Wintertime Photo Adventure

    ​Every once in a while in winter I’ll go on a photo, “adventure” with friend and wildlife
photographer David Small.
    Dave introduced me to this cold-weather activity and now I’m hooked.
It amazes me just how much wildlife a person can see by just looking out over a
protected harbor. Seabirds, many of which are only present in winter, swim past in wild
profusion.

Even in the chill of winter, seals will occasionally pop up for an impromptu photoshoot. Photo by Dave Small

​    And mammals, too, prove to be very much in evidence. During our last adventure, Dave and I watched a harbor seal doing a seal-version of cartwheels in Rockport Harbor. Even when the animal was underwater, we could see its position and even plot its course by watching the bubbles from the air that it exhaled. 

Lively Time
​    Too many people have the mistaken idea that our bays and seashores are bereft of life in winter. Instead, though, winter sees a great deal of wildlife activity. You just have to get out there and watch in order to see it. 

​Here’s something about one of the more common winter birds seen in saltwater environs. Common loons, known for the “checkerboard” pattern on their backs, become pretty much nondescript in winter.
But the physical shape of the bird doesn’t change and if you’ve seen a loon in summer you can easily identify one in winter. 

Although loons' signature checkerboard patterns will vanish in winter, loons can easily be identified in winter for their shape. Photo by Dave Small

Cabin Fever Reliever
    For me, getting out on a photoshoot in winter means getting out of the house. A freelance writer, I am cooped up all winter, sitting at my writing desk in a wood-heated office. So going to various harbors up and down the Midcoast region gets me out and breaks the “cabin fever” stranglehold. It’s also a time to dine out. Hot beverages never taste as good as when consumed after coming in from the cold. 

Regardless of the weather or time of year, adventure hides around every corner in Maine. Photo by Ben Blatz

​Basically, I think we all need to get out in nature, no matter the time of year. And bringing a camera to photograph marine wildlife stands within the reach of almost everyone. 
So bundle up, get that camera ready and head for the coast. Adventure awaits. 

Tom Seymour, Maine writer and naturalist, has written over a dozen titles including: Getting Your Big Fish: Trolling Maine Waters, Wild Plants of Maine: A Useful Guide, Forager’s Notebook, Wild Critters of Maine: Everyday Encounters, and Hidden World Revealed: Musings of a Maine Naturalist from Just Write Books LLC, Topsham, Maine. Seymour has also written a multitude of monthly features including his popular “Maine Wildlife” for The Maine Sportsman Magazine.

Dave Small, photographer, has taken pictures for Bangor Daily News, U.S. Fish and Wildlife brochures, and signs in wildlife management areas, to name a few. His photos are for "conservation and education and are free for those uses". Visit his website, photosbychance.zenfolio.com, for more.