Feeling blue

A western bluebird bows its head during a heavy rain shower while perched on a sapling in hazelnut orchard near Elkton in southwestern Oregon. 

 

Which way did he go?

 I caught an adorable western screech owl on my trail camera in SW Oregon. Check out the TikTok...

@rloznak An #adorable little western screech #owl in #oregon #trailcam ♬ Paranormal Horror Theme - Michael Crowther

Red-breasted sapsucker in Oregon

A red-breasted sapsucker drills holes and feeds on sap from the trunk of an apple tree on a farm near Elkton in southwestern Oregon on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022. According to allaboutbirds.com, sapsuckers are important members of their ecosystems, because many species of insects, birds, and mammals use the sapwells they drill to supplement their own diets.

 

Hello kitty

A wild bobcat (Lynx rufus) hunts on a hillside near Elkton in rural southwestern Oregon on Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022. An adaptable predator, the bobcat ranges from southern Canada, through most of the contiguous United States, and into Mexico.

 

High speed capture

 A western bluebird targets a flying insects in SW Oregon pasture. Each frame was captured at 1/3200th of a second and the entire sequence lasted about 0.6 seconds. Made with my Nikon Z9 mirrorless camera shooting at 120 frames per second. 

Watch the video below to see the entire sequence.

Circle of life

 A massive golden eagle scavenges a dead elk on a remote hillside in SW Oregon. Made with motion detecting trail cameras. It's unknown why the elk died.

Rodent patrol

 A great blue heron catches a vole while hunting on a rainy day in a SW Oregon pasture. As a fellow mammal, this interaction makes me feel a little uncomfortable.