Mrsroadrunner Photography | Time Spent With A Wild Hawk

Mrsroadrunner Photography | Time Spent With A Wild Hawk


I came upon this Hawk as I was coming back from a walk here in my town in the High Desert of Oregon. Figuring the hawk would fly off I started taking photographs of it rather quickly!



We have the old , unused electrical poles that makes great perches for the large, medium and small birds. The Red Tailed Hawk I say are medium sized birds. In compare to the eagles we have have they are medium!

This hawk just seamed to me as a young hawk? Seamed to me just because of its behavior. I started photographing "him", so he new I was coming. This gets the birds or any of the wildlife I photograph used to the click of my camera.



As you can see the hawk really did not feel I was a threat! He is just chilling showing no signs of stress at all!





It did cross my mind that perhaps this hawk is hurt ? Perhaps this is why it is not flying off?? Or even acting as if I am a threat?? People do keep these hawks as pets.....



I did not see any wing tags or leg tags on him. So I guess he just does not see me as a threat?







When you actually get to see such a bird up close, personal like without being in a cage, without the bird being tied to something AND not on someones arm you really do see how beautiful these birds really are!



I was not waving my arms or doing anything that may make the bird fly. I get lots of photographs of the birds flying. I do not need to make anything fly. I did give the bird time to adjust his eyes to where I was below him. They do have very good eye site! AND on my walk I do scare things from their hiding spot not meaning to of course. In this part of our town there are many rabbits! So perhaps they like it when I take my walks and scare up such things?



In this shot you can clearly see this bird sees something? Diner perhaps??  I still feel something is going on with that one talon? Not as if the bird was going to fly down to me and let me check his talon out......







The shot above is where the bird is stretching . Then again he was doing this with his other talon just a bit ago. Just way to relaxed around me .... I am a threat , really I am!! HAHA!

After a while my arms were getting tired so I said fair well to my hawk friend and started on my way home again. The hawk did finally fly off in the direction he was paying attention to earlier when I got some distance away. I thought well that is just my luck haha, but like I said I have plenty of shots of them flying and who wants to stress out such a pretty bird with such a great personality as this one seamed to show me and us in these photographs that frankly I have so many more photographs it is not even funny!

Thank you for coming by and spending time with me and my photography!

White Crowned Sparrows Wintering in the High Desert

Mrsroadrunner Photography | 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.

We have them here right now, however these shots are from when the snow was flying in February of this year (2014).

These White Crowned Sparrows reuse the garden flower stalks as nice places to perch and if you notice it is snowing.











In the shot below this sparrow knows exactly where I am. These White Crowned Sparrows are a little more used to me then say some bird who has just flown in. When the birds first show up to winter here, they can be a little jumpy, however by February they have learned they are more then welcomed here!





This next shot is a White Crowned Sparrow Fledgeling. Along with the adults it is sometimes amazing how many of these youngsters we get and how many when the flock first shows up, that the adults are still feeding these youngsters!







These next couple of shots is a common thing to see here at the house. The White Crowned Sparrow and the Gold Crowned Sparrow sharing the same flower stalks in the garden as it is snowing.













It is to the point that these two species can not see where I put the bird seed. Why you may ask? Because if they get the chance they will help themselves! The Gold more so then the White, however I found it safe just to move around the bags of seed Guy brings home for me that I give the birds. These birds get bold! The door gets left open for the dogs and the birds just come right in..... little stinkers!



Thank you for coming by and use the search option to see all the other photographs of these pretty birds I have gotten at mrsroadrunner.com

Hanging Out With A Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Mrsroadrunner Photography | Hanging Out With A Ruby-crowned Kinglet







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





I do get a good archive of photographs going of one species of wildlife. This Ruby-crowned Kinglet is no different.





Na you can not tell he knows I am here photographing him in this shot! HA



I named the shot below "flying", however he was just getting his balance more then actually "flying".





Here he is flashing his color!







This next shot is one of my favorites. He is just kicking back and showing his color!







This last one he just hops off to somewhere else!







The shot I had to add in here, it is the last useable shot I got of this day of the Ruby-crowned Kinglet AND the closest this Ruby-crowned Kinglet or any of the Kinglets ever came this close to me and my camera. I actually was somewhat shocked for I make it no secrete to the birds, wildlife or anything that I am right here.... with my camera in hand!





My other Ruby-crowned Kinglet post can be seen and read here Thank you for coming by and Hanging out with this Ruby-crowned Kinglet bird!

Northern Shrike High Desert of Oregon

Mrsroadrunner Photography | 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.

I see these masked birds on this walk every winter. They are typically screaming at me as I walk this rout which by the way since the tree the Harriers liked to perch at had been burned down this has been rather a uninteresting part of my walk in winter until I seen this bird!

Perhaps screaming at me is to dramatic? They give off this call as if stressed out, warming everyone around. Not as bad as the Scrub Jays though hard to keep your presents unknown.

This one just happened to stay put for whatever reason that I do not know of why?

I started off by taking this shot below;









This is how I typically see these Northern Shrikes. Deeper in those tree slash bushes there. They do not seam to like to be seen by me or my camera most of the time. I do not bother photographing them on many of my walks here, no real reason other then they tend to get so stressed out!

