Zombie Apocalypse

A turkey vulture pulls on the ear of a dead deer while feeding on the carcass along a country road near Glide, Ore., on Thursday, May 31, 2012. Turkey vultures forage by smell which is unusual in birds. Vultures and their like serve an important function in the ecosystem by disposing of carrion which would otherwise become a breeding ground for disease.

Turkey vultures have almost no natural predators. When confronted by danger a turkey vulture will regurgitate their last meal of half digested stinking meat.

 Awkward on the ground turkey vultures are experts in the air.

Turkey vultures are also known as buzzards and turkey buzzards.  It's not really the Zombie Apocalypse, just some birds doing what they do best.

Snake charmer

A medium sized bull snake warms itself in the late afternoon sun on a country road in rural Douglas County near Elkton, Ore., on Wednesday, May 30, 2012. Bull snakes can grow up to 100 inches long and are one of the largest snake species in North America.

I picked up the snake and moved it to the side of the road after snapping the photos.  He was fairly docile and didn't seem to mind being handled.

Senior party photo booth

Prepping my photo booth for a late night high school graduation party in Roseburg, Oregon this weekend. All booth rentals come with goofy attendant! Check the photo booth gallery on my website to see more samples and pictures of the booth in action.  The booth is awesome at wedding receptions and just about any party. I have dates available for the summer.

A shy little fellow

 A small purple shore crab peaks out from its hiding spot between rocks in the inter-tidal zone at Cape Arago State Park along the rugged southern Oregon coast near Charleston, Ore., on Monday, May 28, 2012. Purple shore crabs can be found in rocky areas of the Pacific coast of North America from Baja California in Mexico all the way to Alaska.

Slightly larger than a quarter, these little crabs are pretty darn cute.

Pollen bomb

 A cloud of pollen wafts off of mature flowering grass in a pasture on a farm near Roseburg, Ore., on Monday, May 28, 2012.  Late spring and early summer are often the worst seasons for allergy sufferers due to high amounts of pollen in the air.

If you have hay fever it would be best to just stop breathing for the next couple of weeks.

 I've photographed pollen a few times, but this is the thickest I've seen it.  My wife has massive grass allergies. I feel especially sorry for her this year.

Smallmouth bass for dinner

I don't normally post pictures of my meals on this blog.  Tonight's dinner of fresh caught smallmouth bass with garden herbs was just so pretty I had to share.  My son and I caught them this afternoon in the Umpqua River near our home in southwestern Oregon.

Singing in the rain

 A male red-winged blackbird perches on a cattail while singing its spring song in a wetland near Roseburg, Ore., on Thursday, May 24, 2012.

Western bluebird

 A colorful male western bluebird returns to his nest box with a small insect snack for his offspring at a county park near Roseburg, Ore., on Wed., May 23, 2012. Western bluebirds primarily feed on insects and berries. They can be very helpful with pest control in the territory surrounding the nest.

Headed back out to find more bugs.

Fly and be free!

During a rain shower, a robin takes the air from a dead blackberry vine at the Dean Creek Wildlife Area near Reedsport, Ore., on Monday, May 21, 2012.

My bird photo was picked up today by msnbc.com in their weekly Animal Tracks gallery.

My photo on National Geographic website

It's my photo from the Glide High School Prom in the Daily Dozen gallery on NationalGeographic.com.  Readers can rate the photos in the gallery which is updated with 12 new pictures every weekday.  The top photos each month are highlighted online and two photos are picked for the print edition of the magazine.

Roosevelt elk in the spring

 A herd of wild Roosevelt elk feed in a field of tall grass at the State of Oregon's Dean Creek Wildlife Area near Reedsport, Ore., on Monday, May 21, 2012.  The bull elk are starting to grow their new antlers after shedding last year's racks in the late winter. 

 The elk at the wildlife area are wild, but they're very accustomed to people.  I shot these with my Nikon 600mm f/4 lens with a 1.7x teleconverter on a Nikon D4.

Photo Bomb!

