This dahlia variety is called Hart’s Bonnie. Note the thin red highlights on every petal - neat! #dahlia #flower

This is a Water Scorpion, plying the waters of Parish Lake Oregon yesterday. These predatory insects breath through a siphon at the end of their long abdomen, while they hunt just under the surface. #bug #insectphotography #aquaticinsects #waterscorpion

Yum! This Turkey Vulture found a snack - a mole. Trouble was, he couldn’t get any leverage to rip it up. After grabbing, prodding, and tossing it around, the vulture flew off with it. Maybe it needs to ferment a bit. At a wildlife refuge along the Columbia River. #bird #birdphotography #vulture

This Townsend’s Solitaire - a type of thrush - perched just for a moment below a scenic overlook high in Oregon’s Columbia River gorge. You have to look fast if you want to see the most interesting birds! #bird #birdphotography #thrush

When I saw there was a #BirdOfTheDay theme of stepping out or walking, I thought of this photo I took of a Northern Rough-winged Swallow actually running down a ledge in Chicago. They have such tiny legs. Not sure I've ever seen another one doing this. #bird #birdphotography #swallow

This particular Yellow-crowned Night-Heron is a celebirdy here in Oregon. It’s the first one ever spotted in our state. It’s been playing hide-and-seek in the vast Summer Lake wildlife refuge for the past month. #bird #birdphotography #heron

Close up and personal with a Clark’s Nutcracker. I took this photo from a bird blind in central Oregon. It was so close this view filled the frame. You can see the outline of the blind in the reflection in the bird’s eye. #bird #birdphotography #nutcracker #jay

This is a Belding’s Ground Squirrel- the little guys you see racing across the roads in eastern Oregon, tempting fate. This one was thankfully nowhere near a road… about a week ago. #wildlifephotography #oregon #squirrel

These petroglyphs at Picture Rock pass north of Summer Lake take a bit of sleuthing in the bush to find. Not sure exactly how old they are, but people have inhabited this location for many millennia. This is what was important to them. #petroglyph #landscapephotography #oregon

Here it is…

This Cassin’s Sparrow is a typical “little brown bird” most people wouldn’t take a second look at. But if you know birds, it’s more like “cool! A Cassin’s Sparrow… at least I think it is… is it?” This was last week in central Oregon. #bird #birdphotography #sparrow

Lewis’s Woodpeckers are striking birds, especially when the light hits them just right. These are gregarious birds - living communally, looking out for each other. This one was in central Oregon last week. #bird #birdphotography #woodpecker

Pinyon Jays are social birds - living in extended family flocks that help each other defend nests, find food and so forth. They are in serious decline unfortunately. I spotted this one in central Oregon last week. Such an elegant bird! #bird #birdphotography #pinyonjay #jay

This Clark's Grebe was plying the waters north of Summer Lake Oregon a few days ago... still is, I suppose. Most birders already know - if the eye is in the white, it's Clark's Grebe, if it's in the black, Western Grebe. #bird #birdphotography #grebe

Lake Abert is huge, yet unfamiliar even to most Oregonians. It's a 65 sq. mile inland sea - no outflows means the shallow water accumulates salt. A handful of similar lakes stretch from south central Oregon into northern California. If you want solitude, it's here. #lakeabert #landscapephotography

Music and Nature come together in “In a Landscape” - an outdoor classical piano concert series by Hunter Noack. I attended this recent concert at Summer Lake, Oregon - under the stars (most IaL performances are in daylight). It was sublime. #inalandscape #piano #photography

I saw this Red Crossbill yesterday in central Oregon. These birds wander the west in search of conifer cones they pry open with their unique beaks. #bird #crossbill

Lazuli Bunting letting it all out this spring in east Portland. I feel like these guys have been expanding their range locally in recent years, and I’m all for it! #bird #birdphotography #bunting

I’ve seen Mountain Quail a few times, but only fleeting views. This is the best I’ve seen yet, but there’s lots of room to improve, which keeps me motivated! #bird #quail #birdphotography

A MacGillivray’s Warbler singing along the Metolius River in Oregon, a few days ago. #bird #birdphotography #warbler

This White-headed Woodpecker was drinking from the Metolious River in Oregon. It repeatedly dipped its bill into the water like a straw. The central Oregon Cascades is one of the best places to see woodpeckers in the US. #bird #woodpecker #birdphotography

I haven’t posted in some time, but let’s give Bluesky another go. This Common Merganser family is on the go! Along the Metolius River in Oregon a couple days ago. #bird #duckling

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Just a simple photo of some Oregon Grape from the other day's hike through the Tillamook State Forest in Oregon's coast range. #oregon #oregongrape #naturephotography #landscapephotography

This is a juvenile Pacific Wren I watched for a while yesterday. Its parents stopped by with a mouthful of bugs at one point. #bird #birdphotography #pacificwren #wren

A view of the Milky Way over Shadow Lake, in the heart of the Wind River mountains of Wyoming. Wish I was there now... in a galaxy far far away. #landscapephotography #windriver #nightphotography #stars #milkyway

I encountered this Yellow-bellied Marmot high in the alpine tundra of the Wind River Mountains. #wildlifephotography #windriver #marmot #naturephotography

The Black Rosy-Finch is a enigmatic denizen of the central Rocky Mountains. It's one of the least-studied songbirds in North America, as it breeds in rocky boulder fields and cliffs well above the tree line. This one was molting, giving it a disheveled look. #bird #birdphotography #blackrosyfinch

A view of the Shark's Nose in the alpenglow from over Shadow Lake. This is in the heart of the Wind River mountains of Wyoming. #mountain #landscapephotography #windriver #backpacking

A Pine Grosbeak, going through its summer molt deep in the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming. #bird #birdphotography #naturephotography #pinegrosbeak