Don't go in the water

A bullfrog bites off more than he can chew in a cattle watering trough in southwestern Oregon...

The power of one

 

A small ant climbs a pebble while crossing a dirt road along with hundreds of other ants from its colony on a hillside near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Thursday, April 29, 2021.

Road warrior

A large Pacific banana slug rears up while crossing a rain soaked road near Elkton in  rural western Oregon.

 

Striper fishing in Oregon

Fishermen cast for striped bass at the mouth of the Smith River near Reedsport in far western Oregon on Friday, April 23, 2021. According to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, striped bass, which are native to the Atlantic Ocean, were transplanted to the west coast as far back as the 1870’s.

 

This old fishing boat

A derelict fishing boat sits abandoned in a slough along the Umpqua River near Reedsport in southwester Oregon on Friday, April 23, 2021. Reedsport is fishing and logging community situated at the mouth of the Umpqua River. 

 

March of the ants on TikTok

 My new video is up on TikTok

Feeling sleepy on TikTok

 I've started a new account on TikTok. If you're still awake after watching this video please take a look at my feed and follow.

Crabapple blossoms in Oregon

A yellow crowned sparrow feeds on the petals of a blooming crabapple tree along a country road near Elkton in rural wester Oregon on Friday, April 16, 2021.

Meanwhile, a Steller's jay does his best to blend into a cloudless blue sky above the gorgeous tree.

 

New baby smell

As the late afternoon sun shines, a cow appears to smell her days-old calf in a pasture on a hillside near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Thursday, April 15, 2021. According to Beef Magazine, a cow can recognize her calf by smell and she can always pick her calf out of a group.

 

Hunting northern harrier hawk in Oregon

An adult male northern harrier hawk walks in a field after feasting on a vole in a pasture on a farm near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Wednesday, April 14, 2021. Unlike most other hawks the northern harrier may rely on its keen hearing to help it locate prey as it courses low over the fields. According the the National Audubon Society the hawk has disappeared from many former nesting areas, especially in southern parts of range, and surveys suggest that it is still declining in other parts of North America.

Little rascals

A group of lambs run across a country road after escaping from a fenced pasture on a farm near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Tuesday, April 13, 2021. The farmer was nearby and made sure the juvenile delinquents were safe.
 

Hide and seek

A black tailed deer forages in a blossoming plum orchard on a farm near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Sunday, April 11, 2021.

 

Blossom thief

A golden-crowned sparrow feeds on blossoms in a plum orchard on a farm near Elkton in rural western Oregon on  Saturday, April 10, 2021. According to AllAboutBirds.com, the sparrow is one of the least known of our songbirds, particularly on its northern breeding grounds. It has been the subject of only a few laboratory and field studies.

 

Pollen season begins

My work is represented by ZUMApress.com. Today they highlighted one of my pollen photos in The Pictures of the Day gallery.

Pollen grains waft from grass in a field along the Umpqua River near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Friday, April 9, 2021. As spring progresses, grass and tree pollen counts have begun to rise in many part of the United States. 

 

Published work in UV Magazine

Wild art- check out my photos in the just published UV Life magazine. Over the last year the COVID19 lockdown scrubbed most of my assignments. The spare time allowed me to concentrate on my nature and wildlife photography.

 

Spring spider

A small crab spider clings to a plum blossom in an orchard on a farm near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Wednesday, April 7, 2021. Unlike web spinning spiders, crab spiders depend on stealth and camouflage to ambush their prey.

 

Baby's day out

A baby California vole waits on a bed of moss and grass for its mother to return after being separated in a pasture on a farm near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Tuesday, April 6, 2021. The mother will likely return. California voles are able to breed almost year-round. They are born blind and hairless and are weaned at around two weeks of age. The young have a full set of adult teeth by three weeks. Females reach sexual maturity after as little as three weeks.

 

New life from the ashes

A trillium blooms on Sunday, April 4, 2021 on a hillside on Bureau of Land Management property near Glide inside the area burned by the massive 132,000-acre Archie Creek fire in the summer of 2020. 

Morel mushrooms grow nearby. The fire was one of many fires which contributed to the 2020 Oregon wildfire season being called the most destructive on record. 

New life returns as a brave alligator lizard defends territory inside the burned area. The 2020 fires in Oregon killed at least 11 people, burned more than 1,000,000 acres of land, and destroyed thousands of homes. 

 

Pictures of the Month from ZUMApress.com

 Another amazing month of pictures from ZUMApress.com. Look for a few of my creature features in the mix...

POMmarch2021.m4v from ZUMA Press on Vimeo.

Fly away home

A ladybug climbs to the tip of a blade of grass before taking flight a pasture along a country road near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Wednesday, March 31, 2021. The flight wings of a ladybug are  four times its size of its body.