Dragonfly of the High Desert of Oregon

Dragonfly of the High Desert of Oregon




Meet the Dragonfly of our home here in the High Desert of Oregon!

Hope you all had a good weekend? We got some things that needed done , done in the garden. Now it is time to start putting out the seeds for the future flowers and the visitors to our garden! Many of my photographs of 2014 did come from our own garden. These photographs of this Band-winged Meadowhawk is no different!

These photographs came from one of our ponds, and fruit trees that hang over that pond.



I do get really good questions asked of me! The questions that is on my mind this morning was if I just push a button and take many photographs of the subject? Well...... one thing that folks may not understand is, keeping that button pushed results in oh lets just say a lot of photographs!! So unless I want to go through what a thousand, two , five thousand photographs of the same exact subject the answer is no. I do not just keep the button pushed. If that was the case I would have so many photographs to go through!! OMG makes me wince at the thought!

Like many folks who have to have a lot of stimulation, one day I can have many photographs of many different things if that day has been a active day! This of course is out of my hands, wildlife is going to do what wildlife wants to do!

The photograph above is the first of these three photographs I took. I really do not know if the subject is going to stick around? So, first thing to do is get the subject used to the sounds of my camera, and to get whatever used to me per say. Walking slow, everything has to be done with purpose!! Taking a step, you better think about that step!

Adjust the lens, since I do not mess with my camera settings I do not have to worry about that. I do not use a tripod, typically. So I do not have to worry about a tripod scaring whatever wildlife. Take a shot, or a couple shots.



Step closer, depending on how the wild creature is behaving! This Meadowhawk or dragonfly was not showing signs of stress. Adjust the lens, take some photographs.

I personally refuse to put my lens on "auto". This is a lazy, bad habit when dealing with wildlife photography! Some lenses do not even have a auto feature! Get used to "manual", mode. Depend on your own ability to act quickly as well as the ability to read the creatures behavior. You know if a creature is ready to fly away! If you do not, practice, practice when you have practiced, practice some more! I also keep all my lenses on the "stabilizer", feature. If that lens has one?

When you do not use a tripod you have that chance of doing what everyone does, move. When dealing with such things as branch of a tree, and a creature, the branch moves, the leaves move and the creature will move on and on and on. This is just the way it is. You have to deal with this!



Depending on the creatures behavior, step closer. The shot above is the closest I felt I could get! I do not want to run off the creatures that visit our garden! These Band-winged Meadowhawks or dragonflies mate here in our garden. We also get other kinds of dragonflies here who will mate if they can find a mate! This took us years to build however a creature who can come and go as they please will not feel secure if they are constantly being threatened by people.

The background on these photographs is just the garden. Since this was August 1 of 2014 the garden was in full bloom. Seeing the leaves the Band-Winged Meadowhawk is on tells me this was our fruit tree that hangs over one of our small ponds. This tells me that the background on these shots is pointing out of the six foot dog fence, and that flower bed. Blurring out the fence, leaving the green and some other colors that are flowers!

Editing my photographs: These photographs had nothing done to them. I try to not do anything to them. I dont know photoshop and frankly neither does many of the people who think they know photoshop! Shutters at some of the photoshopped photographs I have seen .....

Just had a scare, news from Bend Oregon just said it was snowing! We have the door wide open and some of the windows, does not feel cold enough to snow!! It is not , raining here! We have flowers in bloom already! Others are getting ready to bloom with buds on them, like the lilacs! Last thing we need is snow or that horrible frost!! We even have some birds in nests here at home!!

Thank you for coming by and checking out these photographs of the Band-winged Meadowhawk from August 1, 2014!

Western Tanager Visiting The Garden

Western Tanager Visiting The Garden




Meet the Western Tanager! One of the more flashier birds who have visited us here in our part of the High Desert of Oregon.



Primarily a insect eater, this Western Tanager also likes the fruit, such as our raspberries! This Western Tanager is near our raspberries checking out the situation. Though one of the small ponds is right there as well, so perhaps this Western Tanager was thinking of getting a drink?

It can get rather hot here where we live, the ponds give all the birds a nice safe break from the heat!



The first time I seen the Western Tanager was up in the Mount Jefferson Wilderness area just singing it's little heart out way up in the trees. It is nice to see them here at the house!



When the Western Tanager shows up, you just can not mix them up with other birds and they are fun to watch! Even though this one was not in any way trusting of me, or the dogs. This tells me this Western Tanager bird was not around for very long, or seeing this was in July one of the wildfires made this Western Tanager come this way?

Typical birds who stay here any length of time do get used to the activities around here.



