Tag: wildlife

Goodbye Little Friends

I typically get obsessed with a topic or subject to photograph for a while and then it becomes all-consuming for some time. This summer it was hummingbirds. I had never been successful attracting them to my backyard so this year I made a project out of it. First I replaced some of my plants with surefire Hummer attracting plants. Then I got rid of the feeder that the Hummers could never figure out how to feed from. Then purchased some inexpensive feeders and hung them up and what do you know? I had hummingbirds all over my back yard!

The type of hummingbird that seemed to dominate my yard and the feeders is the Rufous Hummingbird. These little guys are feisty. They put on aerial acrobatics that would rival a Blue Angels air show vying to be the Lord of the Feeders. For many weeks I sat outside in the early morning and evenings and enjoyed their company. They soon let me sit right by the feeders and take pictures of them. I did not seem to bother them at all. They buzzed my old Labrador retriever a few times and she got cranky about it and barked at them which did not seem to impress the birds.

Sadly, last evening I went out to watch them and not a single bird showed up. The local newspaper said they were getting ready to migrate but I thought it is still summer! Surely they are not leaving yet? I sat there until dark and did not hear their little chirps announcing they were there or the shrill sounds of combat my dogs and I have grown accustomed to. This morning I saw a couple of birds visit the feeders but the days of seeing 6 or 7 at once seem to have passed. With their departure comes the first whisper of winter. I will miss them until they return next summer.

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.

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.

After Christmas, Along the River

After Christmas, it felt good to get out into the brisk, and I do mean brisk, it was 12 degrees out this morning at sun up. I stopped several places along the river and found deer and a variety of birds. I am not the greatest at identifying birds but I do believe this is a great horned owl, a red tailed hawk and a white crested sparrow and maybe a purple finch. I added a better photo of the owl that I took last May in the exact same spot. Saw some mule deer too which is always a nice bonus.

Wildlife

11-18-2011:  For me wildlife photography has been largely a collection of happy accidents. I go out to take photos of something specific and am fortunate enough to happen upon animals doing their thing. It seems as if I purposefully go out the opportunities elude me. Lately though, I have been finding quiet spots to hide in and wait and have been rewarded for my patience. I have also startled and been startled by coyotes and deer where we both frightened each other by not being aware of each other’s presence. It can be a bit frightening to hear something crashing through the brush and not be sure what it is until the last-minute. My luck is holding so far with no mountain lions or bears bursting out of the brush. Fingers crossed… : )

11-29-2011: I have discovered a couple of really good places to find deer. So now my photos are no longer happy accidents but have become a deliberate obsession. Stalking and finding deer, especially big bucks has become an all-consuming passion. I think of the photos with big racks as a type of porn. Antler porn!; and it is a pretty addictive activity for me.