Running start

A ducks gets a running start as it takes flight in the early morning on the Umpqua River near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Thursday, July 30, 2020.

Seeking shade

On a sweltering 95-degree day, a family of wild black-tailed deer keep cool on the dirt floor under an old barn on a farm near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Wednesday, July 29, 2020. The National Weather Service is forecasting near 90-degree days with no rain for at least the next week in the area.

Argiope aurantia

An Argiope aurantia, commonly known as the yellow garden spider, black and yellow garden spider, golden garden spider, writing spider, zigzag spider, hay spider or corn spider captures a grasshopper in its web on a hillside near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Monday, July 27, 2020. The bite of the yellow garden spider is harmless to non-allergic humans, roughly equivalent to a bumblebee sting in intensity. 

Another spider feeding on an insect.

Waxing crescent moon

A turkey vulture is silhouetted against the evening sky as the waxing crescent moon hangs in the western sky as seen from near Elkton in rural western Oregon on July 26, 2020. Over the next few days more of the lunar surface will be become visible and at the point over 50% is visible it is known as a waxing gibbous moon.

Browsing for breakfast

A wild black-tailed deer fawn awkwardly feeds in a pasture along the Umpqua River near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Friday, July 24, 2020.

Hungry, hungry bullfrog

A bullfrog attempts catch an insect while feeding in a cattle watering trough on a ranch near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Tuesday, July 22, 2020. 

I'm so happy these creatures are only about fist sized. Could you imagine an alligator or bear sized bullfrog?

Little dears

A black-tailed deer doe and three fawns walk along a country road near Elkton in rural western Oregon early on Monday, July 20, 2020.

Comet Neowise at Crater Lake National Park

The comet Neowise as seen over Crater Lake in Oregon's Crater Lake National Park late on Thursday, July 16, 2020. The lake is 1,949 feet (594 m) deep at its deepest point, which makes it the deepest lake in the United States, the second-deepest in North America. Shot with Nikon Z6, 4000 iso, F2.8.

Comet Neowise as seen from SW Oregon

The comet Neowise as seen over hillsides forested with Douglas fir trees near Elkton in southwestern Oregon on Wednesday, July 15, 2020.

Ambush predator

A crab spider clasps a honey bee after capturing it in a blackberry thicket along a country road near Elkton in rural western Oregon. Crab spiders are ambush predators and do not build webs to trap prey. 

Western rattlesnake in Oregon

A coiled Pacific rattlesnake waits on the side of a gravel road on a hillside near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Thursday, July 9, 2020. The snake was likely waiting to ambush any unweary ground squirres venturing close. Pacific rattlesnakes are a venomous pit viper species found in North America in the western United States, and parts of British Columbia.

I photographed the handsome snake a short distance from my home. Maybe 100 yards from my front door. After taking my pictures I very carefully captured the rattler and relocated it a safe distance away.

Storybook moment

A pair of rascally wild rabbits feed on wildflowers and blackberries in a thicket along a country road near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Friday, July 10, 2020.
The moment reminds me of the The Velveteen Rabbit; story which I loved as a child. 

Published work

Cover shot and photos inside in Columbia College Today. It's the Columbia University college alumni magazine. The young man in the photo is my amazing son Alex Loznak! 

Airdrop

A dragonfly hovers low as it deposits eggs into a shallow area of the Umpqua River near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Tuesday, July 7, 2020. Look closely and it appears you can see one of her very small eggs dropping into the water.

... and in otter news

A wild North American river otter pauses while on an early morning hunt for fish in the Umpqua River near Elkton in rural western Oregon. North American river otters can remain underwater for nearly 4 minutes, swim at speeds approaching 6.8 mph.

Mobbed owl

A barn owl is pestered by a smaller songbird as it perches in an oak tree on a hillside near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Wednesday, July 1, 2020. The behavior is called mobbing and can happen at any time of year, but it is especially common in spring as birds experience surges of hormones, become territorial, and begin to nest.

Four eyes

A bullfrog waits motionless while hunting insects along the bank of the Umpqua River near Elkton in western Oregon on Wednesday, July 1, 2020. Bullfrogs are considered an invasive species in Oregon.

Ticked off

A tick climbs on a head of grass in a field near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Tuesday, June 30, 2020. Ticks are external parasites, living by feeding on the blood of mammals, birds, and sometimes reptiles. Ticks transmit a number of infections caused by pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, and protozoa.  Some of the diseases known to be transmitted by ticks include typhus, African tick bite fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Flinders Island spotted fever, Lyme disease, Colorado tick fever, Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever, tick-borne meningoencephalitis and many others.