The colorful Western Tanager took flight and went to the fruit tree as you can see in the next two photographs.



Keep a eye out for the visitors to your home, never know what is going to show up!

Thank you for coming by and checking out this visitor to our home!

Oregon Red Admiral Butterfly

Oregon Red Admiral Butterfly





Meet the Red Admiral Butterfly. These photographs were taken right here at home on the Raspberry leaves on June 6 , 2014.



One thing to note, we grow the Raspberries around our small ponds where the Raspberries can get the water they need here in the High Desert of Oregon without having to pay attention to how much water such berries need. The roots of the berry plants at times are completely water bound.

The Raspberries attract so many creatures to them, the water of course is a huge attraction to the wildlife! The High Desert can be a dry place! Fearing 2015 will be another year of dry conditions, wildfires etc.. We will just see what visits us this year?

Along with the small ponds, the flowers, the Raspberries this is also a protected area from cats and people. Many folks if they can see in this area from outside (typically this area is not seen from the outside when everything is in bloom and/or growing), will catch me just kicking back with my camera with the dogs just waiting to see what creatures show up!



On this day in June this Red Admiral Butterfly showed up. Not a small butterfly, not the biggest butterfly that visits our home. One of the more colorful butterflies!



I have started putting the dates on my posts so I can write another post of series of shots that are taken on different days if I want to. Some days we get a lot of different visitors showing up here!! Some days I am constantly shooting different series of different visitors. Visitors are wildlife that shows up.

I was asked why I do not have photographs of "friends", referring to people. I do not know how to explain to such folks with this mentality, that wildlife is my friend. I enjoy such creatures more so then human contact in the real world. Some of you know exactly what I mean!

I bring up at times while on social media the little boy who road his bicycle and stopped in the road where he could see me in my chair with my camera and said to me his parents were both outside if I want to talk with them. I thanked him for the invite and said if I am out there talking to your folks, who will talk to the birds? Of course I got a strange look before the little boy went riding to tell his parents what I said.

I dont care to learn of the local gossip. Who is doing what. We make our home a place we want to be. If a matter comes up I feel I need to put my two cents in as far as this town goes, we have a mayor who is easy enough to call up on the phone. I am shy that way haha



Such things as this Red Admiral Butterfly is easy enough to photograph. I do my best to make this a safe place for such things and I think such creatures as this Red Admiral Butterfly knows this? I do not do anything special other then keeping up the ponds, flowers, Raspberries and spending time outside without distractions.

I do notice , people have a hard time just being these days. Everyone is trying to impress each other, outdo each other..... The curse of being a human right? I have plenty of time to just ponder everything as I wait to see what visitor shows up next!

On twitter the other day butterflies came up. The breeding of, setting "free", the domesticated wildlife. Bred in captivity I feel these "wild", creatures loose the benefit of the true wild creatures. Even something so minute as even the butterfly. For all I know this butterfly could have been from a wedding or even a classroom? All I know is, this Red Admiral Butterfly stopped by and I was more then happy to photograph it!



I do watch such things as this Red Admiral Butterfly more so then photograph. Photographing my subjects really does not take long at all in most cases! Someone mentioned how long I must have been out taken photographs of another insect, how do you tell such a person that it did not take but a little time without making it sound like they are wasting their time reading a book and trying to impress all the onlookers? Perhaps this is why I like doing photography alone. Without the distractions of other people?

If you want to read up about this beautiful Red Admiral Butterfly I recommend going to any state, government or university website for actual facts. My observations are mine and I really can ramble on and on, however I really do not know what you all want me to ramble on about haha!

Thank you for coming by and seeing my photography of this day of the Red Admiral Butterfly.

Recap of the Seed and Insect Eating Birds

Recap of the Seed and Insect Eating Birds




This post is going to be a little different then what I usually do, why? Just because! This is going to be a recap of the blog posts with photographs of the Birds who are primarily seed and insect eaters. Keep in mind I have been doing this since 2010! In that time I had a host shut down, close their doors, so I took a break from doing this for I was not sure what I was going to do? I have not gotten all the old post at this spot (mrsroadrunner.com).... not sure I will?

Male Red House Finch Feeding Mate

"Up in the apple tree, as snow is on the ground here in the high desert of Oregon, we see this."

Black-headed Grosbeak by Coralie

"The Black-headed Grosbeak is the monarch butterflies worst enemy!"

Young White-Crowned Sparrow Winter Behavior

"This is a young White-Crowned Sparrow. This species of sparrow winter here in our part of the high desert with us."

