Chilly and rainy spring day

A golden-crowned sparrow perches in a crabapple tree on a chilly and rainy day near Elkton in rural southwestern Oregon on Sunday, April 10, 2022.

 

Flower powered

A golden-crowned sparrow feeds on plum blossoms on a raining morning near Elkton in rural southwestern Oregon. According to allaboutbirds.com, this sparrow is one of the least known of our songbirds, particularly on its northern breeding grounds. Miners in the Yukon at the turn of the twentieth century woefully referred to the golden-crowned sparrow as the “no gold here” bird, because its song resembled that depressing phrase.

Osprey nesting time

An osprey brings nest building material to its mate on their nest build in an old-growth Douglas fir tree along the Umpqua River near Elkton in rural southwestern Oregon on Saturday, April 9, 2022.

 

Air support

 

A honeybee forages in a plum orchard near Elkton in rural southwestern Oregon. Orchards in the area are currently in full blossom and bees are active foraging for nectar and pollen.

Colorful characters

An acorn woodpecker clings to a fence post as another looks out from a nest cavity on a hillside near Elkton in rural southwestern Oregon on Monday, March 28, 2022. Acorn Woodpeckers live in large groups in western oak woodlands of North America.

 

Ukrainian refugees in Romania and Moldova

I recently returned from Eastern Europe with an advance team from Heart to Heart International (HHI). The humanitarian non-profit was looking for ways to help refugees fleeing from the violence in Ukraine. The team visited border crossing in Romania and Moldova. Currently HHI is sending large shipments of medical supplies directly into Ukraine.

Awkward moment

A rufous hummingbird stretches while perched in a blackberry thicket along the Umpqua River near Elkton in rural southwestern Oregon, on Sunday, March 27, 2022.

 

It's a small world

A ladybug forages on a plum blossom in an orchard on a farm near Elkton in rural southwestern Oregon on Thursday, March 31, 2022.

A ladybug climbs on a blade of grass in a roadside pasture near Elkton in rural southwestern Oregon on Wednesday, March 30, 2022. The small beetles are commonly known as ladybugs in North America and ladybirds in Great Britain and other parts of the English-speaking world.

Just breathe

The breath of a Red-winged blackbird is highlighted by the morning sun as he sings his territorial song on a cold morning near Sutherlin in southwestern Oregon on Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022.

Winter's waltz

Frost crystals cling to small wildflowers in a pasture along the Umpqua River near Elkton in rural southwestern Oregon on Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. The National Weather Service is predicting chilly temperatures over the next several days for the area. 

 

Feeling patriotic: red, white and blue birds

A red-breasted sapsucker drills holes in the trunk of a tree on a hillside near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022. Sapsuckers drill rows of shallow wells in shrubs and trees, and then lick up the sap with their brush-tipped tongues. 

An adult bald eagle perches in a tree high on a ridge overlooking the Umpqua River in southwestern Oregon. Bald eagles are considered the largest birds of prey in North America with the average female bald eagle being a few ounces heaver than the next largest raptor.

A western bluebird perches in a blackberry thicket while hunting insects on a cool morning near Elkton in Southwestern Oregon on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022.

Spring training for honeybees

February 10, 2022, Elkton, Oregon, USA: Honey bees venture out of their hive box on a warm sunny afternoon on a farm near Elkton in rural western Oregon. Honey bees become active and start foraging at approximately 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Full foraging activity is not achieved until the temperature rises to 66 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

Raptor Rendezvous

A bald eagle and a red-tailed hawk peacefully share a dead cottonwood tree as they perch along the Umpqua River near Elkton in rural southwestern Oregon. Bald eagles and red-tailed hawks are not typically friends. In fact, they have been known to fight each other to the death.

 

The early bird gets 14 feet of worms

An American robin pulls an earth worm out of the ground on a hillside near Elkton in rural western Oregon. According to wildbirdsunlimited.com, an American robin can eat up to 14 feet of earthworms in a day. 

 

Bird bath

A western bluebird splashes while taking a bath in an overflowing cattle watering tank on a ranch near Elkton in rural western Oregon.

 

Bald Eagle Launch

A bald eagles takes flight from its perch on the limb of a dead tree high on a ridge overlooking the Umpqua river in southwestern Oregon. As with most birds of prey, the female bald eagle is usually larger than the male.

 

Peekaboo

A California ground squirrel feeds on new growth on a sunny hillside near Elkton in rural western Oregon. Known locally as digger squirrels, California ground squirrels generally hibernate during the winter. Depending on weather conditions, hungry squirrels can emerge from their burrows as early as the end of January.

 

Takeout lunch

A western bluebird feeds on a grub it captured in a pasture while hunting insects on a hillside near Elkton in southwestern Oregon. In general, bluebirds are insectivorous, and eat primarily insects throughout the spring, summer, and early fall.

 

Birds, birds, birds

 I've been a bit lax in posting on my photo blog recently. My mother may be the only person who actually still looks at this blog. She's not on my Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or Twitter. This one's for you Mom. If you click on the links above you will see my other social media posts. 

American robin feeding on wild holly berries near the Umpqua River in SW Oregon.

Western bluebird hunting insects on a hillside near Elkton in SW Oregon.

Lesser goldfinch puffed up while perched on a hazelnut tree a on a cool morning near Elkton in SW Oregon.

Barn owl in a barn near Elkton in SW Oregon.

Western bluebird perched on a hazelnut tree near Elkton in SW Oregon.

Ducks gaining g speed on a pond in Sutherlin, Oregon. Unsure of species.

Great blue heron takes off from a pond in Sutherlin, Oregon.

Red-tailed hawk takes to the air from a Douglas fir on a rainy day in SW Oregon.

Northern harrier hawk grooms on  a fence post in SW Oregon.

Lesser goldfinch feeds on weed seeds in a SW Oregon pasture.

A red-tailed hawk feeds on the remains of a dead elk in SW Oregon.

Red-tailed hawk perched on an oak tree while hunting in SW Oregon.

Red-shouldered hawk shows off in a SW Oregon pasture.

Mallard ducks take off from a flooded pasture in SW Oregon.

An American kestrel perched in a plum tree in an orchard near Elkton in SW Oregon.

Lastly, a red-tailed hawk displays in claws while perched in a dead tree along the Umpqua River near Elkton in  SW Oregon.

Year in pictures 2021

 Sit back and watch my Year in Pictures 2021