May 2014 – Pueblo Mountains
This owl was one of two chicks in a nest along Cottonwood Creek.
Great Horned Owl
May 2014 – Malheur National Wildlife Area
Just a few hours after the above photo… another Great Horned Owl nest. This one had older chicks and a mother bird keeping watch.
Great Horned Owl
May 2014 – Pueblo Mountains, Oregon
A much clearer photo of this often shy bird. I found these to be quite common in the higher-elevation sagebrush of the Pueblo Mountains. Perhaps that’s partly due to the isolated nature of the place.
Horned Lark
June 2004 – Mt. Townsend, WA
A Horned Lark, with his meal in beak… flying around the alpine meadows on top of Mt. Townsend in the Olympic Peninsula
Horned Lark
May 2014 – Hart Mountain NAR, Oregon
It was kind of strange seeing this bird in a hot desert area… perched in a bush. But, whatever… There are small bits of early summer wetlands in the Warner Valley, which is where this photo was taken.
Willet
May 2014 – Petroglyph Lake, Oregon
There were a number of Avocets at Petroglyph Lake, and I was able to sneak up a bit on them…
American Avocet
May 2012 – Lower Klamath Lake, California
Nice to see some Avocets on Lower Klamath Lake… Just couldn’t get much closer on this trip.
American Avocet
I spent a bunch of time chasing this bird from tree to tree to tree, and round back again.
Orange-crowned Warbler
An Orange-crowned Warbler flares its tail for a moment. Not the sharpest photo, but at the moment, the only one I have. This bird is common, but can be difficult to photograph, as it spends much of its time high in the treetops, and hardly stays still for a moment.
Orange-crowned Warbler
May 2014- Champoeg State Park, Oregon
A Violet-green Swallow stretches its wings. These birds look similar to the more common Tree Swallow, but note how the white surrounds most of the eye. This one was hanging out with a bunch of Tree Swallows.
Violet-green Swallow
June 2008 – Smith Rock State Park, Oregon
Smith Rock State Park is a great habitat for swallows. There are plenty of steep inaccessible nesting locations, and the nearby crooked river ensures a steady supply of insects for food, and water. This was another one of those opportunistic shots – the swallow just paused for a moment…
Violet-Green Swallow
May 2014 – Cottonwood Canyon – John Day River, Oregon
I’ve seen these in many other places, but never managed to get a decent photo till now. This one was near the top of a juniper tree, but I managed to climb a nearby hillside to get a “bird’s eye view” as it were…
Townsend’s Warbler
May 2014 – Cottonwood Canyon – John Day River, Oregon
Gray Flycatcher
If you stand below a lone tree in a canyon, pretty soon something will appear. And so it did.
There are about 4 species of Flycatcher that look very similar. I’ve deduced this is a Gray Flycatcher, but wouldn’t be surprised if I got that wrong.
May 2014 – Cottonwood Canyon – John Day River, Oregon
Golden Eagle
I did a bit of a double-take on this bird… and almost couldn’t believe that I was seeing it. While Golden Eagles aren’t rare, they’re not exactly common either. It’s been years since I’ve seen one previously. This one was soaring low over steep hillsides, no doubt hoping to flush-up an unsuspecting meal.
May 2014 – Cottonwood Canyon – John Day River, Oregon
Western Kingbird
Saw a few pairs of these… they always seem to be in pairs.