Newt walkabout

A rough-skinned newt crawls through rain soaked grass on a hillside near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2021. The body of the amphibian contains a powerful toxin similar to the toxin found in pufferfish and a number of other marine animals. 

 

Making applesauce at 1/8000th of a second

Sometimes it's fun to just make a mess. In this case I was testing the high speed capability of my Nikon Z6II mirrorless camera shooting at 1/8000th of a second while my friend took aim with a 12-guage shotgun. The results were explosive.

Milk jug with water.

Sports drink bottle.

 

Showing a little leg

The American kestrel is the smallest falcon in North America. Weighing 3-6 ounces, a small kestrel weighs the same as about 34 pennies. 

An American kestrel grooms itself from a perch in a roadside plum tree near Elkton in rural western Oregon. 

Afternoon by the river

A pair of bald eagles perch together on the branch of an oak tree along the Umpqua River near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2021.

It is thought that bald eagles mate for life. However, if one member of a pair dies or disappears, the survivor will choose a new mate.

Like other birds of prey, bald eagles females are larger than males.

 

Rain, rain, go ... gobble?

On a rainy day, male wild turkey forages in a field along a country road near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021. The National Weather Service is predicting clear skies and sunny weather over the next few days for the area.

 

Alpha Doe

As dusk falls, a wild black-tailed deer doe stands on its back legs as it threatens a smaller deer in a pasture along a country road near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Monday, Oct. 4, 2021.

 

Handsome fella

A Roosevelt bull elk walks on a foggy ridge near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021. The Roosevelt elk is the largest of the four surviving subspecies of elk in North America by body mass.