Honeybee Arrival In Jefferson County Oregon

Honeybee Arrival In Jefferson County Oregon




This is a typical bigger Honeybee operation that goes on in agricultural areas such as ours. These Honeybee's arrive by train. This area is a holding lot. Much like a cattle holding lot, however these are Honeybee's. You will not find this quantity of hives in someones backyard!



I do not advice anyone who is allergic to these insects to do such a thing as I did as far as visiting this holding lot.

First I called up and spoke to the scientist who is, was (?) doing a Honeybee study at this location. Then calling up the land owner to ask for access to their property. Then of course walking on over to the location. I would have loved to be a onlooker when getting these photographs haha!!

Keeping in mind, smoke can be a good thing!! Lighting up a cigarette kept the stings down to just one. Keeping in mind these Honeybee's are not wild per say, however they just arrived at this location. Tired, thirsty and cranky!



Somehow as I picked out the photographs to show you the photographs copied themselves so the photographs are a mess if you go to the album to look around!





These hives get shipped to different farms around our town where this is all located. If you happen to be walking down one of these farm roads, or even driving by with your window rolled down, well you may just get to meet some Honeybee's personal like!

Carrot seed is huge in our area. Someone has to grow it for your favorite garden store to sale to you, right?

We are known for many other crops, however the carrot seed is a big one around here where the Honeybee's help is priceless! Can you imagine hand pollinating something like the carrot seed!?



I also walked over to where the Honeybee's were getting their drinks at. Any insect who has traveled pretty much in any manor is going to be thirsty! I am one who will buy insects to have them shipped here to home. Insects such as ladybugs,praying mantises, some others. The last shippment of ladybugs arrives half dead. So, I stopped buying from that business. If you know of anyone else with a better live arrival rate, and better customer service, can you let me know? We are in Oregon.



I was much more comfortable at this location. The water is not where the Honeybee's live so they are much more docile!! No reason to protect something that is supposed to be for everyone.....



I may have even shown these photographs before?? I recall being at another location that I have permission being at and WALLA Honeybee's were drinking at that spot too. Not sure why I was surprised? Perhaps I was surprised for that other spot was really just a big mud puddle! A mud puddle made by farm equipment and pick up trucks.





This to is one reason why our garden just hums with the sound of Honeybee's as well. Our town is not huge and this holding lot is not a far walk. Honeybee's are supposed to like to stay and work one kind of flower, however we have a big infatuation to our garden when the Honeybee's show up!

I also notice the Honeybee's that come to our ponds, garden are sickly. Because of people using these killer chemicals? We know the Honeybee's come to our garden so they should be going to other peoples gardens..... "My brothers keeper", is something that seams to come to my mind. I sarcastically joke about, "not being my brothers keeper",  for most folks do not care about anything but themselves. Who cares if the Honeybee population dies out, right....... Not here to preach and this is a subject I can get real passionate about. Guy humors me and just lets me rant haha



Just joked with Guy about my ranting. Saying you heard it all before (my rants), but dogonit these people may not have! We both laughed and Guy says to you all,"Sorry about your luck", haha! Keeping the wording clean for some of my younger readers!

In the shot above a couple Honeybee's are gathered for drinks. I like to watch the Honeybee's communication between each other, doing jigs and what not! Predators have a field day with the Honeybee as well! Picking off the Honeybee one by one. No wonder they stay in groups! While I was here the birds staid away. The other insect did not......

I think that is enough photographs. I do have more photographs in the album I made just for this post, though like I said they are kind of a mess.... Thank you for coming by and checking out my photographs and reading! Even if some of my ranting came out in the process..... See you on Monday with whatever else I came up with haha

Spent Some Time With The Yellow-Bellied Marmot

Mrsroadrunner Photography | Spent Some Time With The Yellow-Bellied Marmot



Meet the Yellow-Bellied Marmot AKA Rock Chuck. This colony lives on a farm and is protected by the farmer. Speaking with the farmer he told me the colony is out and about and where to find them.

Off I went and made me a nice spot to sit down and just watch. Did not take long for the "barking", to start. However after a short time curiosity took over the warning barks!





Other then the obvious barking Yellow-Bellied Marmots came movement as to what all the fuss was about!



Soon more then one started appearing ! As I was going through these photographs I even noticed more of them then I did when I was photographing them!



The pups started appearing in doubles or triplets. Sticking real close to each other, but wanting to see what I was too!



They weigh more then some cats do at ten to eleven pounds. Males being the biggest and he takes on more then one female. What up to four females that he has in his family and defends his wifes and kids. The colony seamed to have a population of ten or more. They were running and hiding then popping out to see what was going on! Their burrows are deep too! The hibernation chambers are supposed to be deeper then just the ones they use to hide in.



