Red-tailed Hawk In The High Desert | Mrsroadrunner Photography

Red-tailed Hawk In The High Desert | Mrsroadrunner Photography




Meet the Red-tailed Hawk of The High Desert of Oregon! If you visit here and see a Hawk, this might just be the Hawk you see first?





You may see the Red-tailed Hawk in a topped Juniper as this one is. Why the topped Juniper tree's? The Red-tailed Hawks are not small birds, not the largest birds of prey we have , not the smallest either!

The Red-tailed Hawk is four feetish in length. The females are bigger then the males, as other birds of prey are. We do get the Red-tailed Hawk here at the house flying over to see what there is to see. However this one was photographed away from the house on this topped juniper tree. Normal growing juniper tree's just are not strong enough to hold a Red-tailed Hawk. So the Red-tailed Hawks find topped juniper tree's or they are found a ring or two down on a stronger limb in the juniper tree, or anything that can hold their weight. We just have a lot of juniper tree's here in the high desert to make use of.

The Red-tailed Hawk can be found most places here in the High Desert. The Red-tailed Hawk does not tend to fear people. You can find the Red-tailed Hawk nesting outside of peoples homes in the tree's here where we live. You can find them on the sides of the road hunting, you can find them on electrical lines along the high ways hunting. Keep your eyes open, if you visit here you will see a Red-tailed Hawk!







This Red-tailed Hawk started stretching it's wings so I new it would not be long until the Red-tailed Hawk took flight!







It is pretty easy to get to close to the Red-tailed Hawks when they take flight! The younger Red-tailed Hawks will not fly far, and will kind of, "jump" to close spots to land. Testing out their wings. That is just the behavior of the young birds. The older Red-tailed Hawks already went through this stage of testing out their wings so they do not have to demonstrate such behavior.







You really do not have to stress the Red-tailed Hawk to take flight. Just wait..... The Red-tailed Hawk when we see them out and about like this, they do not stick around on such a exposed spot like this topped juniper tree for long. The Juniper tree was not tall, it seamed to me like just a stopping point for a short time. I have even photographs the Red-tailed Hawks at kills along with the Eagles. The Ravens always, I mean always tell when their is such a kill. Everything shows up! So keep your ears open for the Raven! The big mouths of nature.....







This shot is the last shot I got before it went behind the other Junipers and I really did not feel like following the bird. Plenty of other Birds of Prey to photograph! The Red-tailed Hawk is not always found up in the sky!! Look in the tree's you are hiking by, use your ears to listen for the Ravens telling you and everyone where a meal is, just keep your eyes open other then in the skies of course!

Thank you for coming by and checking out this series of this Red-tailed Hawk I photographed!

American Goldfinch Fledgling | Mrsroadrunner Photography

American Goldfinch Fledgling | Mrsroadrunner Photography




Meet this American Goldfinch Fledgling. This one is older then the others I have shown in another post! This one has his color coming in. Not quite all the way yet, but we can identify him as a American Goldfinch.





As with many places the American Goldfinch finds everything the bird needs here at home to raise young at. Because of this we get to see the fledglings grow up to a curtain age before they leave.





The Sunflowers are very popular with the American Goldfinch! Even the insects that live on the Sunflowers are tasty! Rarely do these American Goldfinch's need to come to the bird feeders. The garden seams to have enough growing the need to supplement their diet is just not needed here at our home. We see the American Goldfinch manly in the garden, in the trees they go and just sing and sing!!





This American Goldfinch Fledgling has been raised here and rather used to my camera's click!



A little longer and this American Goldfinch Fledgling's feathers will be full of color, loosing the "baby", look.

Thank you for coming by and checking out my photographs of this American Goldfinch Fledgling!

Viceroy Butterfly In The High Desert | Mrsroadrunner Photography

Viceroy Butterfly In The High Desert | Mrsroadrunner Photography



Meet the Viceroy Butterfly! Pretty Butterfly right?





I learned of this Butterfly actually on facebook..... a wildlife place was posting the difference of the Viceroy Butterfly, and the Monarch Butterfly. I thought it looked familiar, as if I had photographed the Viceroy Butterfly before. Sure enough when I came upon this photo album in my archive (2014), there was this Viceroy Butterfly!

