jennifer Eden +Kerry Murphy 
Yesterday, the final day of the Biggest Week in American Birding, was one of those amazing days that only happen at Magee Marsh. The warblers were passing through in great numbers, and they were feeding low in the undergrowth and lower branches of the sheltering trees, and very close to the boardwalk. Saturday was actually as good for warblers…but Saturday was overcast, and on Sunday we had intermittent sun… adequate light makes a huge difference when photographing birds.

This Yellow Warbler was just within the 4.5 foot focus range of the Canon SX50HS. In fact, I had to back off on full zoom to get this much of the bird in the frame. I was using the 1.5x digital tel-converter so this is still at over 1600mm equivalent field of view. It isalmost a... more »

2013-05-13 01:31:40 (2 comments, 2 reshares, 37 +1s)

Lifer!!! Magee Marsh. The Biggest Week in American Birding. Louisiana Waterthrush. 

2013-05-12 16:32:26 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 27 +1s)

Out over Lake Erie. Samsung S4 sweep panorama.

2013-05-12 11:16:20 (4 comments, 4 reshares, 36 +1s)

Pic 4 Today: Wood Thrush Sings. Magee Marsh. Happy Sunday!
It is not often that you see a Wood Thrush, let alone see one singing out in plain sight. This one was no more than 20 feet from the boardwalk yesterday at Magee Marsh and delighted a small group of birders at the Biggest Week in American Birding for a good 20 minutes before moving on. It was a one of those moments that will be remembered, and treasured, by all who shared it (with the possible exception of the Wood Thrush).

I even remembered to shoot some video so you can hear the song.

http://goo.gl/kVlfY

Canon SX50HS. Program with iContrast and Auto Shadow Control. -1/3EV exposure compensation. 1800mm equivalent field of view. Video was handheld.

And for the Sunday thought. Despite threatening rain, poor light, and low temperatures, yesterday was as good as I have ever seen Magee Marsh. There... more »

2013-05-12 00:05:22 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 21 +1s)

#biggestweek Wood Thrush singing. Magee Marsh.

2013-05-11 11:49:13 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 52 +1s)

#squirrelsaturday +Squirrel Saturday at Ottawa NWR.

2013-05-11 11:30:22 (4 comments, 2 reshares, 36 +1s)

Pic 4 Today: House Wren City at Magee Marsh
#biggestweek   #songbirdsaturday  curated by +John Briggs 
It is House Wren city at Magee Marsh during the Biggest Week in American Birding celebration this year. They are everywhere. They are singing. They are scuttling in the undergrowth. They are climbing on stumps and trees. The are contesting nest sites with Tree Swallows. They are everywhere and showing every sign of nesting right here in the marsh. Which is okay.

Canon SX50HS. Program with iContrast and Auto Shadow Control. 1200mm equivalent field of view. Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and sharpness.

House Wrens are nothing if not entertaining!

2013-05-11 01:24:11 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

New improved version of the Magee Marsh boardwalk POV video :)

2013-05-10 15:48:19 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 41 +1s)

#floralfriday curated by +Tamara Pruessner Flowering Plum?

2013-05-10 11:17:49 (5 comments, 1 reshares, 41 +1s)

Pic 4 Today; Swan in Flight
I was observing Tundra Swans, and when this bird took off and flew overhead I was sure that was what I was photographing. Rats. Just a Mute Swan. This aggressive non-native species is competing with the native swans over most of their range, and has become a nuisance in many areas. Still it is a beautiful bird, especially in flight. The soft light of an overcast morning only adds to the beauty.

Crane Creek Estuary behind Magee Marsh, OH.

Canon SX50HS in Sports Mode. 1200mm equivalent field of view. f6.5 @ 1/250th @ ISO 320. Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and sharpness.

2013-05-09 15:32:46 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 34 +1s)

The marsh at Magee this morning early. Samsung S4 sweep panorama. Snapseed processed.

2013-05-09 14:17:59 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 45 +1s)

Pic 4 Today: Bay-breasted in Song
Birding has been slow the past few days at Magee Marsh and the Biggest Week in American Birding. There are high hopes for this morning as the weather patterns were predicted to be favorable for a pile up of birds at Magee overnight. Time will tell.

In the meantime here is a Bay-breasted Warbler in full song from Sunday.

Canon SX50HS. Program with iContrast and Auto Shadow Control. -1/3EV exposure compensation. 1200mm equivalent field of view. f6.5 @ 1/1000th @ ISO 320. Processed in Lightroom for Intensity, clarity, and sharpness.

2013-05-08 15:05:15 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 17 +1s)

Samsung S4 sweep panorama. Crane Creek estuary, Lake Erie OH

2013-05-08 14:50:49 (1 comments, 2 reshares, 17 +1s)

#widewensdaypanorama
Samsung S4 sweep panorama. Lake Erie from Magee Marsh.

