I had hurt my back at the end of 2023, so I spent all of 2024 slowly building up my ability to go on walks again. At first, I had just been doing small walks at the local cemetery. In the beginning, I could only walk about a quarter-mile, if that, before I had to sit and rest. The only weight I carried with me was a water bottle and my small stool in case I needed to sit before getting to any benches. As time moved on and I grew stronger, I switched to walking the Eastern Trail, as it was a nice level gravel surface that allowed for longer distances. I eventually started bringing my landscape camera with me on the walks. It was mostly for a little extra weight, but it was also nice to have just in case I saw something that struck my fancy. By the end of the year, I had worked up to walking three miles total without needing to sit to rest my back at all.

      With the advent of spring this year, I decided to continue working on my walks locally, concentrating on my health versus trying to be more adventurous or concentrating on my photography. I had been walking the Eastern Trail over the winter from the Biddeford end, but I decided to switch to walking from the Kennebunk end once all the snow and ice were gone. I was still carrying my landscape camera with me, but I hadn’t used it much over the winter. As spring progressed, though, I started using the camera more and more. With only my 24-105mm lens, however, I often couldn’t get the best photos of the many small mammals, birds, and insects I’d see. So, by early summer, I decided to start bringing my wildlife camera with the big 150-450mm lens along, as well.

Male Northern Cardinal I was able to capture in a tree across a gulch from the trail with my big lens. Arundel, Maine

      At first, it seemed like I wasn’t seeing anything to photograph anymore. The added weight was helpful, but as I was still trying to go even further distances, I decided to leave it at home one day and just concentrate on doing the longer walk this time. I had managed to hit four miles roundtrip a couple of times but definitely found it more painful when I had the big lens on me. So, of course, the day I decided to leave the wildlife camera at home, I ended up seeing so many things! I saw an entire family of Tufted Titmice, a Great Blue Heron, multiple Cedar Waxwings, and a Pileated Woodpecker. I heard a Barred Owl calling in the distance even though it was lunchtime. And, I even saw what was either a Muskrat or a Beaver swimming away with some grass in its mouth! There is definitely beaver activity in the area, but it was just too fast a sighting with it swimming away from me to know for sure which animal it was. I did what I could for photos of everything, but since I only had the small lens, they just weren’t as good as they might otherwise have been.

Great Blue Heron I spotted on the river on a day without my big lens. This image is heavily cropped so you can see it. Arundel, Maine

Can you see the Woodpecker on the end of the branch? Once again, the image is heavily cropped so you can try to see it since I didn't have my big lens. Arundel, Maine

Cedar Waxwing in a bush between the trail and the river. The image is once again heavily cropped since I didn't have my big lens. Arundel, Maine

      After that, I decided I had to make sure to have the wildlife camera with me on all my walks. Unfortunately, it was just too heavy for me to do well with handholding, and most of the opportunities along the trail were too quick to set the tripod up. So, I did a bit of research and ended up purchasing a new lens, a 300mm prime that was smaller and lighter but should still do well for wildlife.

      Summer was winding down, so I didn’t see as much bird life as before, but I managed to get some good photos on some of my walks. One day, there were several male Cardinals pretty close to the trail, so I was able to spend time trying to get their photos. Another day, it was multiple gray squirrels feasting in the bushes. There was one day where I got lucky with the Cedar Waxwings again. This was only the third time I’d ever seen them in person, and the first time I had a chance to try for decent photos. I was really happy with how things went.

Cedar Waxwing in a tree above the trail. Image taken with my new lens, but the bird was still quite distant high up in the tree. Arundel, Maine

Cedar Waxwing in a tree next to the trail. This bird was lower down and much closer, so with the new lens, it's much larger in frame. Arundel, Maine

Gray Squirrel in a tree across the gulch from the trail. Arundel, Maine

Gray Squirrel hanging upside down as it feasted in the tree across the gulch from the trail. Both images were taken with the new lens, doing much better at filling the frame. Arundel, Maine

      All of those experiences paled in comparison to what happened on Labor Day Weekend. I set off for my walk with the new lens in my bag, hoping to hit four miles again and not expecting too much in terms of bird or other wildlife. It was a nice day out, not too hot like so many other weekends had been in the last month. I meandered along, not seeing or hearing much, even most of the insects seemed to have disappeared.