I take many photographs. Someone asked if I could send over a new photograph I just took, well things are not that quick when using a real camera. After the time and effort it takes to get the photograph of whatever, then there is the upload process from which ever camera body that I used. After the upload into my archive, (my archive has the year whatever was taken, and the date, exact time etc.. This gives me a educated guess of where a species might be the next year or the year after that so on. Or the weather conditions , garden changes of whatever flower we grow here at home from year to year), Then I take the time to name each usable file. This way I can go to search, put in a key word and whatever photograph comes up.  This also helps me with the identification process of past species I have photographed.... you get it.

Then I may or may not watermark what ever photograph I upload to the web. Lately since I have been uploading photographs to my own server, all photographs are being watermarked before they go onto the web. My process works for me. Everyone has their own routine, this is just mine. When I need whatever photograph processed into whatever sized photograph I just go into my archive, either choose the photograph that is named already or go to the original file, which ever one I need. The watermarked photographs are resized to a size that is not good for processing, plus who wants a photograph that is watermarked??

So you see I do not just upload a photograph I just took without going through my routine...... Which should teach me not to talk about things I just photographed, but I get excised. When this feeling goes away I will walk away from this whole thing....





This Viceroy Butterfly was very skittish. Was not staying still for me for nothing!! I translate this into, just arriving here at this place I was at? Or, just transforming into a Butterfly at this place I was at? Just not used to people. Where I go for my photography I am lucky to see one other person, typically this is off in the distance. Typically a farmer or rancher working. I do not always go out and about with Guy and/or the dogs. I have a tendency to go by myself.

Because of this butterfly being so sketch I did not get the micro shots that I like to get.

See the "half moon", of black? The "U" shape..... well the Monarch Butterfly does not have that....





The photograph above is a Monarch Butterfly. No black moon shape or a "U", of black. Look at the two photographs and you can see the differences of the two butterflies. Anyhoo read up on your own about the Viceroy Butterfly, and the Monarch Butterfly. I have not as of yet dived into the males and females all that.... I find if I have a reason to do something then the time is not wasted.





This shot above is in another location. Same Viceroy Butterfly. I watched where it went and got this photograph above.





This shot above I used for identification purposes only. Not a clear shot, so I named the file above for id purposes only. You can see this when you go to look at the photograph itself. I go to my search and put in the key words," Viceroy Butterfly id only", and that photograph will come up. As I said in other blog posts some of my photography is used for ID only.

Thank you for coming by and checking out my photography of this Viceroy Butterfly!

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!

High Desert Game Bird | Mrsroadrunner Photography

High Desert Game Bird | Mrsroadrunner Photography




Meet these game birds found here in our town in the High Desert of Oregon! These birds are typically in this area every time I take a walk this way and every time they seam to make me jump even though I know they are there haha!





Without looking at the photographs Guy, (he is my other half ), says they are probably the common sage hens. This could be for I looked up ,"Sage Han", here on the computer and the females and young do look like these photographs I took.





These birds are pretty quick! I try and be quiet, however we are never as quiet as we think we are! This is a NO HUNTING zone and I find year after year this flock is growing. I would like to run into the adult males, since this is a sure way of identifying the species. Well, a easier way! The males being the flashier one with colors and such.





I did get these photographs as the chicks were not quite full grown. The photograph above you see a chick, with what appears to be a older bird. These birds are the size of chickens, smaller then some chickens my grandparents raised.





I know these birds are in this locations, though they always make me laugh for they start taking off to hide and I seam to jump in surprise every time haha For a long while I just assumed they were quail. Quail are very common here! Not sure why I just assumed this other then quail are every where!! The Quail are even found at our home, walking down the roads, stopping traffic (like we have a lot of traffic in this town haha).......

Watching the Quail on one of my walks into a gully I even came face to face with a Coyote who was hunting the quail I was watching.... surprising both the dog and I !

I have seen Coyote around this flock of birds as well! The NO HUNTING only applies to people with weapons. Coyotes are nothing to fear, they don't want anything to do with people around here. More then likely if a Coyote has reached adult hood it has been shot at, probably a couple times....

These birds also have to watch out for the Birds of Prey we have here! The Harriers are quite humorous for they will fly low to see what you have kicked up out of the brush for them! Harriers are said to be one of the only Birds of Prey who use their hearing more then other Birds of Prey. Might be why the Harriers fly so low and typically found on the ground?

I have seen both the Bald Eagle, the Golden eagles in this location. The Red Tailed Hawk of course! The Osprey fish around this location. The Owls can be found both day and night here in this location. Other miscellaneous Birds of Prey can be found here in our town as well.

