I have found kingfishers to be one of the most difficult birds to photograph. They seem to be very shy and will fly off if you get within 100 yards of them. While walking along the river, this kingfisher flew by and hovered over the river just long enough for me to drop everything and …
Great Blue Heron on a Windy Day
I took this photo a few weeks ago on a cold, blustery day. When I got to the river the heron was standing on a log in the river. It stood there for almost 2 hours before it finally moved. When a gust of wind blew through, I was able to get a few photos …
Dark-Eyed Junco (Oregon)
Dark-Eyed Junco (Oregon). I learned something interesting today . . . in most places the dark-eyed junco is mostly gray. But in the western part of the country, they look like this. They are one of the most common birds in North America although here we see them mostly in the winter.
Townsend’s Solitaire
I wasn't familiar with this bird so when it showed up in my back yard I had to look it up. It is larger than a sparrow but smaller than a robin and has a distinctive white band around its eye. It is named after John Kirk Townsend who collected the first Townsend's Solitaire along …
Anna’s Hummingbirds in Winter
I am always amazed when I see an Anna’s Hummingbird at my feeder when it is 24 degrees outside. How do they survive in this cold weather in the Pacific Northwest? In cold weather, they will go into a state of “torpor”, an energy saving mode where their heart rate and body temperature are reduced …