Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Anatidae. More specifically - Geese!


Last year in my biology class, we had to do a report on a family of our choosing. I decided on Anatidae, a family of birds which include ducks, geese and swans. Oddly, this was my choice since I had so many of my own photos I could use and I loved the idea of making a power point presentation and see my pics on the screen. I found out a lot about these birds and they are still a favorite to photograph. This post, it is all about Canadian geese!










Monday, April 11, 2011

Wildlife Rehabilitation



I am so privilege since I have the opportunity to volunteer at a local wildlife rehabilitation facility. Springtime is baby bird season (and a few mammals). It is both a fun and sad season since animals really do have the best possibility of survival with their parents. If you do see a baby bird on the ground, it is best to either place the baby back in her/his nest, or in a cardboard box in a tree as close to the test as possible. The same is true for mammals, except you will not want to handle them with your bare hands. Birds can't smell (except turkey vultures) but mammals can.


A baby barn owl demands food.



A recently hatched bird, opens his mouth wide, awaiting food.


Baby brush bunnies were a delight to feed.

Just out of the shell nest of baby birds whose mother had died.


You know this is a baby crow due to his blue eye color.


A baby killdeer is just the cutest thing on earth.


A baby hummingbird is fed special nectar. You can see how small she is compared to the person's finger.


A young swift clings to a towel, since they cling rather than perch. He is waiting patiently for worms, since swifts are insect eaters. Usually when I see babies in the care center, it means the annual month-long event of the swifts entering a local school chimney (quite the sight!) is happening soon.


Two western screech owls look at my with annoyance.


Using a stuffed animal as a surrogate fooled this cute little finch. She begs it for food and even though we are the ones feeding her, she still doesn't associate humans with feeding her.

An older fledgling cedar waxwing helps out by feeding a younger one. This was precious to witness but we had to make sure the older one fed herself enough as well.


By the end of duckling season, the volunteers are not so excited by the cuteness. Mostly they can just think about the messy clean up involved in their care. At a pond, they are still super cute!

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Office Fun with a 35mm Lens


A co-worker of mine got a fancy new camera with a 35mm lens and let me play with it. I am so envious of the camera and how smoothly it snaps shots and focuses with such precision. Here are a few pictures I took around the office. You can tell I am really into the cute animal figures.








Friday, February 11, 2011

A brief winter visit to the crystal springs

Winter is my favorite time of year to visit the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Gardens since there is a lot of migrating water fowl and less people. The sserenity of the gardens are a perfect treat for any day. This time of year the gardens are free, so if you live in the Portland vicinity, check it out.


Friday, October 8, 2010

BirdFest in Ridgefield

This weekend (October 10 & 11) Friends of Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge presents BirdFest and Bluegrass in Ridgefield, WA. I have not yet gone to one of these, and I will be unable to attend once again due to moving, but it sounds like a lot of fun! Someone needs to go and tell me all about it.

In honor of the festiveness, I decided to post even more photos from Ridgefield, taken on my latest visit a couple weeks ago. I really love visiting this place and this time I got some nice surprises.

An egret stands in the water, looking for lunch.



A hunt in progress. Seeing these egrets so close is a real treat!


A bittern?! !!! These elusive heron-like birds are a rare delight since they are so skittish.


Late summer seems to bring these pipers to the waters at Ridgefield. I never see them any other time of the year.


A Frog! This time of year is also great so spying frogs hiding in the ponds along with turtles sunbathing.


Nutria seems to take over in the summer. The water ways are filled with algae and these critters munching on it all day long. Along a walking path open to the public during the summer, tons of nutria were seen eating along the grass edge. This one was the last to leave, distracted by a flower.


Bees and crickets and other tiny critters were fun to spot. I also saw tree frogs which were fun.


These flowers grow all over in different stages of growth, and always make beautiful subjects to photograph.


Even blooms with less color can create a beautiful display.



Wild flowers take over a part of a grassy field.