If one goes to the Train Depot here in our town and look out in the direction of the Cascade Mountains, if one just waits you will see Birds Of Prey! I see them most every day, hearing them is not uncommon! Our town is Metolius Oregon if you ever come with way. Just keep in mind the areas are private property so just keep to the Train Depot or the roads and you are fine. You might have folks wondering what you are doing, though many folks show up here with their binoculars. Then the locals know what you are doing. Heck you may even see me walking around with my cameras?





If you have any information about these birds, do share! They could be the Sage Hens as Guy has guessed?  I had told the farmers who allow me on their land that I would not give the location of that in which I photograph and I mean to keep my word.

I have been working on a project in which my hands/arms really hurt. I will try and not be to cranky haha

Thank you for coming by and checking out these Game Birds who are found here in our town in The High Desert of Oregon!

Lazuli Bunting birds Visiting

Lazuli Bunting birds Visiting




Meet the Lazuli Bunting bird. Isn't he pretty?





I had to be in my archive yesterday. I came upon these photographs I have never shared before. Actually, it looks as if I did not look through this whole file..... ? These days I put notes for myself in my photography albums of what day, so I know what I did when. Otherwise the photographs get lost in the shuffle.

This series of the Lazuli Bunting Birds I am showing today is the two feeding here at the house. This is when I had yet to designate this area as the bird area here at home. This is almost four years ago.... I have been doing this for a little while now, those who have read my blog know how much I like taking photographs and talking about the subjects of the photographs!



Like most of the birds who show up here these Lazuli Bunting birds are no different! They are a little mistrusting at first, then they find out I have my space, they have theirs. All I ask for is some photographs! In turn they get the seed that is placed in the feeder, they get nesting material if it applies. They get water which is a biggy here in the High Desert of Oregon and I wont let anything happen to them while in my space.

After some times these Lazuli Bunting birds noticed this, they were safe here.



I do believe I have photographs of the female in another photo album, however at the time I did not know what I had? I have to go back and find that photo album of that day.... My archive is organized by the year, month and the day. Then as I go through the photographs I name the photograph , if that is I can? This way all I have to do is go to the drive my external hard drive is plugged into, go to the search option type in whatever, hit search! If anyone has a better way..... I am all ears haha!

By naming the file before it is uploaded, the search engines grab the name of the photograph file. This just helps with the search engine optimization. I have done this for years, again if you have or think you have a better way......



Being a agricultural area, the seed we buy typically comes from the feed store at the livestock auction. At one time there was a well known feed store there in Madras we bought from, however with the economy the way it is... this is now a tire store (It looks like a tire store, could be a mechanic shop).

There is also a feed store now in Culver Oregon. Though we just find getting into the livestock auction easier and it is closest to us. Which ever case the seed to our understanding is from our area. Now a days we buy bulk seed. 40-50 lbs bags.

We also provide suet here for the wild birds. This I have yet to find a bulk supplier hint hint, if you know where I can buy this in bulk......



What I felt was a little strange for these Lazuli Bunting being here is, we are not a wooded area like I read they are found. We are the High Desert. For this reason I think these Lazuli Buntings were here at the house just resting until they went on their way.

We get many creatures just stopping in. Migrating birds the most! Whatever species might be here for a day or two, or could be here for only hours before they pack up and move on! I think this is the case with these Lazuli Bunting birds?



As you can see from this series of photographs, the Lazuli Bunting birds are filling up on seeds. They were in the fruit trees as well, so perhaps they were also feeding on insects? I watched these Lazuli Buntings while they were here. Their behavior and how they interacted with the birds who are here normally at this time of the year, (May). There was some fighting going on with the other birds trying to run off the Lazuli Buntings, however the Lazuli Buntings were not easily ran off!

I have photographed the Western Bluebird which one website claims is similar to the Lazuli Bunting, no there is no confusing the two birds one bit!! However, if the two do share the same space, this is even more confusing to me as to why the Lazuli Bunting were here at the house..... There are three spots that we know of that the Western Bluebirds always are and it is not here at home! Again why I feel these Lazuli Bunting birds were here during migration?

The Lazuli Bunting I have read is pretty common bird, so I hope to see it again! Thank you for coming by and checking out my little write up and hope your weekend went well if you celebrated the holiday or not!

American Goldfinch and Fledgelings

American Goldfinch and Fledgelings




Meet the American Goldfinch Fledgelings!