2013-05-08 11:18:17 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 34 +1s)

Pic 4 Today: Blanding's and Painted Turtles. Magee Marsh.
#wildlifewednesday  curated by +Mike Spinak +Morkel Erasmus 

It is not all warblers all the time, or even all birds all the time, at Magee Marsh and the Biggest Week in American Birding. I found these two turtles along the large canal by the eastern section of the boardwalk. We have a rare (relatively) Blanding’s Turtle and a super abundant Painted Turtle sharing the same perch.

Blanding’s is listed as endangered by ICUN Red List, and has threatened status in a number of states and all of Canada. Unless I am much mistaken this is my second sighting of this individual. The pattern of moss on its shell is quite distinctive. The first time, 3 days go, it was crossing under the boardwalk most of a mile from this log.

Canon SX50HS. Program with iContrast and Auto Shadow Control. -1/3EV exposurecompen... more »

2013-05-08 01:16:00 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 36 +1s)

Sunset over Toledo. Samsung Galaxy S4. Snapseed.

2013-05-07 11:29:44 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 48 +1s)

Pic 4 Today: Chestnut-sided Warbler. Magee Marsh.
#biggestweek  
After the high point on Saturday afternoon, warbler activity has returned pretty much to normal at Magee Marsh where I am working the Biggest Week in American Birding Festival, so getting new species has been difficult…and many of the nesting species have yet to arrive. There are no Prothonotarys yet, and no American Redstarts. This is strange, but hopefully they will show up before next Sunday.

This is a Chestnut-sided Warbler, on of the most abundant along the boardwalk right now, and certainly on of the most cooperative. They feed at eye-level and have no fear of humans, so they will land on a branch a few feet from your head…often too close for photography. Lots of fun.

Canon SX50HS. Program with iContrast and Auto Shadow Control. -1/3EV exposure compensation. 1200mm equivalent field of view.Proc... more »

2013-05-06 16:03:26 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 27 +1s)

Phone scoped Whipporwill. Magee Marsh and the Biggest Week in American Birding.

2013-05-06 11:55:34 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

New! Revised. With birds! Magee Marsh boardwalk. #biggestweek

2013-05-06 11:35:15 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 42 +1s)

Pic 4 Today: Wood Cock. Magee Marsh
There were more birders and less birds at Magee Marsh and the Biggest Week in American Birding yesterday. And the crew from the CBS Sunday Morning show was there, doing interviews and filming on the boardwalk. (Watch for the segment on Memorial Day weekend.) I spent the morning run, before reporting to the Optics Alley tent at Blackswamp Bird Observatory, doing a live action, point of view video of the boardwalk with a head mounted HD action cam. Fun! I have edited in some still shots of birds this morning and will be uploading the finished video to youtube in a few moments.

This is a Wood Cock. There are several pairs establishing nesting territories. One beside the boardwalk, and two out in the parking areas. The parking lot pairs are behind “incident tape” for protection (mostly from photographers :) . This bird is just behind the parkinglot... more »

2013-05-06 02:42:47 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 5 +1s)

My first POV video. The Biggest Week In American Birding at Magee Marsh, OH.#biggestweek

2013-05-05 14:55:07 (5 comments, 2 reshares, 57 +1s)

Another bird from Magee Marsh and the Biggest Week in American Birding. House Wren. Canon SX50HS.

2013-05-05 11:18:21 (15 comments, 13 reshares, 93 +1s)

Pic 4 Today: Bay-breasted Warbler. Magee Marsh. Happy Sunday!
#biggestweek  
One of the interesting things about Magee Marsh in the first days of May is that the cast of characters changes daily. New warblers and other migrants arrive daily. On Thursday there were no American Redstarts. On Friday there were. Saturday’s arrivals included Cerulean Warbler and Bay-breasted, Summer Tanager, and Whippoorwill (or at least Whippoorwill was seen for the first time on Saturday…it is hard to tell if Whippoorwills are around unless you hear them call).

This Bay-breasted Warbler was not a cooperative as it might look from the burst of shots above. It was certainly close. At one point it landed no more than 2 feet from my face for a second. But it was fast! It did not perch anywhere for more than that few seconds, and it stayed well hidden in the emerging leaves most of the time. I wasther... more »

2013-05-04 19:07:42 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 56 +1s)

Rose-breasted Grosbeak from today's Biggest Week in American Birding post.

2013-05-04 14:25:31 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 49 +1s)

Ovenbird from this morning's post from Magee Marsh and the Biggest Week in American Birding. Canon SX50HS.

2013-05-04 11:38:36 (3 comments, 2 reshares, 48 +1s)

Pic 4 Today: A Second Helping of Magee Marsh
#songbirdsaturday  curated by +John Briggs 
#thebiggestweekinamericanbirding  
I promise not to show you every warbler and every bird I find at Magee Marsh, but here is a second helping at least. (And I promise not to lead off with a Blackburnian every post from The Biggest Week in American Birding, unless, of course, I have an image like this one…which I just can not resist 

Again yesterday I only managed an hour on the boardwalk. I did not even get there until just before 6PM. There were a lot of warblers! I am sure it was totally amazing earlier in the day. And there were many new species, just arrived, like this Black-throated Blue and the Nashville beyond. I had a lot of fun trying for a decent image of the Ovenbird as it feed deep in the undergrowth.