The only reason I got these photographs like I did is because I found a place to sit and chill out. These Yellow-Bellied Marmot are protected. I know the farmer and his crew do a good job of checking out who is on their property for I had the boss man and his hand come to me! Of course a phone call was made and the permission I had gotten was verified!

I think some day I will drop off a framed piece at the main farm home for him and his family? I do not know the farmer real well however the brief interaction with him told me he likes the wildlife that is on his land! I do get some very nice photographs and experiences on this farm.





This Yellow-Bellied Marmot seamed to me to be the biggest I photographed? I say "he", for he looked like he has been in a scrap or two!! These Yellow-Bellied Marmots can live up to fifteen years! Though it is said the pups have a hard time making it to a year old.



This photograph for me was fun! There are two Yellow-Bellied Marmots in the above shot. Can you find the second one? Not going to tell you where it is, this is a example of how well they blend in!! I finally showed Guy for he looked and looked. After you see something it is hard to unsee whatever ha Heck there could be more then two...... I just see two.

This spot seamed to be a good spot for some were running into the rocks from other places. So I figured the males must be around here and where I got what I thought was the biggest Yellow-Bellied Marmot on this day. Of course by this time I was gone from the house for gosh three hours? I was getting tired but waited in this spot.



Another popped out! Right now there are three checking me out!



Now there is four! The barking by now has stopped. I could not get my lens out far enough for more of the rocky area to be photographed without giving away the location. I promised the farmer I would not allow anything in the photographs to give a location. This of course protects the animals I photograph.

Sorry to say these animals are one of the critters that are slaughtered in our area for just being there. They do eat plants up! Though on the flip side the also eat insects!! However it is their burrows that cause problems. They are not small animals! I have said it once I will say it again, farmers in our area pay people to pick up rock! This is a job and duty of farm workers. Something needs to be done with these rocks, this farmers put the rock here. Perfect location for the Yellow-Bellied Marmot.

Their territory consists of what five acres give or take.... we do have a railroad line that comes through, though if you give a creature like this a good place to live without threat this means all these that are living in this rock that nothing is done with, the Yellow-Bellied Marmots are not burrowing under the railroad tracks...... this is my theory anyhoo.





We are up to five now!! All checking me out! The eldest one is the one who is being very still, and until you see it..... The way the others look, and are acting I feel those are pups ie young.





Here all five of them again, you can see the two on the top left a little better? Guy claims if I had bread they would probably had came right up to me haha. Guy gets to see first hand my interaction with the wildlife and he is always shacking his head haha

I did not use all the photographs I uploaded to this album, you are more then welcome to check out all the photographs. Make them bigger , you can view them in a gallery, share them and embed them. Some other options.

Thank you for coming by and checking out my time with the Yellow-Bellied Marmot!

Wild Field Mouse Eating

Mrsroadrunner Photography | Wild Field Mouse Eating




Meet the little wild field mouse I came across on one of my hikes. The little mouse did not even notice I was watching him!





When I set out I typically go by myself so I can control how noisy or quiet I am. Though I did not know I was being this quiet!

Now you know why the birds of prey follow me around, though this mouse was not exactly all that scared just sitting there eating.



Just so long as this little mouse is out here on this farm I go on and not here at the house everything is dandy about having a mouse around. The mouse is kind of cute dont you think?



Finally the little wild mouse seen me!! We are so used to seeing house mice running about I wonder if we stop and think the mice do have life's outside of peoples homes?



Off the little mouse goes, climbing up and out of the ditch I found the little guy in!



I am sure the mouse is going to his home which is more then likely hidden around this spot somewhere?? Typically I see the mouse diving into their burrows in the middle of the dirt roads the farmer uses to get around on.

Thank you for coming by and checking out the photographs of this little wild mouse!

Waterline In May

Photo by MrsRoadRunner . : photographs,photo... | Gather

Waterline In May

Old Farm House

Photo by MrsRoadRunner . : photographs,photo... | Gather

Old Farm House. Found this on our drive the other day in Oregon.

Farm In View Of Smith Rock National Park, Oregon

Photo by MrsRoadRunner . : photography... | Gather

Farm In View Of Smith Rock National Park, Oregon

Canyon Farm

Photo by MrsRoadRunner . : photography... | Gather

Canyon Farm

Alpaca Farm Oregon.

Photo by MrsRoadRunner . : photography... | Gather

Alpaca Farm Oregon. This is just a few of the alpaca's on this farm.
The alpaca's have gotten to be big in the agricultural realm. Farms are springing up all over.