It is that time of year again. The annual migration of hummingbirds has been in full swing the last few weeks. Here are a few of my favorites from this summer.
Hummingbirds
Tag: nature
Plain Little Birds
Photos from a recent walk along the river. These two tiny species are difficult to photograph but I managed. A Marsh Wren and a Bushtit decided to be cooperative.
Share this:
Random Summer Flowers
Share this:
Random Insects
I am enjoying the process of learning my way around the new camera equipment. It is excellent at insect photography. Sharing some random photos taken over the summer.
Share this:
I am a Scaredy Cat, Scared of Cats and…
I believe that I have mentioned that I am scared of the dark. Even when looking at trail cam photos that are taken at night, I have a little dread of what I might see. So, imagine my feelings when this guy showed up on my cameras. What he was doing out there between 4:00 AM and 4:30 AM I will never know. I can’t imagine wandering around in the dark without benefit of any light source in this area. He doesn’t look like an avid outdoorsman and honestly looks pretty creepy. I am also sure he had no idea of that there are so many mountain lions in the area.
I used to go out to check cameras right at sunrise. No more. In addition to the suspicious activity with humans, there are now 6 mountain lions I have showing up on cameras. Momma lion with her half grown 3 kittens and two of her full-grown kittens from last year who are on their own now.
Monitoring the area for the last 5 years I have never gotten daytime photos of the lions until this summer. When the cats where entirely nocturnal I was more comfortable. Now they appear to be bold enough to be seen at any time of day. I am waiting until midday to retrieve my memory cards, staying hyper vigilant and upping my game from bear spray to wearing a sidearm. I think I will carry an airhorn as well as it could be a good deterrent.
Share this:
Annual Summer Trek
Every summer my sisters, my mother, and a changing cast of friends and cousins gather in our hometown. We rent several cottages on the lake we grew up on and for a week we pretend we never left our community. We share meals and memories, catch up and chill out, reconnect and dream of moving back home. None of us ever will but we daydream about it. My sisters fly in from New York and Alaska while one makes the shorter journey from Spokane. I drive 900 miles one way because I like to drive the back roads and look at the country.
After several years of making the drive in an exhausting one-day drive, I decided to break it up into two days, make some short side trips and take some photos if opportunities arose. I’ve settled on my favorite route which takes me through some of my favorite areas in Eastern Oregon and northern Nevada. After saying goodbye to the Interstate at Winnemucca my path takes me through Denio, Fields, Frenchglen, the Malheur Wildlife Refuge, Burns, Seneca, John Day and Pilot Rock. Two lane highways and small towns all the way to the Canadian border.
Because of the more leisurely pace, I could stop and take photos of the wildlife along the way. What follows is an eclectic collection of some of the critters that wandered into my field of view.
Share this:
Mountain Lions
After about 5 years of monitoring the area with my Trail Cameras, I finally got daytime photos of the Mountain Lions. It was a jackpot of photos so forgive me for sharing probably too many of them. It looks like Mama Lion has said farewell to last year’s mostly grown kittens. She now has 3 healthy half-grown kittens following her around. They actually lay down in front of one of the cameras and relaxed, played around and groomed themselves.
I was thrilled to see all the excellent daytime photos but was also alarmed to look at some of the times stamped. They are pretty much active in the area at some of the very times I am out grabbing the memory cards out of the cameras. It has been very hot and not so many people are venturing out there during the day which explains the Lions unusual daytime activity.
I hope the fawns can avoid the cats, but I am sure with three mouths to feed some will undoubtedly fall prey to the Lion family. One of the photos shows a kitten with a deer leg in its mouth. By the size it looks like a mature deer, but it is inevitable that the Lions will take a toll on the fawns.
Share this:
Great Horned Owls
This spring I encountered Great Horned Owls both in person and on my trail cameras. An owl family set up housekeeping near my camera route. On a particularly windy day the mama owl and baby roosted low enough in the trees to avoid the gusts and I was able to get some photos though the lighting was bad.
Share this:
New Generation
Lots of fawns showing up on the trail cameras this summer. It looks like the first week of June is when most of them are born. I am seeing at least one set of twins which is not unusual for Mule Deer. I caught some interaction between bucks and fawns which is interesting. More bucks are hanging out with does through the summer than I have seen in the past. They usually break away into bachelor groups until the fall. Animal behavior is always interesting.
Share this:
Desert Pelicans
Living in the desert, a long way from the ocean, it is always a bit of a shock but a pleasant surprise to see American White Pelicans return in the Spring and Summer. I run into them on the river and lakes in the area. There is a large breeding colony on Anaho Island in Pyramid Lake.
Northern Desert Photography 