Subtle is not a word you would use to describe the breeding plumage of the male wood duck, but the light in the shade muted the colors of both the duck and the reflections of the fall color in the water.
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Built By Happy Free Spirits
One of my favorite pieces of artwork in our neighborhood.
Simply Red
From 2008, a simple portrait of a red-winged blackbird perching on a cattail. Sometimes I need simple.
On to the Specialist
Sam finished a round of antibiotics but is still showing no signs of improvement. He’s due to see a specialist on Monday as whatever is bothering him is a bit unusual and not responding to the normal treatments. On the plus side, while it takes multiple feedings to get him to eat all his food, he is digesting it well enough that he hasn’t lost any weight, and isn’t in any pain other than the discomfort in his GI tract. He is as snuggly as ever, our little medical mystery, but I’m not in the mood for mysteries.
The Ascent of Shadow
You Don’t Look Dorky, You Look Elizabethan!
Emma wasn’t buying it.
The Rippers
At Ridgefield, many creatures prey on the Townsend’s voles that live in the meadows and marshes. Some predators like herons, bitterns, egrets, and coyotes swallow the voles whole. Others like this red-tailed hawk (above) and rough-legged hawk (below) have beaks designed to let them rip apart their prey and eat only the parts they desire. If you watch them on a fresh kill you’ll see them pull out parts like intestines they don’t want and cast them aside so they can get to the muscles and organs they prefer. It’s a bit gruesome and I always feel for the little voles but at least they die quickly, this is how these beautiful but deadly birds have evolved to survive.
I photographed both hawks on the same day, and in nearly the same spot, the rough-leg right as the sun was cresting the hill and the red-tail over an hour later in direct sunlight.
Migration
As animals migrate, winter brings changes to the wildlife you see in the Pacific Northwest. Our Irvington neighborhood is no exception.
Ten Years Gone
Templeton died just over ten years ago on December 8, 2007. This little fellow changed my life. I took this picture while he was recuperating from surgery in January 2006.
Double Dragon
These pictures may look the same but the top one is from Saturday, the bottom Sunday. We’ve had a spate of sunny and cold weather and Ellie was up for unusually long walks both days, slightly over an hour and a half on Saturday and slightly under on Sunday. She wanted to go past Irvington School on the way home, normally we don’t go that far south and east, she likes it because people walk their dogs in the grass field and I like it because I can photograph her beside the dragon statue. She wanted to go Friday as well, trying several times to get me to go past, but school was in session.
This pup is the best.
Boolie 