      I spent a little while at the first bench just past the bridge at the Kennebunk/Arundel town line. I saw a few birds fly in, but they were gone again before I could get my camera out. So, I decided to continue on to the next bench at the first major road crossing. I sat down to look and listen, but again, there wasn’t much activity. I got up and headed back the way I’d come, stopping at the bench by the bridge once more. I decided to go ahead and get my camera out and just wait, and maybe I’d get lucky. That seemed to be the area where I usually found the most wildlife.

      After a while of not managing to get anything in frame, I was just thinking about possibly putting the camera away and finishing my walk when I noticed a young girl running across the bridge toward me. Her family was back beyond the bridge, so I wasn’t sure what was going on, wondering if she’d maybe dropped something when they’d ridden past on their bikes a few minutes earlier. However, when she got close enough, the girl said there was a porcupine just on the other side of the bridge! I bolted up off the bench and hurried after her as she led me to where everyone was waiting.

My first glimpse of the juvenile porcupine. Kennebunk, Maine

      Her parents pointed to the edge of the trees, and there was a young porcupine munching away at the brush on the ground! I thanked them profusely for letting me know. I set my hiking poles against the fence, then crept forward along the trail to a spot where the porcupine wasn’t too hidden from view. I started taking loads of photos, unable to believe my good fortune. I struggled a bit as the little guy moved around and the sun poked in and out of the clouds, but I didn’t care. I just kept shooting, so happy with the experience that if I didn’t manage to get any good photos, it would still be an awesome day.

The young porcupine looking at a leaf trying to decide if it was worth eating. Kennebunk, Maine

The sunlight and shadows made photography hard, but I like this photo with the sunlight catching one of his eyes. Kennebunk, Maine

The sunlight and shadows weren't too bad here as the juvenile porcupine looked at another leaf to munch. Kennebunk, Maine

Another photo where the sunlight managed to catch the little porcupine's eye without too much distraction with the shadows. Kennebunk, Maine

      There was a slightly older girl standing there with us, not part of the other family. When I mentioned I’d never seen a porcupine in real life before, she mentioned that she had seen this little one the day before when she’d been walking their dog with her dad. Apparently, the porcupine had been sitting on the fence on the other side of the trail then. He hadn’t been bothered at all by the people or dogs then, and he definitely didn’t seem bothered by the attention today.

The young porcupine moved a bit further back, and the sun dipped behind some clouds, making the lighting more even for this photo. Kennebunk, Maine

While the eye wasn't as visible in the even lighting, I still liked this photo with the pop of red amongst the green leaves. Kennebunk, Maine

This is one of my favorite photos of the young porcupine with him holding a branch as he munched away. Kennebunk, Maine

      Eventually, the others all left, while I continued taking photos, moving back and forth along the trail and fence for the best views. Whenever other folks came along, if they asked what I was looking at, or if they had kids or dogs, I pointed out the little porcupine so they could see him or steer clear, as necessary. Everyone was super respectful, and those interested, would join me for a few minutes to watch and get photos with their phones.

The young porcupine moved back closer to the fence, and the sun popped out of the clouds. With a fixed telephoto lens, he was almost too close at times, making it hard to get his whole body in the frame. The leafy cover and dappled light helped hide that fact, allowing me to still get some good photos. Kennebunk, Maine

The dappled sunlight wasn't too overwhelming here and nicely highlighted his face. Kennebunk, Maine

The little porcupine stood up on his hind legs to grasp a bush and pull it down for him to eat. This is another favorite photo. Kennebunk, Maine

The juvenile porcupine looking at me while munching on the bush close to the fence. Kennebunk, Maine

      After a good half-hour or 45 minutes or so, it looked like the little porcupine was going to be heading down the hill into the trees soon. I was the only one around and decided to call it a day. I wished him well and thanked him for letting me photograph him, then grabbed my hiking poles and headed back to the bench so I could pack away my camera. I finished my walk on cloud nine, so happy to have had such a wonderful experience. I don’t know if I’ll ever see that little porcupine again, but I do know I will keep an eye out for him on all my walks on that section of the Eastern Trail from now on.

      I was still over the moon by the time I made it back to my jeep. Having only seen porcupines on the road or at the zoo before now, spending time with one so unexpectedly in the wild was simply amazing. I am so grateful that family sent their daughter to tell me about the little porcupine. The fact that he was so close, stayed around for a while, and was completely relaxed was just such a pleasure. I still can’t quite believe I had the privilege to photograph that adorable little porcupine. While I hope to get other chances to spend time with porcupines in the wild, this was an experience I won’t ever forget.

Another favorite photo with a leaf hanging out of his mouth while he looked at folks walking by on the trail. Kennebunk, Maine