Ring of fog

 An annular solar eclipse begins as a thick bank of fog rolls in from the Pacific Ocean in Bandon, Ore., on Sunday, May 20, 2012. Bandon was in the area in which people should have been able to see the complete "ring of fire", but the fog completely obscured the sun before the eclipse was complete.

A group of disappointed photographers attempt to take pictures as the fog obscures the eclipse.

Tree-fed beef

Tree-fed beef is the new grass-fed beef. The big bull was a little shy, but he really wanted to eat some oak.  A Red Angus bull feeds on oak leaves at the edge of a pasture on a ranch near Oakland, Ore., on Thursday, May 17, 2012. The bull is part of a herd of grass-fed cattle being raised on the ranch.

Shot with my Nikon perspective control PC-E Nikkor 24mm f/3.5D ED tilt-shift lens. It's a pretty amazing lens.

The awkward stage

A nest full of partially feathered Brewer's blackbird chicks sits hidden in a thicket at River Forks County Park near Roseburg, Ore., on Thursday, May 17, 2012.

On the prowl

It's my picture in this week's Animal Tracks gallery on msnbc.com. This is the link you've been hunting for to see some killer critter pictures.

Munching goat

A goat feeds on an oak branch in a wooded area of a small farm near Roseburg, Ore., on Tuesday, May 15, 2012.  Goats are browsing animals and have a reputation for eating just about anything.  In reality, although they will often taste or sample inedible objects, they rarely feed on such material.

Even beetles do it

A pair of iridescent green dock beetles mate on a dockweed leaf growing in a pasture on a farm near Roseburg, Ore., on Monday, May 14, 2012.  Green dock beetles are often considered a beneficial species because they almost exclusively feed on the weeds dock and green sorrel.

The beetles are pretty small at only about 1/4-inch long.  Photo taken in low light with my Nikkor AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens on my Nikon D4.  It's a killer combination.

Doe a deer

A black-tailed deer doe stands in a field of tall grass in the late afternoon on a farm near Elkton, Ore., on Saturday, May 12, 2012. Black-tailed deer are also known as backtailed, blacktail and black-tail deer.  They are found in the moist coastal region of North America from northern California to British Columbia.

Cheetah cubs on the prowl

A ten-week-old male cheetah cub named Khayam gives a snarl while he is walked on a leash outside Oregon Pacific Bank in Roseburg, Ore., on Friday, May 11, 2012. The cub and his sister Mchumba were visiting the bank from the nearby Wildlife Safari wild game park as part of a fundraiser which brings children with cancer to the park.  Wildlife Safari has an internationally recognized  highly successful cheetah breeding program.

The cubs were taken from their mother soon after their birth when she started acting strangely around them. Keepers feared Marlindi might abandon or harm her cubs.

Khayam plays with a volleyball in the grass outside the bank.

Because the animals required hand-feeding and care, they could not be kept as wild animals. Instead, the park will raise them to become Wildlife Safari ambassadors, visiting schools and other public places.

The female Mchumba sits in the shade of a truck in the parking lot of the bank.

To the delight of about 20 onlookers the cubs wrestle in the lobby of the bank.

The cub makes The Pictures of the Day gallery on zumapress.com.

Fox kit season

 It's fox kit season in western Oregon. So far, I've not seen any foxes this year.  If anyone knows of a fox den in the greater Douglas County, Ore., area please let me know.  I'll give you one of my upcoming 2013 wildlife calendars in trade for any intel.

The mama fox walks on her front while trying to get a break from her hungry kits.

Hiding spider

A spider hides between the spiky barbs of a dried teasel flower at the edge of a wetland near Oakland, Ore., on Wednesday, May 9, 2012. Teasels are native to Asia, Europe and northern Africa.  The plant is considered an invasive species in the United States.

My apologies to any arachnophobia sufferers in the viewing public.

Prom photo booth

The photo booth was great at the Glide High School prom in Roseburg, Ore., last weekend.  My photo booth is an open design and prints out custom prints in about 20 seconds.

Here is a view taken with my normal camera of a group of students using the booth.

A custom photo-strip in 20 seconds.

 

After each event I post a password protected web gallery for sharing and print ordering.

 Check my website for details about reserving my open air photo booth at your next party or event.