Steve Hamilton Photography of Western Massachusetts

Steve Hamilton Photography of Western Massachusetts World-traveling photographer with over thirty years of photography experience. Services include portraiture of people and pets.

Special interests include wildlife, with an emphasis on birds.

I have been thinking a lot about the jaguars I saw in the Pantanal in August of 2024. Some day I need to get back there...
05/29/2026

I have been thinking a lot about the jaguars I saw in the Pantanal in August of 2024. Some day I need to get back there. These are a few images of the first jaguar we saw.

A beautiful jaguar named Cesi:

This is Cesi, one of the dozens of jaguars named in "Jaguarland", a small section of the Pantanal. She was the first of the 11 individual jaguars we found in the 4 days we stayed at the SouthWild Flotel. We found her within 5 minutes of hitting the water on our way to the Flotel! We observed her for 20 minutes as she searched the river bank for a meal.

Taken on a photo tour guided by Juan Carlos Vindas of Neotropic Photo Tours.

August 23, 2024
Brazil

Mourning DovePlain brown overall with dark spots on wing. Juvenile is covered with pale scaly pattern, but is much large...
05/25/2026

Mourning Dove

Plain brown overall with dark spots on wing. Juvenile is covered with pale scaly pattern, but is much larger and longer-tailed than ground doves. Widespread and common throughout much of North America, from southern Canada to Panama, including the Caribbean. Found in a variety of habitats from agricultural fields to lightly wooded areas. Loves suburbs, where it often sits on telephone wires and visits bird feeders. Avoids dense forest, but found on forest edges. Usually seen in pairs or small flocks, sometimes gathering in larger numbers, especially in winter.

Canoe Meadows - Pittsfield, MA
May 21, 2026

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Red-eyed VireoPlain olive-green above and whitish below with no wingbars. Red eye of adults is not always easy to see; i...
05/24/2026

Red-eyed Vireo

Plain olive-green above and whitish below with no wingbars. Red eye of adults is not always easy to see; immatures have brown eyes. Dark stripe through and above eye. Larger and thicker-billed than warblers. Breeds in mature deciduous forest. Often sings nearly nonstop throughout the day; listen for repetitive musical phrases coming from the treetops. Often with flocks of chickadees and warblers during migration. Winters in South America, where it could be confused with the very similar Chivi Vireo, from which it is best distinguished by voice.

Canoe Meadows - Pittsfield, MA
May 21, 2026

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White-tailed DeerThis doe appears to be about to give birth to one or more babies very soon.Canoe Meadows - Pittsfield, ...
05/23/2026

White-tailed Deer

This doe appears to be about to give birth to one or more babies very soon.

Canoe Meadows - Pittsfield, MA
May 21, 2026

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Yesterday afternoon, while visiting Canoe Meadows, a Mass Audubon Sanctuary, I captured my first bird photos of the day....
05/23/2026

Yesterday afternoon, while visiting Canoe Meadows, a Mass Audubon Sanctuary, I captured my first bird photos of the day. As I hiked along a wooded path, the bird swooped down and landed just outside the minimum focusing distance of my lens. It remained in the vicinity for several minutes. Note the ticks at the base of the bill on its left side and the ticks embedded around the right eye!

Veery

Warm-colored thrush, with bright reddish-brown tones above, buffy breast, and white belly. Spots are indistinct and washed out, concentrating on upper breast. Beautiful song is cascading spiral of flute-like notes. Found in a variety of wooded habitats, often favoring wetter areas. Winters in South and Central America; very rare in the U.S. after October, unlike Hermit Thrush.

Canoe Meadows - Pittsfield, MA
May 21, 2026

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It has been a while since the clouds have cooperated when there was a chance for Northern Lights. These camera-only Nor...
05/15/2026

It has been a while since the clouds have cooperated when there was a chance for Northern Lights. These camera-only Northern Lights images were taken between 10:10pm - 10:48pm May 4, 2026. There is one image of the beautiful nights sky taken a bit later. Exact times, rounded to the nearest minute, are noted on the individual pics.

Plainfield Pond - Plainfield, MA
May 4,, 2026 10:10pm - 10:48pm
Canon R5 w/ RF20mm f1.4 VCM

/1.4VCM

My wife and I returned last night from the Riviera Maya where we stayed at an all inclusive hotel, the beautiful UNICO 2...
05/13/2026

My wife and I returned last night from the Riviera Maya where we stayed at an all inclusive hotel, the beautiful UNICO 2087. These images were taken on our last night when most people were sleeping :)

I'm still working on the best way to edit Milky Way pics but I'm getting there. Be sure to click on the last image as it is a panoramic made with 4 images combined in Lightroom.

Milky Way over the Caribbean
May 11, 2026 12:21am - 1:00am
Canon R5 w/ RF 20mm f/1.4 VCM

/1.4VCM

Crimson-crested WoodpeckerLarge red-headed woodpecker, widespread from Panama to Paraguay. Found in lowland forest and e...
04/05/2026

Crimson-crested Woodpecker

Large red-headed woodpecker, widespread from Panama to Paraguay. Found in lowland forest and edges, often perched conspicuously high up on a snag or large tree. More apt to be seen in open habitats compared with Red-necked Woodpecker, but significant overlap. Male is distinctive with barred underparts and almost entirely red head with a black-and-white patch on the cheek. Female distinguished from other large woodpeckers (such as Lineated) by very broad white stripe on face and white V on back. Listen for loud knocking drum as well as various chattering noises.

Seen on a photo tour in Northern Peru led by Neotropic Photo Tours and our Peruvian guide Steve Sánchez Wildlife Photography.

April 15, 2023

Rufous-crested CoquetteTiny hummingbird; male is striking with fabulous spiky orange crest, each feather tipped in black...
04/05/2026

Rufous-crested Coquette

Tiny hummingbird; male is striking with fabulous spiky orange crest, each feather tipped in black. Otherwise greenish with dark throat and conspicuous white band across rump. Female much less obvious; look for very small size, rufous forehead and throat, and white band across rump. Range usually helps to eliminate other similar species of coquette; note especially similarity to Spangled Coquette. Found more often in edges than other coquettes, especially brushy clearings or roadsides with flowering bushes.

Seen on a photo tour in Northern Peru led by Neotropic Photo Tours and our Peruvian guide Steve Sánchez Wildlife Photography.

April 13, 2023

It was almost exactly 3 years ago I was in Northern Peru.Golden-tailed Sapphire HummingbirdSmall hummingbird of humid lo...
04/04/2026

It was almost exactly 3 years ago I was in Northern Peru.

Golden-tailed Sapphire Hummingbird

Small hummingbird of humid lowlands. Males are iridescent green with bluish face and rich reddish golden rump and tail; females are similar but lack the blue face and are paler gray below. Usually found around forest edges and oxbow lakes; often one of the most common hummingbirds at feeders in their range.

Seen on a photo tour in Northern Peru led by Neotropic Photo Tours and our Peruvian guide Steve Sánchez Wildlife Photography.

April 13, 2023

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