Ominous sunset

Wildfire smoke paints the sky orange as the sun sets near Elkton in SW Oregon on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022. 

 

Rattlesnake crossing

A large northern Pacific rattlesnake crosses a country road near Elkton in rural southwestern Oregon. Rattlesnakes usually avoid humans, but about 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes in the United States each year, with 10 to 15 deaths, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

 

Hunting heron

A great blue heron catches a smallmouth bass in the Umpqua River near Elkton in rural southwestern Oregon. Despite their impressive size, great blue herons weigh only 5 to 6 pounds thanks in part to their hollow bones—a feature all birds share. 

 

It's not easy being green

A mink hefts a large bullfrog in it mouth while hunting in the shallows of the Umpqua River near Elkton in southwestern Oregon. The mink is a semiaquatic species of the weasel family.  Mink eat mostly frogs, salamanders, fish, crayfish, muskrats, mice, and voles, along with aquatic birds and their eggs.

On the hunt

Shaking off water 

 

NGO photography and videography

My photos and video from disasters around the world while responding with Heart to Heart International and other non-profits organizations. 

Still Images 

Still images from 2021 Haitian Earthquake response

Still images and story from 2019 Hurricane Dorian response in Bahamas 

Still Images and story from climate crisis in Alaska. Shot for legal non-profit Our Children's Trust. Still images from ground-breaking YouthvGov climate litigation case and Greta Thunberg. 

Wildfires 

Wildfires in Oregon 2020. Recovery and finding shelter. 

In California 2022

You otter be in pictures

A North American river otter clambers onto a rock outcropping in the Umpqua River while taking a break from hunting fish near Elkton in southwestern Oregon.

Shaking off water

 

Surf and sky

An osprey cruises low over the Umpqua River after catching a smallmouth bass near Elkton in southwestern Oregon. 

 

Feeding frenzy

A swarm of yellowjacket wasps take meat from the remains of a small dead bat on a country road near Elkton in rural southwestern Oregon. Yellowjacket wasps are sometimes called “meat bees” due to their diet which primarily consists of other insects and meat when available.

 

Mantis mania

A mantis climbs through a brushy area along the Umpqua River near Elkton in southwestern Oregon. There are over 2,400 species of mantis worldwide. Their upright posture, while remaining stationary with forearms folded, has led to the common name praying mantis.

 

High five

A ground squirrel feeds on seeds on a hillside near Elkton in rural southwestern Oregon. The squirrel appeared to be filling its cheek pouches with seeds and taking them to a nearby burrow for storage.

 

Frog day afternoon

A bullfrog floats in a bed of algae along the bank of the Umpqua River near Elkton in southwestern Oregon. Bullfrogs are considered an invasive species in Oregon and are know for eating native frogs and and other animals. 

My frog photo was published, via ZUMAPress, in The Week in Wildlife gallery on The Guardian website.

 

Tweet! my bluebird photo makes The Week in Wildlife

My bluebird photo makes The Week in Wildlife gallery on The Guardian's website, via ZUMApress.com.

 

Images of destruction from the McKinney Wildfire

On assignment with ZUMApress.
August 4, 2022, Klamath River, California, USA: Melted aluminum streams from a burned car in the unincorporated community of Klamath River after it was burned over by the 58,600-acre McKinney wildfire. Four people have been killed in the fast-moving wildfire in Northern California

A burned and dead great blue heron a few yards from the Klamath River inside the fire.

Kashi the search and rescue dog takes a break from searching for those lost in the blaze. 

 

Hygiene kits for Ukraine

 Video I made from my recent trip into Ukraine with Heart to Heart International. It's my third trip into the region since the war began. HHI has distributed over 50,000 hygiene kits to the region.

No passing zone

A large northern Pacific rattlesnake crosses the double yellow line on a country road near Elkton in SW Oregon. A common misconception about rattlesnakes is that you can tell their age by the number segments in the tail. The snake actually adds a new segment every time it sheds and they normally shed 2-4 times per year. It depends on how much they eat and how fast they grow.

 

True blue

An immature western bluebird takes flight from a small tree while hunting insects in a field along the Umpqua River near Elkton in southwestern Oregon. According to allaboutbirds.com, a western bluebird weighs about an ounce. It needs about 15 calories (technically, kilocalories) per day, or 23 calories if raising young.