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 Critters #149

Western Meadowhawks are a common dragonfly in my area.  I guess they like the hot, dryness of the high desert as much as I do.

However, when I shot this guy this past summer, I didn’t know the hitchhiker on the tail end.  Looks like mites will latch on to anything.

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 #73

When I am out making images, I shoot anything and everything...then worry about it when I get back home. I don't even look at the shots until I get them up on my computer. But that's where the fun begins.

Every image I make is done in RAW format, and when the light is right, in manual mode using the Sunny 16 Rule. I have found a nice workflow which makes turning the RAW image into a uploadable photo, quick and easy.

But before I upload, I want the person looking at the photo to know what they are looking at. So, I'll spend hours checking my reference books and looking through various online sites for an identification. I haven't shot many critters which I can't ID, but there is one group which constantly gives me fits. That group is moths.

Below are seven moths from my area of the high desert which I can not identify.







Maybe someday I'll locate a good reference and be able to put a name to these critters.

Misty Dawn's Camera Critter Meme is a great way to see critters of all types. Go to the Meme homepage here and check out more entries. Then join the fun and let the world see your critters!

Camera Critters #53

My area of the Pacific Northwest finally hit the 70 degree mark this past week. It made for a couple of days of good safaris.

Some of the nicer things I came across during the safaris were sure-fire signs of Spring.

The first was a Western Meadowlark singing away at the top of a Juniper Tree along the Dry Canyon Trail in Redmond, Oregon. Note the gorgeous blue sky of the High Desert. It reminds me of something, somewhere, but I can't put a finger on it.

Not far from the meadowlark, I watched a Side-blotched Lizard. For some reason, I only see them during the Spring. We have a couple of other lizards which take over their territory during the Summers.

Finally, and not really a sign of Spring to me, I came across a couple of Crows. One stuck around and watched me try to climb the sandy hillside I where from the top, I would be able to get a good shot of his partner. But I no more than got reached the top, when the target Crow flew off...so I turned around and took a picture of the one left behind. I swear I could hear him laughing at me every time I slipped on the way up the hillside.

Well, at least Spring sprung for a couple of days on the High Desert.

I hope you enjoyed my post this week. If you would like to see more Camera Critters, just drop by the website here run by Misty Dawn and then join in the fun with an entry of your own.

Camera Critters #50

Friday was the first day of Spring.

And with Spring comes warm weather and Summer's favorite...flies.

Everyone is familiar with the common House Fly and the Green Bottle Fly. Or maybe you see one of their cousins, which are also known as House Flies. There are many of them.

But there are a lot of other species of flies. In the past I have introduced readers to some of those other species, including one of my favorites, the Robber Fly. However, today I want present some of the other members of the family known as flies.

Common House Fly

Green Bottle Fly

Flesh Fly

Tachinid Fly

Bee Fly

Bee Fly

Bee Fly

Bee Fly

Syrphid Fly

Bee Fly

Bee Fly

Bee Fly

Thick Headed Fly

Thick Headed Fly

As you can see, there are many types of flies. The Bee Fly species is one of the largest and my current favorite fly family. However, the colorfulness of the Thick Headed Fly runs a close second.

Once these small critters of the high desert area of central Oregon start flying again, I'll be out trying to capture a portrait of more of them.

I hope you enjoyed my post this week. If you would like to see more Camera Critters, just drop by the website here run by Misty Dawn and then join in the fun with an entry of your own.

Camera Critter Time Again

It's Camera Critter Sunday time of the week again. And keeping with the prehistoric look theme, may I present a Western Fence Lizard.

Not only do I love this image, but most folks who have seen it, love it also. I found this little fella in the badland areas near the old golf course in Redmond. I first saw him on top of a tree stump and as I approached him, he disappeared down the side. I have a lot of shots of these common lizards, but none showing the underside which is a gorgeous blue color. So I approached the stump slowly and moved around the side of it even slower until I saw the lizard. He was in perfect position for the shot, so I took a couple, moved a little more, took a couple more, moved a little more and he disappeared.

But I got what I wanted. I hope you all like it.