Of course it is not all warblers all the time at MageeMarsh... more »

2013-05-04 10:24:39 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 17 +1s)

Early evening warbler jam at Magee Marsh. The Biggest Week in American Birding.

2013-05-03 17:21:43 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 15 +1s)

Optics Alley tent at The Biggest Week in American Birding. Blackswamp Bird Observatory, OH

2013-05-03 11:45:34 (4 comments, 2 reshares, 56 +1s)

Pic 4 Today: First Color. Magee Marsh Warblers!
After checking in to my hotel, and taking care of some business, I did not get out to Magee Marsh until almost 5PM yesterday. Just time for one loop of the boardwalk. There were still, speaking in comparison to, say, oh any other US birding destination, a lot of birders there, for a Thursday evening. If you are a solitary birder, Magee is not the place for you in May.

As far as birds go, it was slow, again, compared to any other birding destination you might name, We had to be contend, mostly, with single specimens  A Kentucky (3rd image) and a Mourning right at the base of the observation tower kept the crowd above pretty much stationary the whole time I was there. The Blackburnian in the lead image was the only one I saw all evening.

I was, of course, quickly reminded that photographing warblers at Magee is not like an... more »

2013-05-02 13:24:41 (10 comments, 4 reshares, 57 +1s)

Pic 4 Today : Oh! Another Wren.
Yes. Depending on your point of view it is one more wren, or one wren too many. :-) I always come back from Acadia with enough singing and perching wren shots to paper the office. Occupational hazard. I am in the air as I write this on my way to The Biggest Week in American Birding so for the next week or so if the weather cooperates you can expect to see warblers (expect, hope, or dread, again depending on your point of view).

This perky little fellow was doing his level best to convince any available female to throw her lot in with his...to accept one of the nests he had started in the cattails. He had abundant competition and he was well aware of it. He would have had to be deaf to be otherwise.

Canon SX50HS. Program with iContrast and Auto Shadow Fill. - 1 /3EV exposure compensation. 1200mm equivalent field of view. Processed in... more »

2013-05-02 10:18:27 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 11 +1s)

At the airport on the way to the Biggest Week in American Birding :-)

2013-05-01 13:15:26 (4 comments, 2 reshares, 36 +1s)

#widewednesdaypanorama  +WideWednesdayPanorama 
#landscapephotography  +Landscape Photography 

An "accidental" panorama. I took two HDR sets from the same sign-post rest, and only after realized that I could stitch them. Kennebunk Plains, W. Kennebunk ME. Canon SX50HS. HDRs blended and tone mapped in Dynamic Photo HDR. Stitched in PhotoShop Elements 11. Final processing in Lightroom. 

2013-05-01 11:27:02 (4 comments, 2 reshares, 32 +1s)

Pic 4 Today: Falls on the Baston River. HDR
#waterfallwednesday  curated by +Eric Leslie 
The falls on the Baston River in Emmon’s Preserve in Kennebunkport are, like the Redwood Forest, another subject that has always proved difficult to capture. The falls lack the scale of the Redwoods, but they are well shaded by trees, patterned with dark shadows, and present the added difficulty of bright white highlights from sun on the foaming water. Once more, a subject that demands deeper HDR than my in-camera HDR can provide.

Which is why my last Sunday photo-prowl found me down by the Baston with my Fat Gecko, carbon fiber, shock-corded tripod. As I had suspected, 3 exposure HDR also gives a nice understated silky look to the rapids, without the need to resort to long shutter speeds.

This is not the falls at their most difficult. The leafless state of the mostly maplestha... more »

2013-05-01 11:06:46 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 29 +1s)

#wildlifewednesday  curated by +Mike Spinak +Morkel Erasmus 

There were a few Mule Deer feeding in the same meadow as the Roosevelt Elk at Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park near Orick CA when I visited last month...and they certainly looked tiny! The Elk made them look like miniature deer, which I know they are not! This young deer is after the tasty new leaves of the berry bramble...a thorny problem indeed, requiring delicate lips. :)

2013-04-30 11:30:52 (1 comments, 2 reshares, 41 +1s)

Pic 4 Today: Fallen Glory
#treetuesday  +Tree Tuesday  #hdrphotography   #hdr  
#landscapephotography  +Landscape Photography 
I still have a lot of images from my trip to Arcata California and the Godwit Days Spring Migration Festival that I could share. This is one of my deep HDR experiments at Founder’s Grove in Humboldt Redwoods State Park. I like the way the Richardson’s Geraniums and a variety of ferns are growing on this fallen Redwood trunk. My guess, given the legendary durability of Redwood, is that this trunk has been down for well over 1000 years, to reach the stage of decomposition where it now supports it’s own micro-habitat. And I suspect it will be another 1000 years (or more) before all trace of the tree is gone. That is a long time!

It takes at least a 3 exposure HDR, with the highlight (dark) shot at least at -3EV, and the exposures wellseparated, ... more »