Camera Critters #287

I saw a bumblebee Friday.

No, not the one pictured here.  The bumblebee I saw was crawling across the road.  I believe the mid 20s temperatures we have had the past couple of days is now taking it’s toll on the insect life.

The bee pictured below, is from a series of shots I made in late April 2013.  However, the one I saw ‘crossing’ the street looked very similar.



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Camera Critters #286

Can it really be that time of the year again?



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Camera Critters #285

The other day I went into my kitchen to pour myself a cup of coffee.  As I stood there, blurry-eyed and all, I noticed movement outside on the apple tree.  Looking up, I saw a critter crawling around the bigger branches.



 The critter was a female Downy Woodpecker.

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Camera Critters #283

From what I have read on the internet, this dragonfly, the Variegated Meadowhawk, or Sympetrum corruptum, has been on a migratory move.

I guess I was lucky to capture this possible female of the species as it stopped by Fireman’s Pond.



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Camera Critters #282

This Great Basin Fence Lizard is nicely showing off its blue coat.  Although this image was taken during the mating season, it is still a beautiful critter.

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Camera Critters #281

Last week I showed off a “life” bird for me…the Anna’s Hummingbird.

This week, it’s another hummingbird, but not a “life” bird.

It’s a female Rufous Hummingbird.



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Camera Critters #280

Since it is difficult for me to travel to new places to see new birds, bugs and mammals, it is always nice for me when I can find a “lifer” right in my own backyard.



It is a female Anna’s Hummingbird.  This particular species has expanded it range northward and is now rather common in my area.

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Camera Critters #279

Earlier this week, I heard an odd sound outside.  I knew it was a hawk, but what kind?





The bird had me stumped for a few seconds, but after looking at it through the lens of my camera while shooting photos of it, I realized what it was.

It was an Intermediate Adult Red-tailed Hawk.

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Camera Critters #278

For the past week or so, I have had a daily visitor to the trees near my place.  And it is a noisy visitor.



He sits in one of three trees and constantly calls out.  At least he waits until I am awake.

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Camera Critters #277

Every year, around the first of August, shorebirds begin moving through central Oregon.  Being birds of water, they often stop by the sewage ponds north of town.
This Wilson’s Phalarope was no exception.

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Camera Critters #276

I’ve gone to an area near where I live which I call “Lizard Lands” a number of times lately.  Each time I was unable to find a reptile of any type.

A couple of days ago, I found out why…a feral cat is hanging out in the area. 

So, I decided to walk the other side of the canyon and guess what I found!



It’s a juvenile Side-blotched Lizard.  It stuck around long enough for me to get a couple of photos and then it disappeared into the rocks.

Lucky for it, the cat hasn’t found his hiding place.

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Camera Critters #275

Wood Ducks are not a common sight in my area.  The species is listed as uncommon in the fall, winter and spring, and rare in the summer months.

Imagine my surprise when, on July 3, I located a fatherless family of Wood Ducks doing their best to escape me as I approached the shore of a pond north of Redmond, Oregon.



One of these days I just might find the father and get a photo of him also.

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Camera Critters #274

This past week has been the hottest days of the year for central Oregon.  On one of the hottest days (a new record was set with a high temperature of 102), I packed up my saddlebags, hopped on the bicycle and headed to the ponds six miles north of town.

I normally see a wide variety of dragonflies, birds and on rare occasions, other critters.

As I walked the perimeter of the pond, stopping now and then to image something, I noticed something in the distance which my brain couldn’t reconcile.

As I got closer, I realized it was a Common Garter Snake cooling off in the water.  It’s head was poking through the surface scum on the pond with the rest of its body well out of the sun.



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Camera Critters #273

It’s a Cathartes aura!  In other words, a Turkey Vulture.

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Camera Critters #272

I live in the middle of town…almost.  I think I’m a couple of blocks from the geographic center, but I am close enough to say I live in the middle of town.

Last night (Thursday night, Friday morning), I woke to a strange sound…one I hadn’t heard since I moved from outside of town to where I live now.

It was the howl of Coyotes.

I can only guess the critters were in the dry canyon, which is a couple of blocks north of where I live.

Although the photo below is of a coyote, it probably isn’t one I heard howling.  This image was taken a number of years ago while I was walking the grounds of the old golf course just west of town.



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Camera Critters #271

It is always a good day when I cross paths with one of the three species of lizards commonly found in this area.

The little fella here is a Great Basin Fence Lizard, which is a subspecies of the Western Fence Lizard.  And, for obvious reasons, they are nicknamed “Blue-bellies.”



And now a special treat for those of you who have those red/blue 3D glasses.  This image is the same lizards shot with my new toy…a Fujifilm 3D W3 camera.



Sharp-eyed viewers might notice the fly on the right of the image.

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Camera Critters #270

A couple of weeks ago, I showed you a photo of a Red-tailed Hawk keeping an eye on its tormenter.

Now, I show you a Western Tanager keeping an eye on dinner.



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Camera Critters #269

Say hello to my little friend!



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Camera Critters #268

During my walking safaris around town, I often see smaller birds harassing larger birds…Robin diving on Crows…Crows diving on Ravens…that sort of thing.  And every time I attempt to photograph what I see. The images always turn out to look like two birds flying close to each other.

However, while out on a walk earlier this week, I came across Ravens harassing a couple of Red-tailed Hawks.  I stopped and began putting what I was seeing on my SD card, all the while thinking, “I’m probably not going to get anything worth anything.”

But this time, the photo gods were with me.  Although the image isn’t in good focus (I was pointing the camera almost straight up at the time and wanting to fall backwards), I could still seeing the value in the image.

Raven harassing Red-tail Hawk

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Camera Critters #267

For many years, I have tried to get a good image of an Orange-crowned Warbler. It's not that it is a hard to find bird, it's just never in a good spot for me to get a good shot. Plus...the bird won't hold still long enough for my camera to focus on it.

But earlier this week, I was able to find one in the apple tree in my back yard and was able to put camera to it and snap off about 100 shots. I figured at least one of the shots had to be good.

Well, I got two good shots...plus a number of decent shots.





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