Cleared for takeoff

A common merganser gains speed for flight on the Umpqua River near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021. A fish-eating duck the merganser forages by diving and swimming underwater, propelled by its feet. 

 

The eagle has landed

Perched on a dead tree along the Umpqua River, a bald eagle shakes its feathers as the early morning sun warms the day near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021.

A bald eagle takes flight from the branch of an old-growth Douglas fir tree along the Umpqua River near Elkton in southwestern Oregon on Friday, Sept. 24, 2021. According to the The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, bald eagle populations have flourished in recent years, growing to more than 71,400 nesting pairs and an estimated 316,700 individual birds. The bald eagle was removed from the list of threatened or endangered species in 2007.

 

Because the world needs more squirrel photos

My photo, via ZUMApress.com, in The Guardian's Week in Wildlife photo gallery. 

 

Dew Drop Inn

A large black and yellow garden spider (Argiope aurantia) hangs in its dew coated web on a hillside near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021. A bite by Argiope aurantia is comparable to a bee sting with redness and swelling. 

 

Feeling flirty; Roosevelt elk in western Oregon

A large bull Roosevelt elk check the sexual receptivity of a female cow elk on a hillside near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2021. The  courtship signals of elk involve vocalizations and fighting between males. The bulls will often also coat themselves with urine “perfume” to attract females.

 

Birds of a feather (not)

A turkey vulture and a great blue heron share a perch on a dead tree as the morning sun warms the day along the Umpqua River near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021.

The same heron also shared the tree with an osprey.

It seems that I've been photographing a lot of osprey and herons lately. Today I didn't need to choose sides.

 

Aw, Nuts!

With a mouth full of hazelnuts, a ground squirrel pauses while raiding a nut harvesting machine on a farm near Elkton in rural western Oregon. The farmer set a live trap with hopes of catching and relocating the bandit.

 

@rloznak

Aw, ##nuts ##squirrel ##cute ##farming ##wildlife

♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys - Kevin MacLeod