Trick of light

A male western bluebird takes flight from a hazelnut sapling while foraging for insects in an orchard near Elkton in western Oregon on Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020. The blue color in the bluebird's feathers is not produced by pigment, but is a result of the structure of the feathers. According to Birdnote.org, tiny air pockets and melanin pigment crystals in each feather scatter blue light outwards and absorb the other wavelengths. With a trick of light, the concentrated blue light leaves the feather to catch the eye of the beholder.

 

Pheasant hunting in Oregon

A hunter takes aim at a pheasant as his purebred black Labrador named Raven flushes a bird at a hunting preserve near Oakland in rural western Oregon on Friday, Nov. 27, 2020. Hunting preserves are parcels of land licensed by their respective states to offer hunting for a fee. 

High surf warning on the Oregon coast

A rainbow is seen in the sky as massive waves crash ashore at Shore Acres State Park near Charleston on the south Oregon Coast on Wednesday Nov. 26, 2020. The National Weather Service has issued a high surf warning for the area. Waves as high as 25 feet are expected until Thursday.

Photographers gather to capture the moment.

 

Pole position

An acorn woodpecker clings to a utility pole on a hillside near Elkton in rural western Oregon while arranging his cache of nuts on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020. The woodpecker appeared to be pecking holes and storing acorns in the pole.

 

Oregon mushrooms

 A mushroom grows on a fog shrouded ridge in a wooded area near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Friday, Nov. 20, 2020.

A cluster of bright orange mushrooms grow nearby.

A small puffball mushroom was also enjoying the misty morning.

Hop, skip, and jump

A young black-tailed deer buck bounds through an open area on a ridge near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020.

 

Roosevelt elk in southwestern Oregon

A wild Roosevelt bull elk shows off his broken antlers at the Bureau of Land Management Dean Creek Wildlife Viewing area near Reedsport in southwestern Oregon on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. The elk probably damaged his antlers during the rut, or mating season, which recently ended.

A flock of starlings fly past and land on a bull elk in a pasture at the wildlife viewing area near Reedsport in southwestern Oregon.

A wild Roosevelt bull elk crosses a slough during a rain shower at the Bureau of Land Management Dean Creek Wildlife Viewing area near Reedsport.

 

Season of sharing: My photos in Oregonian/OregonLive.com

The Oregonian/OregonLive.com published their Season of Sharing series yesterday. Included was a story I shot in Phoenix, Oregon with a family which lost everything in the Almeda Fire. A GoFundMe page is linked to the series and readers are encouraged to help out if they can. 

 

Oregon eagle

 

A wild bald eagle calls out from its perch on a large Douglas fir tree along the Umpqua River near Elkton in rural southwestern Oregon on Sunday, Nov. 15, 2020.

Splish splash

A western bluebird splashed while taking a bath in a rock depression along the Umpqua River near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020 A western bluebird weighs about one ounce and primarily feeds on insects.

 

Show off

An American kestrel flairs its tail feathers while perched on a utility wire along a road near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2020. About the size of a mourning dove, kestrels are North America's smallest falcon. 

 

Shave and a haircut

An angry looking semi-feral cat shows off her new haircut outside a home near Elkton in rural western Oregon. The cat was trapped and taken into a veterinarian for vaccines and the removal of matted hair.

Reverse Veterans Day Parade

Reverse Vets Day Parade - Due to the increased risks of COVID-19, Douglas County (Ore.) held a socially distanced reverse Veterans Day Parade at the fairgrounds in Roseburg on Nov. 11, 2020. In a reverse parade the spectators drive through as the floats and marchers remain stationary along the route.

 

Kestrel in flight

An American kestrel hunts from its perch on a hazelnut sapling in an orchard on a farm near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Monday, Nov. 2, 2020. The American kestrel is the smallest and most widespread falcon in North America.