Yellow-Rumped Warbler Bird

"This Warbler stopped in to check out what was here to eat and to get a drink."

The Tale Of The Bread Thief

"As I was sitting in my spot watching the birds,butterflies,bees just enjoying the nice weather we have here in the High Desert"

Spent Some time with this hummingbird

"Thought I would spend a little time with this hummingbird on this day.

Showing up with his/her click click lets me know this one or the others are around. Typically in the apple tree and coming out during the day. Fortunately for me, they all get hungry about the time I am outside doing my chores then doing my photography!"

Mountain Bluebird Encounter Oregon Bird Watching By Coralie

"We went to a marsh Sunday where I found this Mountain Bluebird.

The bird was acting rather funny, when seeing the Northern Harrier I instantly understood! "

Hummingbird On The Honeysuckle

"Honeysuckle is very popular with the hummingbirds!"

Red-breasted Nuthatch by Coralie

"We had yet another visitor to the garden just the other day!"

Ruby-crowned Kinglet Washing Himself

"Folks who keep up with my photography know home is where the heart is and I spend a lot of my time just watching the visitors show up."

Downy Woodpecker Catching a Meal

"Meet the Downy Woodpecker. The smallest woodpecker in North America."

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."

White Crowned Sparrow Visiting The Garden

"The White Crowned Sparrow can be found for some time here in our gardens and our wild bird area."

hummingbird and the foxglove flower bloom

"Some shots I caught of this hummingbird feeding on the foxglove flowers!"

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."

Northern Shrike High Desert of Oregon

"This Northern Shrike was photographed on one of my walks here in our rural town back in January of 2014, High Desert of Oregon"

Hanging Out With A Ruby-crowned Kinglet

"This is the Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Very small and quick bird!"

White Crowned Sparrows Wintering in the High Desert

"These are the White Crowned Sparrows that winter with us here in our part of the High Desert of Oregon."

Lewis Woodpecker of The High Desert of Oregon

"This is the Lewis's Woodpecker I photographed here in our part of Oregon perched on a old fencepost."

American Dipper or Water Ouzel by Coralie

"The Dipper is a great bird to find around unpolluted fast moving waters. I happened to catch this one along the Metolius River."

Mountain Chickadee

"Meet the Mountain Chickadee! Unlike the other chickadee bird species this one has white stripes upon its small head."

European Starling of the High Desert

"Meet one of the most hated birds in our area, the European Starling, or just plain old Common Starling."

Harris's Sparrow Bird in The High Desert of Oregon

"I want to introduce you to a new bird, for me as well! Meet the Harris's Sparrow!"

Junco Bird in White

"Meet the Junco Bird who spends time here at the house."

Flying Western Meadowlark

"Meet the Western Meadowlark."

Pheasant At My Garden

"Meet the Pheasant, a common game bird who is found in Oregon as well as many states here in the USA."

Cedar Waxwing Bird in the High Desert

"Meet the Cedar Waxwing! A very pretty bird in my opinion and when a flock of these fruit loving birds show up they have a very distinctive call! They sometimes arrive in good sized flocks of a dozen or more to the fruit trees! The Cedar Waxwings seam to like our honeysuckle we grow here as well."

Robin Bird Fledgeling

"Meet this baby Robin Bird! I have several posts about different Robin bird fledgelings that are waiting for their meal"

Spotted Towhee In The High Desert

"Meet the Spotted Towhee! The Spotted Towhee has been a constant resident here in our garden in winter clear into spring!"

This all for now! I still feel as if I missed some posts.... however as I said I have been doing this for a while (where has the time gone?). Keep in mind, all my posts are my observations and photographs. I am a HUGE believer in thinking for yourself. Researching yourself! I am only human and do make mistakes, really haha!

I am thrilled when folks link to my blog, photographs etc.! Doing this for a while now, I have seen folks come and go... some days coming up with something to write about is a interesting process! I thank you for coming by and checking this out!

Coralie

PS now that I looked this over I know I missed some posts.... oh well hope you enjoyed this recap!

Dahlia Flower Blooming in the High Desert

Dahlia Flower Blooming in the High Desert




Meet the Dahlia Flower! So many colors, sizes,shapes of the Dahlia! This post will be many photographs of the Dahlia Flowers we have grown.



Most of our Dahlia Flowers have been grown by tubers, though we have grown them by seed as well! 2014 was a interesting year in general! Guy had been hurt at work, so unable to do much of the gardening. I did my best to handle everything on my own and I just like to say, I sure did not understand how much work the garden is for one person HAHA!!



