Who's a pretty bird?

A group of turkey vultures congregate on a newly cut hay field near Roseburg, Ore., on Tuesday, June 14, 2011.  The turkey vulture, also know as the turkey buzzard or just buzzard, is the most widespread vulture in North and South America. The carrion eating scavenger has few natural predators. Its primary form of defense is regurgitation of semi-digested meat, a foul substance which deters most enemies.

Little cutie

I found another blacktail deer fawn this evening. He's such a cutie with his big eyes and eyebrows.

Check out more of my animal and nature photos here.  Reprints are available from the gallery.

Tiny prancer

A very small blacktail deer fawn stands on little used country road near Oakland, Ore.,  in the early morning on Friday, June 10, 2011.  The mother will come back to collect her little treasure when the coast is clear.

Robin Hood and his martial arts men

The Roseburg Martial Arts Academy demo team stopped in at my studio for a few fun photos on Tuesday.  The team recently took second place at a regional martial arts competition in Seattle.

 The team performed a martial arts skit with a Robin Hood theme.  That's Robin on the right.

 The team is made up of advanced black belts and intermediate students.

The entire team with their 2nd-place trophy.  Next year I bet they take first place.

Fungus defender

An ant strikes a defensive pose on a small mushroom growing on a stump near my home in southwestern Oregon on Sunday, June 5, 2011.  I've photographed the cluster of mushrooms blooming on this same stump before, but this is the first time I've seen any insects amongst the fungus.

Snake Eyes

  A large bull snake slithers slowly across a country road near Roseburg, on Saturday, June 4, 2011.  Bull snakes, which are non-venomous,  are considered a subspecies of the gopher snake.  They can reach up to 8 feet in length.

 The snake was a great model. He posed for photos for about five minutes before slithering off the road.

Hatchling

 A newly hatched American robin chick sits in its nest with two more unhatched eggs at a park near Roseburg, Ore., on Thursday, June 2, 2011.  Small cracks could be seen in the two  remaining eggs and the chicks inside were soon to also hatch.

Breaking out of an egg is hard work.   Check out more of my animal and natures photos here.