Because we have the Lesser Goldfinch here in Oregon and they show up at the house as well, I use some of my photography only for identification purposes, this is the case with these shots I am sharing with you.

The American Goldfinch Fledgelings are very noisy! I can not express to you how noisy these babies really are!! This is how the fledgelings got my attention, the begging almost made me want to feed them myself haha! I spend a lot of time on identification of whatever species I happen to photograph.

If I happen to get stuck on a identification or Guy and I disagree with a identification of whatever I have been known to contact someone to help with identification. As with one of the hawk species I photographed, even though I contacted someone in the field of birds of prey, Guy is still being obstinate that he is right ..... it makes for good conversation here at home!



I have went back to this series of photographs, (there are many more photographs in this series), for the fledgelings and females just do not look like the males that everyone thinks of as The American Goldfinch. The males being the flashy, pretty ones that people like to photograph and think of as the American Goldfinch.

Thank you for checking out these identification photographs I took here at home! Identification photographs are not for anything but id......

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!

Spadefoot Toad Back in Oregon

Spadefoot Toad Back in Oregon




Meet again the Spadefoot Toad that lives here at our property showing up once in a while in our pond.



Since our weather has been warm for this time of the year, I started watering. The next morning this Spadefoot Toad was in this fabricated pond. We placed these fabricated ponds into our natural ponds for water conservation. Our part of the High Desert has been getting drier then normal due to the limitation of water. We felt in 2014 that 2015 might be worse thus the prefabricated ponds.

As soon as we installed these two prefabricated ponds, this Spadefoot Toad showed up in this one. Last year the tadpoles hatched,grew and left the pond. This cycle looks as if it will continue in 2015. We have no clue how long this species of toad has lived here on our property? Since we have other species of frogs here, the singing of frogs and toads coming from our ponds goes on both days and nights. I try and photograph the visitors or the residence of wildlife we have here at home.



The photographs you see here are from two days. The first day this Spadefoot Toad wanted nothing to do with me, kept coming up in the shade mind you. As soon as the Spadefoot Toad noticed movement down it went into the dark depths of the pond!



The Spadefoot Toads head usually was in the shade. Might be to hot in the sun? Frogs and toads skin is very thin.....



I took several shots of the feet. Being diggers the feet of the Spadefoot Toad is different then water based creatures.



Since I do not pick up the toads or the frogs here without cause, such as death, this Spadefoot Toad is not touched by anyone! I do not allow us to pick  the Spadefoot Toad up by our hands. I just do not want to hurt them! So this Spadefoot Toad comes and goes as it wants to. Only seeing one adult stuck in the fabricated pond so far. Tadpoles are a different story and I have a net for these, again I just do not want to touch them.



You can see the side of the prefab pond in some of these shots. On day two the Spadefoot Toad seamed very.... it no longer was darting down under the water to the black depths of the pond. This concerned me due to the Spadefoot Toad behavior when it first was seen in the pond the day before. The question, what would happen to this Spadefoot Toad if it was unable to get out of the pond and go back into it's burrow went through my mind. I dont want to hurt the Spadefoot Toad by being ignorant!

I expressed my concerns to Guy when he got home from work and he seen the Spadefoot Toad was not expressing the liveliness of a creature who is doing well. So Guy placed a board in the pond, if the Spadefoot Toad wanted out, this could be a way it could get out. Since we have no idea how on earth the Spadefoot Toads even get into the pond? Assuming the need to breed is so great, getting into the prefab pond is easier then getting out for the creature.......



The next morning the Spadefoot Toad was gone. I like getting the photographs I do of the wild creature who show up here, but I am not going to go so far as stressing out the creatures who show up here. Stress is a killer of both small and large creatures. That to me is not a good host.

Who knows there might be Spadefoot Toad eggs again in 2015? It is still very early in the year..... We may just see this species in this pond again?? I have yet to see a grown Spadefoot Toad in the other pond. I did photograph several of the tadpoles last year in the other pond. Lets hope the snakes do not move in and wipe out our little ponds this year? I am on the watch for snakes, and the smell of such snakes!

Thank you for coming by and checking out these photographs that were taken ..... oh last week? A few days ago now.... If you would like to read the blog post of last year when I just learned what I have photographs of you can read that post here if you would like or copy and paste the url http://www.mrsroadrunner.com/blog/2014/6/spadefoot-toad .