My Maine This Week Slideshow: Images by Callie Wronker

How did I get interested in nature photography? Well, I always liked being outdoors, especially in the woods, and I’ve always been interested in how things come together, whether it’s a garment (I used to make clothing), or a house (I bought a 70-acre woodlot in Waldoboro once upon a time and built my own house there), or an image (what elements make an image work…or not).

This is a photo of me when I lived in the house I built and heated with wood.

I also notice things more than many other people seem to, so I guess you could say I’m a good observer. I’ve been somewhat more than casually interested in photography for a long time, but it all really started to come together when my husband and I bought our camp on Dyer Long Pond in Jefferson. Kayaking and birding and photography all sort of collided. I’d go out in the kayak, see a bird I couldn’t name, and try to get a good enough photo to ID it once I was back in the house. I’d say birds are my primary photo subjects, but there are so many other beautiful, striking things to see in Maine that the birds have some stiff competition for my eye and camera. Steve and I have made an effort to get to many parts of the state, and I think we’ve done quite well: from Kittery, to Jackman, Lubec, and Fort Kent, and many places in between. Next road trip will likely be the Golden Road. —Callie Wronker, Portland and Jefferson, Maine

Please take a few minutes to enjoy this slideshow of beautiful Maine images Callie has shared with the Natural Resources Council of Maine for this web feature. Thank you, Callie!

I saw this young porcupine sitting about 15 feet up in an oak tree at our place in Jefferson. I think it’s the same one I saw in late spring, sometimes on the ground and once or twice way out on oak branches eating the new foliage.
This nuthatch clearly heard that Maine's real estate market is booming, so it checked out this birdhouse in Jefferson to see if it was right for its family! Photo by Callie Wronker
The more the merrier…is it possible to have too many loons?
Waiting for the fish to bite—a good way to spend a winter afternoon.
Sometimes I look out the window and the light on the lake and the trees stops me in my tracks. This was one of those moments, so I grabbed my camera to capture it. (Dyer Long Pond, Jefferson, Maine)
Low tide at Scarborough Marsh. This feels a little upside down, since you can only see the sky reflected in the water. I love how every detail is so sharp in the low-angle light.
"Family" by Callie Wronker
I was birding in Portland’s Evergreen Cemetery with a friend when someone else pointed out this baby great horned owl on the ground—clearly too young to be out on its own.
We called the folks at Avian Haven and one of their volunteers came and “boxed” the baby up for transport. After a check-up and a couple of weeks at Avian Haven, the young owl was successfully placed back with its family!
On our way from Kingfield to one of the Maine Huts and Trails huts, my husband and I stopped along the road that runs next to the Carrabassett River to enjoy the fall colors.
How cold? Well, cold enough at Willard Beach in South Portland that the seafoam around these rocks froze.
I got this birdhouse at a yard sale. For years, no self-respecting bird would move in. Then in 2017, robins decided it would do and made a nice nest hat. They came back again in 2018!
Part of the colorful Bike Maine tent city on the shore of Rangeley Lake. The cyclists were there for a midweek rest day during the week-long ride.
There’s an instrumental song “Under the Double Eagle.” I never expected to see it come to life (Augusta landfill).
On a winter day at Dyer Long Pond, I startled a turkey, which took off flying across the lake, leaving this wonderful wing print.
After a rainy crossing from Stonington to Isle au Haut for 2 nights of camping, we felt a little abandoned when we realized we were the only ones at the campground. But then the sun came out, and the rocks glowed in the light, and we had a great time.
A study of the ordinary: This pickerelweed leaf was backlit so the striations were strikingly clear, even more so when I adjusted the photo to black and white.
Sometimes it is simply all about the colors: Dyer Long Pond autumn reflection.
Into the woods…actually into Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument via the Bowlin Bridge over the East Branch of the Penobscot River.
Even in winter, there’s always open water at the Dyer Long Pond dam, and when the light is right it makes for a great study in contrast.
Portland Harbor. The mostly black and white of the eiders and the red, white, and blue in the water caught my eye.
I AM NOT YELLING!!!! The Tree Swallows seemed particularly argumentative this past spring!
Balancing act on the Damariscotta River
It’s not often a kingfisher will let you get close enough for a good photo…unless you use a longer lens than I have (300 mm).
Dyer River. I love how pillowy the snow looks as it rounds down to the water.
A home along side Cobbosseecontee Stream: Blue-headed Vireo nest in a hemlock
October view from atop Bradbury Mountain in Pownal. Come back in the spring and count migrating hawks.
Posted on May 6, 2019 by NRCM Share Tweet “After a spell of gloomy, wet weather, the painted turtles at Capisic Pond Park in Portland tiptoed onto a rock to catch some sun.”
Did you ever see a raccoon…swimming? I went for a foggy early morning paddle on Dyer Long Pond in Jefferson and saw this critter heading across the lake. A first for me.
I was cleaning out duck nesting boxes on Dyer Long Pond in Jefferson and unexpectedly ousted a family of flying squirrels. This one came back to glare at me and register its objections! Maybe they returned to enjoy the fresh wood shavings I put in
I saw this juvenile eagle on January 12 around 1:00 p.m. along Baxter Boulevard in Portland looking out over Back Cove. Perhaps it was contemplating mallard for lunch?
I took this photo late in the fall while some of us were splitting and stacking wood for this winter. While doing this, I saw this loon on Dyer Long Pond in Jefferson is getting into its winter wardrobe.