We have been growing the Dahlia organically for some years. Organically means without the use of chemicals. Growing this way has been my way of growing things all my life! I think this is due to where I grew up and was taught by elders how to grow things? Eugene Oregon had/has some of the best teachers when I was young for such things! Or those folks who taught me from the schools I attended to those folks who I would ask if I could work for them just to learn.



Some of the issues we personally have ran into.

Earwigs, nasty things!! The earwigs will get into your blooms and eat away!! We are the High Desert. Meaning when it is spring and summer we get HOT. We joke about how Guy is a water king! He loves to water. Which here in the High Desert one needs to water. Guy is a stickler about this! Guy checks the soil often to see how far down the water has gotten, what six inches is what he says under his breath. This determines how we both water here. Watering also brings in such insects as the earwigs. I have grown up calling earwigs, "pincher bugs".

Since we are a livestock area, we get fresh livestock dung. In this dung comes a host of things such as these tiny worm type insect which eats tubers , bulbs underground! I just ran into more of these the other day while working one of the flower beds. I was not impressed!

Snails and slugs. Again nasty things and birds and the frogs help us with controlling these. Though being in the garden as much as we are, we do our best. I almost went so far as getting chemicals to kill these, however did not go through with it..... keeping in mind birds and the frogs will still eat these chemically lased bugs, which of course go into their system and may make them sick or even kill the birds and the frogs!

Lets see what else? These are the things that come to my mind right now as I am writing this. Aphids I hear folks have issues with these and their Dahlias, however on our Dahlias (knock on wood), we do not have to big of a issue with the Aphids. Nor the Spider Mites again knock on wood!!

Mildew we have a issue with that nasty mildew however again not on our Dahlias or that I can recall at this time.





We are working at this time of getting one of the beds ready for just Dahlias. We will have a couple other things in there as well, but it will be set up just for Dahlias in 2015. Guy's hand is usable at this time finally!! So he will be jumping back into his chores he was unable to do with one hand the entire year of 2014 growing season.



Some of the information I gathered for a post back in 2012 I will add here, plus the bottom photograph I will place the link of that post about the Dahlia for you to read if you so wish.

"The Dahlia is a interesting flower to gardeners like us. They come in so many different colors, sizes (blooms from several inches to a foot or so. They can be as short as a foot, or I read up to 6-8 feet. The tallest ours have gotten has been 5' or so),and many textures.  These are native to Central America, Columbia and Mexico. They had been reported as far back as 1650 a author of a book while he was in Mexico mentioned it in his book when it was finally published."

"

It has been reported the Dahlia was not commercially available until 1813. It took many years to stabilize the species. Mexico made it the national flower in 1963. What I think is really cool is that the Dahlia is a octoploid. It has eight times the haploid chromosome number. Now I am no expert, but this is pretty unique. Most plants have two, just two. Going back way back when I used to read such books for the heck of it , a chromosome is what makes whatever, what it is. The more chromosomes something has, the more diverse a species can be. Hence so many colors, heights, textures,peddle count etc.. "





We actually have tubers that survived the winter!! We have had a pretty mild winter so far! Earlier in the year we had gosh a foot or more of snow and what -14 at one time. Though that was it for us! The weather has been funky I think for us all in the USA.



Like I mentioned in 2015 we will be having one bed just for the Dahlias. Guy brought this up and I am good with the idea! Taking out the Hollyhocks, well their might be a few left on the boarder? I also took out many of the Bachelor Button flowers leaving a controllable amount to care for. I do not want to take away all the flowers that the pollinators like of course!



The Dahlia does attract many of the pollinators, such as all kinds of bee's!!



Well from here I am going to stop chatting and you can see the different Dahlia Flowers we have grown.



























Some of these photographs you may have seen before? Or bought the photographs, or products with the photograph accenting the item?



















I made the above poster in 2012ish? The photograph is also the link to the post, "Many Faces of The Dahlia by Coralie", which is also the name I gave that. Publishing that in 2012. I myself find it entertaining and interesting re reading such things as my old posts just because I write in the here and now. I also notice how much more I pay attention to our chores these days!

As many of you know I am disabled with issues that effect my memory and some other issues. I am fact based. Fact this and fact that, and growing things, attracting wildlife etc. is not real fact based anything haha. Other then my joking around which I call my coping mechanizm I blame on my father hahaha! That is all his fault hahahahahha, just joking!

Thank you for coming by and checking out my photography of our Dahlia Flowers we have grown. 2015 is exciting for I bought some Dahlias from a established, old Dahlia farm right here in Oregon for this year!! See what those and the ones we have here all look like in the flower bed we are preparing just for the Dahlias!