My last photo of 2020

My last photo of 2020-

Noticed this mask hanging on a twig about a mile down the road from my home as dusk was falling this evening. While the COVID-19 pandemic remains very active throughout the world, and the United States, it has been relatively quiet in Oregon and even more so in my home of Douglas County. Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer of the Douglas County COVID-19 Response Team said on Wednesday, “I believe that as of yesterday (Dec. 29), Douglas County had the lowest rate of infection for a county over 100,000 in population in the entire country”. Hopefully we can keep it that way into 2021

 

Weather delay

During a heavy downpour a northern harrier hawk perches on a fence post as cattle graze on a hillside near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020. Unlike most other hawks, the northern harrier often uses its keen hearing to help it locate prey as it cruises low over fields hunting for small mammals and birds.

 

It was a reptile and amphibian kind of day

 A small alligator lizard opens its mouth in a threat as it basks on a tree stump on a sunny hillside near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020. Alligator lizards are known for their fierce attitudes. They are carnivorous and primarily feed on small invertebrates (slugs, spiders, centipedes, scorpions, beetles, grasshoppers, and crickets), but also are known to feed on bird eggs, nestlings, other lizards, and small mammals.

An Ensatina salamander climbs over tree bark on hillside near Elkton in rural western Oregon. Ensatina salamanders are found in coniferous forests, and oak woodland from British Columbia, through Washington, Oregon, across California.

 

R.I.P. Jingle Elf: Goodbye 2020

Rodents discovered the apparently delicious buckwheat hull stuffing of out longtime friend and Christmas decoration Jingle Elf. A sanitary cremation of the the jolly fellow provided a fitting end to 2020. 

 

My year in pictures 2020

 Check out my year in pictures 2020

My photo in The Guardian

Tweet, Tweet! It's my photo, via ZUMApress.com, in The Guardian's Week in Wildlife gallery.

 

Storm watching on the Oregon coast

Tourists watch as massive waves churn and crash along the rocky shore at the Cape Perpetual Scenic area near Yachats on the central Oregon coast on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020. The National Weather service has issued a high wind warning and a flood watch for the area through Sunday as storm comes ashore from the Pacific Ocean. 

A feature known as the Spouting Horn, gushes sea water into the air. 

 

Hunting kestrel in Oregon

A wild American kestrel hunts in a pasture along a country road near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Friday, Dec. 18, 2020. Kestrels are small falcons about the size of a mourning dove. Kestrels feed primarily on large insects, but also hunt small mammals, birds, and reptiles. 

 

Gobble, Gobble, Gobble

I've been a contract photographer with the online editorial photo agency ZUMAPRESS.com for many years. It's always nice to see my work highlighted in their Pictures of the Day gallery.

UV Life Magazine clips

The new issue of UV Life Magazine hit the stands last week. I had a great time covering several assignments for the issue including a story revisiting the making of the alien abduction movie Fire in the Sky which was filmed in the this area in the early 1990's. 

The Backside Brewing assignment gave me a chance to use my remote lighting techniques and taste a bit of their fine brew. I highly recommend hazy IPA. 

 Darla and her crew at Strawberry Mountain Mustangs rescue and Rehabilitation.   

The leadership at Umpqua Valley Arts Association aren't letting COVID-19 slow them down.

The community of Glide came together after this summer's wildfires with the help of folks like Christina and Aaron at the 138 Grill.

A night shoot in Oakland for the cover and inside spread with super-fan and author Erin. More fun with remote lights.

Twist and shake

A wild black-tailed deer shakes rainwater off its head and ears while foraging in a pasture along a country road near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020.

 

Holly berry feast

An American Robin feasts on bright red English holly berries on a tree growing near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020. Originally planted as a decorative, holly now grows wild in much of the Pacific Northwest and is considered an invasive species. The berries of the holly plant are also poisonous to people and pets.

A flock of wild turkeys feed lower down on the same holly tree.

 

Oregon mushrooms

An adorable family of mushrooms out for a stroll in rain soaked western Oregon on Monday, Dec. 14, 2020.

Devil's selfie

During low tide, a couple snap a selfie inside the Devil's Punchbowl near Otter Rock along the central Oregon Pacific coast on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2020. The bowl is thought to have been created when two caves carved by the ocean collapsed. At high tide waves enter the bowl and often violently churn, swirl, and foam. During COVID-19 lockdowns and closures, areas like Devil's Punchbowl have remained popular due to the ability of tourists to remain social distanced as they explore.  

 

Magazine cover: revisiting the filming of Fire in the Sky

Check out my photo on the cover and inside the most recent Winter 2021 issue of UV Life Magazine. The photo goes along with a story which revisits the filming of "Fire in the Sky" in the Roseburg area in 1992. The photo was taken in historic Oakland, Ore., which was used for the location of many of the primary scenes in the film. The model is super-fan and author Erin Wilds who wrote the article.

The original photo above and another photo from the photo shoot below.

You otter be in pictures

A North American river otter forages in the Umpqua River near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Monday, Dec. 7, 2020. The North American river otter is found throughout North America, inhabiting inland waterways and coastal areas in Canada, the Pacific Northwest, the Atlantic states, and the Gulf of Mexico. However, urbanization and pollution have caused reductions in range area.

 

Good day sunrise

The sun colors the sky as it rises over a pile of reflective irrigation pipe in a farmer's field near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Monday, Dec. 7, 2020.

 

Seed snack

A pine siskin clings to a spiny dried teasel head as it feeds on seeds in a marshy area near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Monday, Nov. 30, 2020.

 

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.