Robin Loznak Year in Pictures 2015

Merry Christmas from damp southwestern Oregon

A deer skull decorates a fence line on foggy damp Christmas morning along a country road in rural southwestern Oregon near Elkton.

Full tilt

A chocolate Labrador retriever plays in a flooded orchard near Elkton in southwestern Oregon on Sunday, Dec. 20, 2015. Recent heavy rain has caused local flooding of some creeks and rivers. More heavy rain is predicted to hit the area on Monday. 

Rescued dog plays in water for first time

My photo in The Atlantic

It's my photo from the UFO Museum in Roswell published with an amazing story in The Atlantic.

Blinky the western screech owl

An injured western screech owl sits in an isolation chamber at a veterinary clinic in Canyonville, Ore., on Thurs., Dec. 17, 2015 after is was dropped off by a motorist who found it on the road. The small owl will be looked after by a wildlife rehabilitation specialist and will be released back into the wild if possible. 

Cute newt

On a rainy afternoon, a rough skinned newt looks up while crossing a road in a forested area near Elkton, Oregon on Monday, Dec. 14, 2015. Rough skinned newts produce powerful toxins in their skin. The bright underbelly of the small amphibian is believed to be a warning to possible predators. 

Rainy Oregon

The rivers and creeks are brimming with water as the winter rains arrive in Southwestern Oregon. We've had several inches in the last few days.

Moist mushroom in Oregon

A small insect clings to the underside of a mushroom growing on a moist hillside near Elkton in rural southwestern Oregon on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015.

Damp and foggy Oregon

A oak tree stands on a foggy ridge as the sun sets on a damp cool day in near Elkton in Southwestern Oregon on Monday, Nov. 30, 2015.

A small cluster of buttery looking mushrooms grow on a wooded trail.

Ever get the feeling of being watched while hiking in the woods alone? 

Little dragon

A northern alligator lizard basks in the sun on a fence post on a hillside near Elkton in rural southwestern Oregon, on Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015. 

The view from here

The sun burns through fog and low clouds as seen from near our home in Kellogg, Oregon on Saturday, Nov. 28, 2015. The trees in the foreground are Italian prune trees. On the hill across the valley are old growth Douglas fir trees.

Roosevelt Elk in Oregon

A herd of Roosevelt elk gather on an open hillside near Elkton in southwestern Oregon on Friday, Nov. 27, 2015. Roosevelt elk are the largest of the four subspecies of elk in North America. The bulls generally weigh between 700 and 1100 pounds.

The herd is typically led by an older experienced cow elk matriarch.

A bunch of elk butts

Frosty Thanksgiving

Frosty Thanksgiving Day on the ranch in southwestern Oregon on Thursday, Nov. 26, 2015.

A frosted maple leaf.

Walking with Lily our Border Collie in a frosty pasture.

Fall hike

My border collie, Lily, likes to climb trees when we hike in the forest near our home in southwestern Oregon. 

A bathtub makes an interesting watering trough as seen on our hike on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2105.

A small jumping spider climbs on a fern growing on a damp forested hillside. I used my hand-held flash on a cord to give this photo the dramatic light. 

Just hanging around

A large spider hangs in her glistening dewy web on a hillside near Elkton in southwestern Oregon on Sunday Nov. 22, 2015.

The Telegraph in London picked up one of my spider photos via ZUMAPRESS.com.

Learning to play

Our border collie Lily shows our new rescue dog Cocoa how to play "chase the stick".

Rain soaked rough skinned newt

On a rainy Oregon morning, a rough skinned newt looks up while crossing a road in a forested area near Elkton on Sunday, Nov. 15, 2015. Rough skinned newts produce powerful toxins in their skin. The bright underbelly of the small amphibian is believed to be a warning to possible predators. 

Ba ba fall sheep

A flock of sheep feed in a pasture with a colorful fall backdrop along a country road in southwestern Oregon on Sunday, Nov. 8, 2015. 

S car go: It's snail season in Oregon

A Pacific sideband snail slowly crosses a rain-slickened country road near Elkton in southwestern Oregon, on Sunday, Nov. 8, 2015. 

UN tweet

The United Nations tweeted my photo which was published in the Guardian via ZUMAPRESS.com and Corbis Images. 

Cinematic sunset

An old cow skull hangs on a fence as the sun sets early on the first day of November after the end of Daylight Saving Time as seen from rural Douglas County Oregon.

Fall colors with dog and mushrooms

With a colorful maple tree in the background, a ranch dog named Lily plays fetch in a pasture near Elkton in southwestern Oregon on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2015.

Lily rides in a pickup through a pasture near Elkton in southwestern Oregon on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2015. We only drive very slow on the ranch with Lily in the back of the pickup. Never on actual roads. 

Colorful maple leaves blanket the ground as small  mushrooms grow in the pasture.

It's my photo in Hakai magazine

It's my photo in Hakia magazine via ZUMA Press and Corbis Imgaes.

Itsy bitsy spider

A small spider weaves its web on a fence under a large raindrop on a farm near Elkton, Ore., on Sunday. Oct. 25, 2015. After a long dry summer the fall rains seem to have started in Oregon.

Jiminy Cricket! It's my photo in the Guardian

It's my photo, via ZUMAPRESS.com, in The Week in Wildlife Pictures in the Guardian.

Rain dance

Rain falls as a pair of black tailed deer appear to have a disagreement in a field along a country road near Elkton in Southwestern Oregon on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2015.

...and the winner is...

Roosevelt elk in Oregon

A herd of Roosevelt elk run across a country road near Elkton in southwestern Oregon on Monday, Oct. 19, 2015. The Roosevelt elk (Cervus canadensis roosevelti), also known as Olympic elk, is the largest of the four surviving subspecies of elk in North America. 

The herd of Roosevelt elk feed in an orchard along a country road near Elkton in southwestern Oregon. 

Oh my God! It's a Jerusalem cricket

A large Jerusalem cricket walks on a mossy log on a forested hillside near Elkton in southwestern Oregon on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2015. Jerusalem crickets are not true crickets and are not found in Jerusalem. They're native to the western United States and Mexico. 

Stranded spider

A small spider leaves a safety line of silk behind as it walks on a rusty strand of electric fence wire an a farm near Elkton in southwestern Oregon on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2015.

Umpqua Community College shooting aftermath slideshow

President Obama in Roseburg: Umpqua Community College shooting

With a grim look on his face, President Obama leaves Roseburg High School in Roseburg, Oregon on Friday, Oct. 9, 2015. The president was visiting with family and victims of the Oct. 1 shooting rampage at nearby Umpqua Community College. 

A large group of gun rights activists and Obama protesters gathered near the Roseburg airport. 

 Many of the gun rights activists were displaying firearms.

 Some of the protesters made their way to the high school to make their points while the president was meeting with the families.

 A very few people showed their support for Obama at the rally near the airport.

 The president arrived via Marine One at the Roseburg Regional Airport.

 Security at Roseburg High School was heavy

Some showed up to show their support for Sheriff John Hanlin.

Most of the folks at the airport greeting the president were concerned about guns.

Outside the high school waiting for the president's motorcade

                 Video slideshow with more photos