Scratcher of heads, rubber of bellies
Friday afternoon I took Bear into the desert, choosing an initial loop that wouldn’t take him too far in case he got tired. But his energy was high so I expanded the loop and added a short nature trail. At the end we were treated to this red-tailed hawk up on Bobcat Rocks (I saw a bobcat there once), having hiked 5.1 miles in total. I took him on an easy 3 mile jaunt in the neighborhood yesterday, not sure what we’ll do today.
📷: Nikon Z 7II | Nikon 24-200mm
🗓️: December 20, 2024
The world is often beautiful but rarely kind, as all the little creatures fed to this young hawk discovered, and eventually the hawk learned too. From what I could see only the legs and a pile of feathers remained, as honey-colored ants recycled what little soft tissue and fluids remained. Bear and I didn’t hike this trail again until weeks later when the only signs of this once beautiful life were a few feathers scattered on the desert floor.
📷: Nikon Z 7II | Nikon 105mm macro
🗓️: October 27, 2023
Like saguaros, ocotillos provide winged predators perches with expansive views of the desert floor. Even when they leaf out, their leaves are small and don’t stay long. Their thinner arms generally host smaller predators like kestrels or this loggerhead shrike, but in the far distance I could seen an ancient ocotillo entertaining a Harris’ hawk.
📷: Sony A6700 | Sony 100-400mm | Sony 1.4X
🗓️: October 20, 2024
With the sun sinking in the west an old saguaro gives a pair of kestrels an expansive view of the desert floor.
📷: Nikon Z 7II | Nikon 105mm macro
🗓️: November 6, 2022
When you’re well hidden in a tree and definitely no one can see you.
📷: Sony A6700 | Sony 100-400mm | Sony 1.4X
🗓️: May 27, 2024
A pair of owls owns the high ground, bathed in the last light of the setting sun. I trained Bear on the trails in this area though we haven’t been back since the desert to the east burned.
📷: Nikon Z 7II | Nikon 24-200
🗓️: March 28, 2023
With the setting sun disappearing behind western hills, a Gambel’s quail and I bid each other good evening.
📷: Sony A6600 | Sony 100-400mm | Sony 1.4X
🗓️: April 2, 2022
One in a long series of pictures exploring changing light in the desert, in this instance a kestrel eating a small rodent that didn’t quite make it to the relative safety of the night, growing shadows nearly enveloping them both.
📷: Sony A6600 | Canon 500mm | Canon 1.4X
🗓️: December 19, 2021
The Woodpecker Hotel is one of my favorite saguaros, quite the survivor to get this old and this big. I wonder how many animals owe their lives in part to the giant, from what must be hundreds of woodpeckers who were born in its arms to countless creatures who fed on its flowers and fruit. I hadn’t planned on photographing it on this occasion as Bear and I headed back to the car but I couldn’t resist when I saw the hawk perched on top.
📷: Nikon Z fc | Nikon 16-50 DX
🗓️: February 15, 2024
The brochure for Ridgefield NWR had a quote from the Lewis & Clark Journal on their visit to the area that always made me smile:
I slept but very little last night for the noise kept up during the whole of the night by the swans, geese…brant (and) ducks on a small sand island…they were immensley numerous and their noise horrid.
Capt. William Clark
Lower Columbia River
November 5, 1805
As someone who both has trouble sleeping and made a similar cross-country journey when my wife and I drove to Oregon years ago, I feel qualified to comment and say the expedition should have brought a white noise machine, or at least downloaded one to their phone. Classic rookie mistake!
If they had stayed to enjoy summer in the Pacific Northwest they would have slept soundly as the big flocks of waterfowl migrate out, leaving a smaller group of residents like this Canada goose with four goslings nestled in its wings.
📷: Canon 20D | Canon 500mm f/4 | Canon 1.4X
🗓️: May 10, 2009
Boolie 