Greenhouse Progress
Following a ridiculous amount of manual labor this weekend, the greenhouse we started last fall is closer to being put into service. The pressure treated wood framework over two 3′ x 20′ hugelkultures is complete. One pvc bow is in place across the ridge...
Osprey in Felt
Ospreys have been a theme in my life lately. They first appeared on my radar a couple of weeks ago when I photographed a pair of nesting osprey. Then, on three different occasions, I’ve spied a pair of them in town, diving for fish in the river, or simply...
Phoebe Nesting
There’s been a flurry of bird activity under the lean-to this week. Curious, I ventured out back and discovered that the phoebe nest I left untouched in the rafters last summer has been re-purposed yet again. Each year the phoebes line the nest with more...
Blackened Barrens
One of the rites of spring in Downeast Maine is the burning of the blueberry barrens. Every other year or so, fields that cannot be mowed are burned. The solitary pine I often admire looks desolate on the burnt ocher of the barrens. Other solitary tree posts: 24...
Of Mother’s Day and Hummingbirds
You know it’s going to be a good day when the hummingbirds return for the season. I’ve had the feeder filled and out for a week, ready for their arrival. This morning, I enjoyed my coffee and book on the porch, wrapped in a blanket in deference to the...
Nesting Osprey
It’s days like this when I’m so grateful that I dragged my camera along with me during my travels. Inevitably, when I don’t have my camera, I come across the most wonderful sights. On my drive to Cutler, Maine this morning I noticed a platform...
Springtacular
Springtacular is an ever so brief period in Maine. It’s the blissful moments after the snow melt and mud season are over but before the arrival of the black flies. It’s short, and if you blink you might just miss it. We’re in the middle of...
Softball, Forty and Frigid
Excited for Hannah’s first softball game of the season, we arrived at the field with jackets and lawn chairs. Yet, we spent 99% of the game in the car wrapped up in blankets watching the game through the windshield. Frigid temps and bitter winds dulled the...
A New Backyard of Birds
This week at my folks house in Pennsylvania has given me a new audience of birds to photograph. Each morning, this Carolina Wren (a first for me) perched on a branch outside my window three stories up and serenaded me awake. I don’t ever recall hearing a louder...
Swimming on the Blueberry Barrens
The melting of a significant amount of snow is creating ponds where they ought not to be found. At first glance, these American Black Ducks look to be enjoying a quiet swim on a local pond. When they’re really enjoying a makeshift pond in the middle of the...
Great Blue Heron Spotting
Cruising through the countryside yesterday, I paused on the side of the road to photograph a pair of ducks. I ended up alarming the ducks and then flew off. However, in their wake, I spied this great blue heron doing a great job of blending in with the landscape....
Open for the Season!
Arriving home from work this afternoon I marveled at what a week of warm weather has done. The pond is half melted, and the snow around one edge has disappeared. The ducks, however, had little interest in exploring the new found amusement. So I plucked a protesting...
Rooster Battles
Chicken testosterone has been running rampant around the farm this spring. Last year’s batch of bantam chicks leaves us with two young roosters in addition to Spice, our Chief Rooster. This is how they spend their days. Posturing. Ninja moves. Feathers flying....
Roaming Red Knot
You’re lucky if you spot red knots as they stop briefly on their way from South America to the Arctic tundra. The trick with this ornament is trying to find colors that do justice to the subtle colors of this little bird. Have fun! To download the Red Knot...
Joyful Day
What is a Joyful Day? It’s the first “porch” day of the year with my coffee and camera, despite the snow banks that still line the house and yard. It’s watching this little guy continue to drain my bird feeder. It’s the flocks of...
Signs of Spring
My world was full of signs of spring today. There’s no more iconical image of spring than a robin. Well, unless it’s two robins. The Canadian Geese are back enforce. Only in this case, they are accompanied by a lone snow goose who doesn’t seem to...
A Good Mud Puddle
Today felt like Spring! Sixty and sunny, the ducks got some supervised play time outside their house. I guess you could call them puddle ducks as they were having a ball in the melting driveway. Splashing and preening, they were, feathers flying. What I can’t...
The Difference in a Few Weeks
Winter. Spring. Cadillac Mountain across the Mt. Desert Narrows.
A Most Unusual Deer
The late afternoon shadows hid this critter from view. More focused on not getting stuck in the snow and mud than in my surroundings, I wasn’t even sure it was a deer until I pulled out my camera and studied her through the zoom. She gave me but a moment to snap...
