Category: Uncategorized

I am getting ready for my vacation in September. Two weeks of hiking so I have been in training. I have not been taking as many pictures because I have been speed hiking to prepare myself. I did take my camera out today and in spite of rushing across the landscape before the temperature exceeded 90, I was lucky to see quite a bit to photograph.

Ran into two coyotes and was fortunate that I saw them before they saw me. I think the sun was in their eyes and I was able to get off a few snaps before they hightailed it out of there. Noticed some wild horses coming down to water across the river and with the water between us they were fairly relaxed about my presence. My concerns about the drought taking a toll on them have unfortunately been warrented. These pictures are pretty hard to look at. This particular band does not seem to be feeding well at all. You can see every rib, hip bones are jutting out and you can count their vertebrae in their backbones. There is plenty of water to drink but the lack of snow and rain this spring meant very little grew for them to eat. They are not going into the hard months in  good shape.

I almost ran into this doe while she was doing a trim job on the lower branches of a cottonwood. I actually saw more wildlife today than I do when I am trying to be stealthy. Not sure what can be learned from that!

A Tiny Bit of Recognition

Why do I blog? Why do I post Photos? Because just like many of you who write, or draw, or paint or are photographers, you want someone to read or look at your art. What would be the point of doing it if no one saw it or read it right? It is discouraging to create in a vacuum and not have any feedback of any kind. Maybe there are people who don’t need any interaction with others but I think they are few. My husband is kind enough to look at my photos and make nice comments but it is encouraging to have more neutral opinions and critiques of our work. You wonder, am I wasting my time at this? Do I have any talent or any ability when it comes to your chosen creative outlet? I would keep  working on my photography even if I was told I was wasting my time because I absolutely love it and the connection I get to the natural world while taking pictures. I was a little excited to learn that one of my photos was chosen to be the photo of the day for the Nature Conservancy Web site for Friday, July 27. The photo posted with this entry is the one that was selected. It was a tiny hint that maybe I am not entirely wasting my time with my camera.   Cheers!

More Weed Lovers

I had another bust day with my friend the Kingfisher. I positioned myself opposite the branches he had been diving off the day before and of course he switched it up on me and dove off a dead tree where I had been sitting yesterday. Oh well. On the walk out I stopped by the patch of Milkweed thistle again as they were seeing quite a bit of activity. Two butterflies a house finch and much to my surprise and delight a couple of hummingbirds.  The orange winged insect is a Tarantula Hawk. You have to love that name. Any insect that hunts big spiders has me as a fan.  I stayed around and got photos of everyone who was taking advantage of the bounty that the purple flowers had to offer. No day outside is wasted!

Dreamy Dragonflies

One of the reasons I like photography is that as an A type personality it teaches me patience. I have always loved the outdoors and growing up I went hunting and fishing with a single minded purpose of bagging game or catching fish. With my camera I can still have a goal, because yes I need one, and get outside and explore the natural world. I used to get frustrated when I went out to take pictures of something specific with a specific target in mind and failed to accomplish what I set out to do. I have learned that nature and wildlife photography does not work that way of course.  It has taught me to expect, and more importantly to enjoy, the unexpected, the unforseen and this has been a revelation for me a planner and goal oriented person who does not like surprises.

Today I sat in the sagebrush for hours by the edge of a small pond with the goal of trying to take an action photo of a Kingfisher taking a fish from the water. I blew the shot. I sat in the wrong spot and did not have a good angle. The shots were blurry and I threw them out. I had a wonderful time though. Dragonflies kept me company and I had fun trying to take photos of these fast moving insects. After sitting still for several hours a mule deer doe walked right by me and bedded down about 25 feet from where I was sitting. She never saw me until I finally got up to leave misson unaccomplished but I had a wonderful time.

Summer Velvet

The deer have been hanging out in the hay fields enjoying the first cutting. The Mule deer bucks are growing their new sets of horns in preparation for autumn contests. Now they are all in velvet without the hard, sharp edges and points that will be present in a few months. It is nice seeing them with this more relaxed and laid back attitude.

Were there Antelope on the Antelope Refuge? Yup!

I got so excited about seeing California Bighorn Sheep on the Hart Mountain Antelope Refuge I forgot that the main purpose of my visit was to see and take photographs of Antelope or Pronghorn. We saw plenty of them on our three-day visit. Both far away in big herds and close up in small groups. They are beautiful animals with an exotic look that makes you think of the gazelle and antelope of Africa.  In a way they were left behind when most of the animals that they evolved with died out. They would fit right in on the African plains. They evolved thousands of years ago when two species of cheetah hunted in North America. With the disappearance of the cheetah in North America there is no predator left alive here that can run down a healthy adult Pronghorn. They can run at bursts fo 60 miles per hour and maintain speeds of 45 miles per hour for up to an hour.

Waiting

Abandoned places make wonderful subjects for photographers. I am attracted to them like everyone else. Especially the old homesteads that can be found scattered across the Great Basin. As you pick your way through  old sites you wonder: Who lived here? What was it like with just the wind and meadowlarks keeping you company day after day? The nearest neighbor might be as far away as forty miles over bad road. What finally happened to make you pick up and leave?

On a recent trip to Eastern Oregon I found two such places and in one case was lucky enough to have some clouds race by for some of the photos. Black and white seems to suit this type of picture. I am not much of a poet but was inspired to write a little poem thinking about these forlorn and lonely places. They stand alone while the elements work on wiping them off the landscape.

This is a Nonet.  Only nine lines with the first having nine syllables and subtracting a syllable for each line thereafter. Rhyming is optional too.

Waiting

Waiting for them to come back as if
They never left you in the wind
and brutal sun  to shoulder
Winter’s heavy snows year
after year for them
You wait until
you give in
Falling
Down

Hart Mountain Antelope Refuge ~ Bighorn Sheep

I just got back from spending three glorious days on the Hart Mountain Antelope Refuge in Eastern Oregon.  My cousin from Bend met me in Plush which acted as our base camp. The Refuge was wonderful and teeming with wildlife. We were extremely lucky to run into a herd of California Bighorn Rams before we even got to the Refuge proper. There were about 17 rams altogether hanging out at lower elevations near water. We were able to get quite close to them and take some photographs. We ran into this same herd on the way back to Plush.

The Hart Mountain California Bighorn herds have been used to repopulate Bighorn Sheep in many areas of Oregon and the west where the sheep have disappeared or are in decline. It was a thrill to see them up close like this.

The landscape photo shows you the terrain we found the Sheep hanging out in.

Hope you enjoy the photos as well.

Along the River; Late Spring

As I walked along the river early this morning the bird song was almost deafening at times. It is the kind of noise you should not mind though and I certainly didn’t! The more I visit this Nature Conservancy property the more impressed I am with the work they have done restoring the river habitat. I became a member after my last visit as I was so grateful for being able to visit such a wonderful place. It is teeming with birds, and wildlife of all kinds. I look forward to spending many hours there in all seasons working on my photography. Photos from this day include an Osprey, Jack Rabbits and Cottontail. I am not sure about the little birds. I think one is a house wren and the other a song sparrow. I saw several giant bullfrogs and a variety of lizards as well.