PHOTO OF THE WEEK!

PHOTO OF THE WEEK - Birdwatching Magazine

I'm honored to have this photo chosen as Photo of the Week by Birdwatching Magazine.  They receive hundreds of submissions each day and decided this one was the pick of the week!  I guess it's a very appropriate photo for Halloween week!!

Until next time...have a great one!

Fall Feathers

On the weekend of my sister's wonderful wedding I got a chance to get some closeups of a few songbirds at Bubba and Shirley Cameron's bird feeder.  We were there to clean up after the festivities...but I took some time out and grabbed my D300s and set up for a few shots.

Click on any photo for a larger view.

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) 

 I love this shot...the colors and subject just make me happy!!

Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis)

 These small passerines are sometimes hard to photograph.  They flit around from limb to limb and before you can focus...poof, they're gone!  I watched this one land on the same limb three or four times...so instead of following his path around in circles...I focused on the limb and waited for him to land.  It worked...and I love his attitude in this shot!

Juvenile Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

 I like this shot because the juvenile male isn't quite as brilliant as most cardinal photos you see.  His unique grey and the pose made the shot for me.

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) 

Another shot where I focused on a limb and waited for the cardinal to come back.  Sometimes shooting in a back yard can be just as rewarding as being out in the woods...and just as challenging!

Thanks again to the Camerons for letting me capture some great images (oh...and letting Britt get married) at their place!

Until next time...have a great one!

Fall on Sauvie Island

I had the opportunity to get some pretty nice shots on Sauvie Island, just north and west of the Portland city limits.  I went out to deliver something to the ODFW office and decided to scout around for some future photo opps...

Click on any photo for a larger view.

Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis) dancing in a field.

This is one of my favorites of the year!  I never imagined it would look so much like a painting.  I slowed the shutter speed just enough to keep some movement on the wings so you could see the dance the way I did in the field...

Great Blue Herons (Ardia herodias) skirmish line

I had to look twice to determine these weren't Sandhill Cranes...I'd been photographing cranes just a few minutes before.  These herons were stalking forward in this formation apparently trying to flush out prey.

Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 

This hawk dive-bombed something in a plowed field and was then nice enough to pose for a couple shots.  I never saw what he was after, but apparently he missed!  I love the browns and rust colors in this photo.

Cackling geese (Branta hutchinsii) - formerly Small Canada Geese

I thought these guys might fly right in the truck with me!  There were literally thousands of geese, cranes, and other birds on the island when I was there.  I love the way the geese pop out of this photo...and the colors aren't bad either!

All in all it was a great day on Sauvie...for what was supposed to be a scouting trip!  I'll be heading back in a few weeks with a focus (pun intended) on raptors.  

Until next time...have a great one!

Summer Color

Front yard daisy.

Cosmos.

More Cosmos.

Sunflowers went crazy this year...

American Goldfinch on Cosmos.  They love them in the fall.

A great summer for flowers and veggies this year.  We are just getting done with the last of our tomatoes and peppers!

I have some great wildlife shots from a couple trips this fall...so check back soon!

some late summer pics

Had some great family visits this summer...a few of my favorite pics below.  

Cousins.Barrett, Lauren, Jared, Nathan.  On the trailhead at Multnomah Falls.

Cool shot in the tunnel under Hwy 84 at Multnomah Falls.

Jared, Barrett and Lauren in a tidepool - Newport Beach.

Mom and Dad on the dock at Newport Bay.

Cousins at the "Octopus Tree".

My favorite from the Oregon Coast Aquarium.  Anchovies!

Puffin at the Oregon Coast Aquarium.  He was the king of the aviary.

Mom, Dad, Glo, Becky, Nathan and Barrett all came up and hung with us for a while during our great summer.  Did a lot of driving around and checking out water falls, the coast, the mountains, a couple lakes...and our great neighborhood.  Can't wait to do it all again soon!