Checkered Skipper Butterfly In The High Desert | Mrsroadrunner Photography

Checkered Skipper Butterfly In The High Desert | Mrsroadrunner Photography




Meet the Checkered Skipper Butterfly! This skipper Butterfly is a common Skipper here in our area.





The area in which I was for these photographs is a marshy area. If you are not careful where you step you may get wet! This is part of a gully that we have here in our town. I have hiked quite far in this gully and it just keeps going and going! Not all this gully has water, though more then on top does!





The Skipper Butterflies are called Skippers for how they seam to, "skip", as they fly.  All Skipper Butterflies have the body structure you see above. This is how you break down this species of Butterfly when identification is needed.





This Checkered Skipper Butterfly was not feeding, but seamed to be sunning itself in the shot above? All Butterflies tend to use us as kind of a shield when hiking. The Butterflies tend to flutter around us, my theory is so the birds will stay away?? If you have noticed I have a lot of Butterfly Photographs, many more then I share! Identification on my part takes me a lot of my time.....There are so many Butterflies!!

Thank you for coming by and checking out my photographs of this this Checkered Skipper Butterfly!

Rufous Hummingbird In The High Desert

Rufous Hummingbird In The High Desert


Meet the Rufous Hummingbird! This is the Hummingbird we have most here at the house. The Rufous Hummers show up here for the breeding season.



The hummers like the pine trees we have here. This Hummer had followed me around so I took some photographs!



All the Hummingbirds react to the click of my camera. Pretty aggressive birds during this time of the year!



This Hummingbird was so curious that the hummingbird did not appreciate a neighbor stopping by to chat! The hummingbird dove at the neighbor I am assuming trying to run off the neighbor haha!

Hummingbirds really do get used to us! This species of Hummingbird will show back up here at the house at any time. We have had this species here for quite a few years now, do not expect 2015 to be any different.



I think this Hummingbird followed me around because I kicked up bugs? Even "talking", back to the click of my camera haha!!



Hummingbirds do not relax very often and I just feel these Hummingbirds here at the house like to watch what I am doing as much as I like watching them!

Thank you for coming by and checking out this Rufous Hummingbirds photographs!

Female Spotted Towhee in Her Natural Environment

Mrsroadrunner Photography | Female Spotted Towhee in Her Natural Environment




This is the natural environment for the Spotted Towhee. The species blends in very well to it's environment which is their way to survive.

We have been having the Spotted Towhee winter with us for several years. The flock tends to grow every year which is logical when finding the right environment why would they not come back bringing family and friends?

I have learned through out the winters of the Spotted Towhee showing up here at home is, they like it when we leave piles like the one she is standing in. Ya it does leave our small property looking uncared for, however I am more then happy to answer questions as to why I do this to those who just do not understand. Let me tell you people do not understand why I , or we do this!

The important thing here is, the birds do understand and like these piles ! That is why they are at my house and not say, at the neighbors house ha. Then of course I take their photograph and share them with you!





I admit I did not get to many useable photographs of her on this day back in January 2014. They are not a species you can just walk up to and ask to pose for a photograph. They are elusive , jumpy, unsociable , you get my drift. I really do not know where this flock we have show up here comes from? If it is even the same birds showing up year after year is questionable. However it is noted that these birds do live a long time for a bird what over 10 years was the oldest Spotted Towhee ever recorded. So their behavior works for them!

The males are the most flashy! I mentioned on twitter this as I was rambling about how folks like to photograph the flashy. Not all birds does this apply to but a good deal of birds the males are the flashy ones. If it were not for the females the males would not need to be flashy, or stand out. Therefor photographers are wanting to get the males as I have. However this Spotted Towhee was different and I like different!

I left these two photographs as is. Meaning I did not want to crop them etc... I wanted to show what the Spotted Towhee is attracted to. I have noticed the Spotted Towhee also likes our Lilac bushes / tree. We have over a dozen of them in which the Lilas have grown into what we like to call a privacy fence. Not really a fence of course. Within the Lilacs I have placed wintering boxes for the birds to hide in if it gets to cold for them as it tends to do here in the High Desert of Oregon as well as our ponds which one has raspberries growing all over it for cover, places to hide. This of course is in the no cat zone. Meaning the cat has been taught that this area is not for him to go bird hunting in. The birds have quickly learned this area is a safe place for them.



Thank you for coming by and hope you liked my little write up!

Mrsroadrunner Photography | Spadefoot Toad

Spadefoot Toad





This is the Spadefoot Toad who resides at one of our ponds.

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Mrsroadrunner Photography | The Golden-Crowned Sparrow in Need

Mrsroadrunner Photography | The Golden-Crowned Sparrow in Need







This is the Golden-Crowned Sparrow. Biggest sparrow we have here and we have big flocks of them at times here at the house. Beautiful song comes from these song birds!!

The Golden-Crowned Sparrows are also a smart species, like all sparrows I guess? Seen at bird feeders, or gardens looking for that something to eat as the one in the photograph is doing at one of our little ponds. I watch these sparrows quite a lot for they are one of the common birds here at the house.







Some of you who keep up with my twitter or facebook page may remember a hurt one who I found inside the house? This flock has watched my morning routine and learned where I keep the bird seed at, and learned the door is kept open for the dogs to come and go.  The dogs have been taught from puppyhood that birds are left alone. With this said some birds actually steal food from the dogs bucket inside the house or outside the house! Never have actually hurt one of these birds after they had grown up. So the birds do what birds do, and as soon as they see me they take off. The dogs do get to come and go as they please.

I have a lot of cages around!! So many more in the past, but I do not need them now. Heck I even had custom cages made up one time. There is one bird cage outside, this cage was used as a carrying cage for my parrot who passed on. Now this cage is a table for a large flower pot that in winter time the flower seeds are wintering within the soil.

Yesterday my Australian shepherd was acting funny. Well, this is not a new thing with her.  She is rather funny! This was not the normal "funny". Something was wrong..... We who pay attention to critters know when they are saying, hey something wrong here!!

I followed my little girl as she went into the snow and stopped. It was getting on evening and gosh it was cold with no boots or even socks on. I was not dressed to go outside! However, it looked like I was going to have to get more cloths on then what I had!







I finally heard then seen what my little girl was trying to tell me! A young Golden-Crowned Sparrow somehow got into my parrot carrying cage!! Mind you this cage is not made for little birds. The wire is to wide. So how on earth did this Golden-Crowned Sparrow get into this cage??

With the frantic chirping and the obvious distress of this little wild Golden Crowned Sparrow was in I had to do something!! I really had no idea how long this bird had been trapped in this cage? I did notice all the birds went real quiet , so the only bird making any noise was this Golden Crowned Sparrow.

I went inside and got some sweats on and did not bother with my boots. I was not going to be outside that long! Since I have not used this cage for a cage but for a table for the potted plant for so long I did not realize where the door was to open the cage? I did find it and opened it up! The Golden Crowned Sparrow took off like a flash of light!! FREEDOM!

How on earth that bird got into this cage with no open doors is anyone's guess? Perhaps there is a spot within the cage that is wider then the rest of the cage?? I went and left the door open just in case this happens again! At least the little bird was out of the snow in the cage...... and my little girl aussie has common sense to let me know when something is wrong within our world.

Wild critters can get themselves into situations all by themselves, well our pets can too!!

Thank you for coming by and reading our little experience last night here in the High Desert of Oregon!