Sandhill Cranes at Conboy Lake NWR

I’ve been MIA while preparing for & now entertaining guests! Love to show my family some favorite haunts like Conboy Lake National Wildlife Refuge, where we saw Sandhill Cranes, Golden-mantled Squirrels, elk, raptors & more! This banded sandhill crane was so close, he barely fit in my frame. I love their red heads, shaped like a heart and their gorgeous feathers.

Banded Sandhill Crane at Conboy Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Winter Raptor Surveys

I love conducting winter raptor surveys for East Cascades Audubon. I traverse two specific routes, counting & hopefully photographing each raptor that I encounter. Some days I have wonderful luck and other days not so much. This day in February was a good one! Many of the raptors you see on my website were found during surveys.

Bald Eagle taking off in flight. Shot at 500mm, cropped for detail.

Sometimes I can’t get the photo because they’re too far away; or in this instance, too close for my lens.

A Golden Eagle flying too close for my 500mm lens to capture, but look at that wing pattern!

Releasing a Bald Eagle back into the Wild on 2.2.22

My friend Kathy rescued an injured Bald Eagle on her friend's property and delivered the female eagle to Rowena Wildlife Clinic. Two weeks later, on 2.2.22, Robin picked the eagle up from Rowena and brought her back to her territory, to this property where she was originally found. It was an amazing privilege to witness the release. I wish you all could see Robin's incredible photos of the eagle at the clinic; & Kathy's photos of the original rescue. If you would like to make a tax deductible donation to Rowena Wildlife Clinic, they are nonprofit and depend on donations to support all the wildlife they take in.

Kathy and Robin discussing strategy before removing the eagle in her carrier from Robin’s truck.

Slowly opening the latch on the carrier before the cover is removed.

The eagle kicked open the door and maneuvered her way out of the carrier.

She immediately took flight as soon as her talons touched the grassy field.

In two seconds she was out of the carrier and halfway across the field.

A nearby conifer forest was her destination.

Approximately 3 seconds from release to her landing comfortably on a fir branch. Thanks to Kathy for rescuing her and Rowena Wildlife Clinic for tending her injuries, she is back with her mate in the Columbia River Gorge.

Life can be so fragile for our wild creatures, an injured wrist can mean starvation and death. In this instance however, she will go through at least another season. I’m grateful to all those involved and I’m thrilled to have witnessed the release.

Escape from Responsibility

I took a day for myself, free of responsibility. No surveys, no reports, no class, no photo editing, no site additions, no ‘to-do’s of any sort. Because the wind was blowing, there wasn’t too much to photograph, but I did spend quality time with this gorgeous subadult Bald Eagle in the Columbia River Gorge.

Wind blowing feathers of a sub adult Bald Eagle under a blue sky in the Columbia River Gorge.

Subadult Bald Eagle at the top of a small fir tree with wind blowing his feathers about.

Ferruginous Hawk

On my way to a Golden Eagle nest site with a biologist friend, we saw this gorgeous adult light morph Ferruginous Hawk in Wasco County and had to stop to admire it. Of course, it took off, but it’s one of my favorite raptors, and it’s always a thrill to see one.

A Ferruginous Hawk taking off from a utility post in Wasco County.

Ferruginous Hawk about to take off from utility post in Wasco County.

A Ferruginous Hawk in flight.

A Ferruginous Hawk in flight.

Western Gray (Silver) Squirrel

I was excited to find a Western Gray Squirrel recently in Klickitat County, my second sighting EVER! I was enroute to one of my raptor surveys when it ran across the road right in front of me. Thankfully no one was behind me so I could stop & grab a couple photos before he disappeared into the snow-covered forest. They are listed as a threatened species in WA State.

A Western Gray Squirrel running into a snow-covered forest.

Western Gray Squirrel running into snow-covered forest.

As the Western Gray Squirrel runs into a snow covered forest, his bushy tail is seen clearly.

The bushy tail of a Western Gray Squirrel as he runs into a snow-covered forest.

To Blog or not to Blog....

My schedule is always packed with projects and volunteer commitments leaving little room for spontaneity, yet when something special comes up I manage to rearrange previous plans. I kept a blog on Wordpress for a few years until I simply ran out of time to continue. I’d rather be in the field taking photographs than sitting at my computer keeping a blog; and as is often the case, even adding my newest images for your perusal on this website. They’ll get here eventually, just probably not today.

Pika yawning and stretching, looking 'ferocious'.

‘Ferocious’ pika yawning and stretching on talus.

This image is one of my favorite pika shots. I was quietly sitting and watching this little pika running back and forth across the talus, popping in & out of crevice openings. He stopped to sun himself fairly close to me, then groomed and sunned again. Finally, he stretched and yawned, then fell asleep right in front of me. I jokingly call him my ‘ferocious’ pika, because he looks like he’s roaring!

I’m typically on a trail or back road Monday through Thursday. I co-own a gallery in Hood River (Made in the Gorge) that I manage on Fridays. Saturday & Sunday are generally crowded in the Gorge, so those are my days to ‘catch up’. All this to say I’m adding a blog here on my website, to test the waters and see if I can keep up with it.

I’m thinking at this point, the blog will be simple with a ‘photo of the day’ or two or three….not a detailed journal. Primarily birds and wildlife of the Columbia River Gorge since that’s my passion. I might repost something from my old blog from time to time for interest, to share a glimpse of history.

pika sleeping on rocks, his talus habitat.

Pika sleeping in habitat.