I take shots with the camera just for the noise at this distance so the wildlife get used to the click my camera makes. Seams to calm at least the birds down some so I can get closer to them. The birds get so curious they do not notice their photograph being taken. I walk slow and with purpose keeping my mouth shut. This works for me! Being alone helps with this process I have developed. Heck some of the birds must think the camera click is some odd bird for birds such as the Hummingbird has even challenged me and my camera more then one time! How I get some of my photographs I get.



Then the Northern Shrike moved higher up and better seen. Knowing I was there, I clicked off a few shots and kept walking. I read where this species is very territorial. A rather large song bird who just happens to hunt bugs, lizards, frogs, mice. Killing their food and even eating it later on. This is one of my places to photograph bugs, frogs at other times of the year. Mice all year around. Lots of mice and other small rodents here at this spot!!



These are not the best shots in the world, however we get what we can get until the next opportunity

 presents itself right?



I will spend more time with these birds now that I know they are more then just cute masked bandits next time I am on this walk in winter time !

Thank you for coming by!

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!

Mushrooms Just Sprang Up

Mrsroadrunner Photography | Mushrooms Just Sprang Up





When it comes to Mushrooms we have a few that appear out of no where here and there in the garden. 2014 was a GREAT year! Why?

Mushroom compost is one of my soils I use along with several others I mix up. Great for the flowers so it seams! We also went and purchased a shredder earlier in 2014 , that is what you see there is the materials we shredded up to add into the garden.

Funny story about that shredder, Guy had his first surgery on his hand and the doctor just took off his cast, and we had to go to the hand therapist to get a brace put on. Guy has gone through several of these braces and the shredder is why one of them got destroyed. These hand braces , one type goes over his work gloves. Well, he was feeding the shredder with his good hand and we do not know how his brace not only came off, but went into the shredder with the rose thorns!





These beauties are one species of Mushroom we had pop out of the ground! Again great for the soil and since Mushrooms feed off dead organic matter...... this is a perfect place for them!





Like most things I enjoy photographing Mushrooms, they all have their own character. Each and everyone of them!





This last one you can see at the bottom of the photograph is has a slightly different color.... well this was shot through the fence. I just blurred out the fence within the lens.

I have many more photographs of different mushrooms we had in 2014 and time permitting I will show you the photographs I got! Thank you for coming by!

Wild Gray Hairstreak Butterfly

 Wild Gray Hairstreak Butterfly

Butterflies are fascinating creatures big and small! Watching them flutter from this place or that place is quite the hobby for many people. I am no different! On this day as I was out tending the flowers I noticed this little one fluttering here and there and thought what the hay , lets get some photographs! That I did.

This was the first shot I got. Not sure I could get all that close so kept my distance. The hairstreak in our garden like the hollyhocks, this is what is pictured here is the bud of the hollyhock of course she is laying eggs when I got there!

This series of shots was taken back in July of 2014.

I like how such a creature as a butterfly lays her eggs in a spot that the caterpillar will make the most out of the flower ie plant . I do not stop this, for it is nature and well, I like the butterflies! I like watching the process even though my flowers do come out rather eaten up at times ha

The little butterfly allowed me in pretty close without stressing her out, so I took the opportunity! I pretty much do the same thing everyday and the critters get used to me, not saying they are going to allow me to touch them or anything.... they just get used to me being out there. If say Guy was with me, critters would not go on with life for Guy is not out there everyday , or every week even though he would like to be his schedule just does not allow him to be. I am also not big on allowing strangers here. This tends to stress out the creatures that live here and to be honest stresses me out too!

If one wants to get in close to critters, one thing is.... dont put on bug killers! I never understood this from other photographers. Spray on bug killer to photograph butterflies, HELLO. Then wonder why the butterflies fly off from you. If you want to photograph larger critters, not the wisest thing to do is put on perfume down wind right?

She checked me out then went to this hollyhock flower buds. She is almost a perfect specimen dont you think?? No damage from the birds here for the birds have other things to eat other then the butterflies! These little butterflies the cats do not even mess with, they are little!! Now the swallowtail butterflies are a different story. The damage on those at times comes from cats.

Cats.... my sons cat has rules here. The cat will follow me around. However when I am busy and no more pets from me he will go lay down in the sun or shade and do what cats do. We do have the bird area in which the cat is not allowed in at all. The critters here know my rules and it is to keep everyone living stress free. If whatever does not know my rules, they learn! Stray cats get quickly shooed off the property.

You can see her doing her thing however, body language tells me in this shot she knows I am there. I am just not doing anything that would cause her any stress. I just dont like to crop my photographs or do anything to them and like to just take them off the camera so I want shots that are going to show whatever I am photographing the best I can. The critters tend to play well with me.

This is the last of the series. She was a great subject to photograph..... I just felt we both had enough. Plus my arms were getting tired haha! No I dont use my tri pod all that much..... I find it confining. What if something is going on over there and I need to act quickly or loose the shot??

The first photograph up there is a wild one I photographed in the national grasslands out side of Madras Oregon. Oh boy that is a fantastic place for butterflies!! However I am happy with the residence I have right here in my own yard !

I read a lot about critters , if you dont know that haha - I have ran across several articles about butterfly folks who raise these inside the house. Now that would be interesting? Though inside my plant room I also have frogs that moved in and they may see this as something I was very kind to offer THEM......BUTTERFLIES

You can see all of these photographs, since there are many more here , and of course I have my Butterfly album you are more then welcome to look through here

Hope you enjoyed my little write up and photographs!

Thank you for visiting with me

Coralie