Frogs Frogs and More Frogs

Frogs Frogs and More Frogs




When you have kids, sometimes we do not really understand how much our kids are paying attention to us. Here at the house we have several species of frogs here, the most common of these frogs is the above species. Pacific Tree Frogs are well adapted to many different environments. Fact is some folks feel they adapt to well!!



I like the frogs that have called our home there home for some years now. They eat bugs, I like the music they make and like to see the tadpoles develop into adults.

Today I want to express how thankful I am to my son for showing the humanity within to not allow a good dozen of these frogs freeze to death in our harsh winter conditions!





This species of frog moved in some eight years ago now? They have given me hours of entertainment!!





Not only as full frogs have they given entertainment. We also have a environment for the frogs to reproduce. Watching them as eggs, turn into tadpoles then into full fledged frogs.





When my son seen some frogs mixed into the soil as a repair man was here and had to do his work never thinking their would be frogs in the soil he just took out of the place he was working at, my son did notice!! I never thought the frogs would be in the area that was needing to be accessed by the repair man either!! I would have done something about it before hand!!

As soon as my son said the first word I new something was going on and went over to find very cold, hardly moving frogs that I spend so much of the warmer months watching!! I started picking them up out of the snow and putting them into my pockets to bring inside the house to my warm plant room where the fortunate frogs have found a way into and these frogs could warm up at and if they wanted to they could stay for the winter.

I am fortunate to have a son who paid attention!! My son does help me here at the house as Guy is off at work. Helps me with the ponds and the chores to make a environment the frogs and other critters like to be at!

I took no photographs of the cold frogs due to one, I was trying to get them warmed up! Two I had a repair man here who was trying to get his job done! One frog I am still a tad bit worried about for he was a tiny one!! That frogs and the others should really be fine. Frogs are a species of wildlife that have a way of surviving with just a little help......

My other frog photographs , this species and the others plus lizards,snakes,fish are all in this photo album if you want to take a look. I do understand phobias , of course my photography can be right up close and personal like with the critters I photograph.....

Lewis Woodpecker of The High Desert of Oregon

Mrsroadrunner Photography | 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.







This is a side entrance to a old established ranch here in our part of the world outside of Madras Oregon. This entrance does not look as if it is used that much, perfect place for catching bugs!!

We have several routes we take when locally checking out the wildlife. This is one of our routes which takes us through some not so small ranches. Staying on the public roads and NOT speeding by the owners homes gets us more waves from the ranch owners then anything!

When and if the owners find out really what I am doing which is taking photographs we are typically, not always but typically met with enthusiasm and information. At times even permission to enter these ranches which the public is not allowed.

In fact this ranch has some very interesting signs to let strangers know exactly how the ranch owner feels about trespassers. Reading the signs tells me I dont want to be on this mans property without permission directly from his mouth to my ears!! Written down on a piece of paper even!!





I try to keep up with current information on the species I photograph. Information is always updating and changing! Some of the species of wildlife I photograph I do not tell the general public exactly where I photograph what due to the curiosity of the public if and a huge if the public is visiting our area. The computer is a beast all its own. Due to the privacy of these ranch owners I just assume stay on their good side.





You can see in this shot what kinds of tree's we have where this Lewis Woodpecker was photographed in.

Conservation issues; such things as the Conservation issues I noticed is on the rise in our area of Oregon. This species is not all that common to see while out and about. It takes effort to educate folks on the benefits of seeing such a pretty bird as this and why we need to actively keep this species and others from disappearing.

The Lewis's Woodpecker is a active bug destroyer. No chemicals needed with these birds around! The Forest Service has confirmed we do have active breeding going on in our area (Jefferson County Oregon), of these Lewis's Woodpeckers. I photographed this species in May, shame I did not have showable photographs of it diving catching bugs! It was a site to see! Mind you this is nothing more then a private ranch, keeping in mind I was on the public road and I did see two of these, not sure if it was the same bird or??

It is difficult for conservationists, scientists, or government officials to keep track of wildlife on private land. I personally feel there is a lot more going on in our part of state then these people really know of. I think if we could get the land owners on board without making them give up their rights to, or making these ranch owners feel as if they are going to give public access to their land the wildlife would be better off?? Of course I could be wrong however the ranch owners I have known,worked for, spoken too work hard for what they have and dont appear to be the kinds of folks to just hand over their rights. I cant not say I dont blame the land owners.....

For instance, your home has a backyard. How would you feel if a stranger showed up and said, "ok this is how it is going to be". Your children , or you are not allowed to use this much of your backyard". Or if living in a apartment having someone tell you you can not use this bedroom or that one, however you still have to pay full rent on the whole unit. Same way with these ranch owners who have to pay taxes and other bills on the land.

Thank you for coming by looking at my photography and listening to me......hope I gave you something to think about?

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!