Total Sweetness
Look who came to work today. Our local pediatric PA has a side gig. He and his family tend the sheep on Nash Island. Inevitably, their spring trip to Nash Island yields little lambs whose mommas aren't up to the task, and they must be bottle fed if...
Ducks at Low Tide
Low tide on a foggy, rainy, spring morning. At first glance, I didn't notice the black duck pair bathing in the remaining trickle of river. Were they left behind when the tide went out? Or did they waddle all that way across the muddy river bottom...
Hummer Profiles
This guy looks a tad bit disgruntled. I understand where the phrase "ruffled feathers" came from! I love the iridescent colors and the subtle patterns of their feathers. Different light, different moods of my favorite subject.
Suspended Animation
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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....
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...
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 dark-eyed juncos...
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....
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...
The Company of a Herring Gull
I paused in Lubec this afternoon to enjoy my lunch and soak up a few moments of spring-like sunshine, car window open. It wasn't long before I had company. This guy took up residence right outside my window, hoping for a handout. Not shy at all, he...
The Charming Common Goldeneye
The only sign of spring in these parts lately is the opening of the water on area rivers. What was once completely covered in ice now boasts open pools for paddling. Inspired by the ducks congregating on the Narraguagus this week, I bring you the...
