Camera Critters #181

It’s 91 degrees as I type this post…it’s also the first day of Fall.

But today, I heard a bird which is generally a sign of Winter coming.

That bird is the Townsend’s Solitaire.

A member of the same family the American Robin is in, it can normally be seen at the tops of trees, calling.

The bird is overall grayish with buff colored patches on the wings and  a complete white ring around its eyes.

Misty Dawn’s Camera Critter Meme is a great way see critters the world over. Go to the homepage here to see more. Then join the fun and add your own.

Camera Critters #180

Several weeks ago, I walked the River Trail at Smith Rock State Park near Terrebonne, Oregon.  While there, I photographed a few things that looked good and something that was new.

I came across the following wasps on what could be American Wintercress having a great time pollen hunting.  As I looked at the critters, I realized there was some beauty in them…bluish wings and brown, hairy bodies, were something I didn’t remember seeing before. 

So I shot them.

 

It took me quite sometime to identify these wasps, but I do believe they are Scoliid wasps, possibly Scolia nobilitata.

Misty Dawn’s Camera Critter Meme is a great way see critters the world over. Go to the homepage here to see more. Then join the fun and add your own.

Camera Critter #179

I see jays often. In the mountains I see Stellar Jays, sometimes even Gray Jays. In town, I always see Scrub Jays.

What I don’t see is Blue Jays. It’s not that they aren’t out here, normally they aren’t. But during the winter a Blue Jay will show up…but never when and where I go to see it.

I knew that if I was to ever get a photo of a Blue Jay, I would have to head east. So in late April I was in Illinois and I looked and looked for a Blue Jay so I could shoot it (with my Canon of course).

On one of my last days there, I was at my mom’s place and there, in the trees, eyeballing her feed station, was a Blue Jay.

Misty Dawn’s Camera Critter Meme is a great way see critters the world over. Go to the homepage here to see more. Then join the fun and add your own.

Camera Critters #178

The American Robin is a resident where I live year round.  During the winter, the population grows to the millions.  Go to the Juniper badlands around here during that time of the year and you’ll most likely get tired of seeing Robins and another bird which gathers here in large numbers during the cold months…the Northern Flicker.

Recently, I walked the River Trail at Smith Rock State Park for about half its length (decided to turn around when thunderstorms began forming…don’t want to be in a canyon area when rains come).  The trail I took is highlighted in red on this page -- http://www.nwhiker.com/SmithRockHike.html 

It is a gorgeous hike and one I have made several times.

On this trip, I came across a lot of Robins…but not just any Robin, but juvenile Robins.  I don’t think I saw a mature Robin the entire hike.

Misty Dawn’s Camera Critter Meme is a great way see critters the world over. Go to the homepage here to see more. Then join the fun and add your own.