Weekly Photo Challenge

White Sturgeon – A square peg fish: WPC

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I immediately thought of this picture I took of a white sturgeon when I saw that this week’s photo challenge at Traveling at Wits End was Something that Doesn’t Belong.

White Sturgeon & trout, High Desert Museum, Bend, Oregon 20February2018

In this photo, taken at the High Desert Museum, a young white sturgeon is surrounded by trout. It doesn’t quite fit in.

You might think this odd fish looks prehistoric and you’d be right. Sturgeon existed 200 million years ago, during the Jurassic period.

Though most sturgeon live 11-34 years, they have been known to live up to 104 years (!) They grow to an average length of 6.9 feet and sometimes grow to a length of 20 feet. The maximum weight recorded was 1,799 pounds. In fact, they are North America’s largest fish. So the fish in the picture may look small now, but it has a lot of growing to do!

Layers at Three Creek Lake

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Looking for layers

I was just thinking about a kayaking trip last fall to Three Creek Lake near Sisters, Oregon.  When I was looking for photos of layers for the Travel at Wit’s End challenge, that trip came to mind.

Yes, there were obvious layers in the rock faces bordering the lake, but there were other layers as well.

  • Green reflections of trees in the lake.
  • Snow covering parts of the scenery.
  • Reflections in the lake highlighted by snow.
  • New growth in a forest bordered with an edge of sedges.
  • Rocks in volcanic-hued rainbows of color.
  • Waves lapping at the shore.

Sometimes you need to look a little harder to find nature’s hidden layers.

Travel At Wit’s End – Layers

All-time Favorites: WPC

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The theme for the very last Weekly Photo Challenge was All-time Favorites. I’m late getting these up because my computer was in the shop and I was traveling. So without further ado…

North American River Otter 24Sept2016

North American river otter

All-time Favorite Critters

I have a lot of photos of animals so it’s hard to choose favorites but here goes. Here’s a handful for you.

Great horned owl
Peek-a-boo view of an Northern flicker
Young Western fence lizard, Sceloporus occidentalis
North American porcupine at Hart Mountain National Antelope Range, OR

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Twisted Swans: WPC

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Twisting Trumpeters

Here’s a photo I took in March of three twisted swans at Summer Lake in Central Oregon. The northern shovelers surrounding them seem to be doing some contortions of their own. Can you find a raptor hiding in the background taking it all in?

Twisted Swans at Summer Lake, OR 29March2018

The three swans have bands on their necks. I saw them there last fall and turned in my sighting to find out where they came from. I found out the young birds were banded in the spring of 2017 at Summer Lake so they haven’t strayed far from where they hatched.

Twisted Swans at Summer Lake, OR 29March2018

This area hosts thousands of snow geese at certain times of the year. Summer Lake Wildlife Area is open to hunting so in order to avoid confusion, they have this sign posted for hunters. From a distance, snow geese and swans can be hard to tell apart.

Swan sign at Summer Lake, OR 1November2018

Do you want to learn more about trumpeter swans? See my post Swan Song to learn about the conservation success story associated with this beautiful bird.

Weekly Photo Challenge – Twisted

Clear Lake Underwater Worlds: WPC

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Life Beneath the Waves

I saw strange sights while out kayaking on Clear Lake in Oregon. Moss-covered creatures live beneath the waves waiting to enchant you and take you into their liquid world.

Clear Lake Underwater Oregon 30August2016

Weekly Photo Challenge – Liquid

View from the Caldera

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Hiking on a caldera

Today I took a hike up Gray Butte, northeast of Terrebonne, Oregon. It was a nice hike with lots of wildflowers and spectacular views. This view is from the edge of the Crooked River Caldera looking west to Mount Jefferson, on the right, and Black Butte, on the left. The rocks in the foreground are splattered with messages left by lichens.

View from the Caldera 9May2018

My place in the world is out in the wild places of central Oregon. From dry sagebrush steppe in a caldera to lush meadows bordered by pine forests. There are so many special places to explore…

Weekly Photo Challenge – Place in the World

 

Osprey pair in action: WPC

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An unlikely sighting

Last week I was out walking my dog on the Mill A Loop Trail  in Bend, Oregon and I happened to see an osprey pair in the process of creating more ospreys. Spring is in the air!

Ospreys on Nest 27April2018

Osprey pair on nest at Bend Whitewater Park, Oregon

Ospreys often nest in areas close to human activity. This nest is right next to the Bend Whitewater Park. There are perches and platforms installed on both sides of the Deschutes River here for birds. I’m glad to see them using the site after the initial disturbance caused by the park’s construction.

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The osprey pair will lay 1-4 eggs and incubate them for 36-42 days. The nestlings will be in the nest for 50-55 days. It will be great to see more of them flying around in a couple of months.

Weekly Photo Challenge – Unlikely

Time Lines 2: Bryce Canyon National Park

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Time Lines Bryce Canyon NPk 6May2017

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Lines of Hoodoos

Here’s one more entry for the Weekly Photo Challenge of Lines. The many layered castles in Bryce Canyon National Park are an amazing sight. A single hoodoo formation is impressive, but when you see hundreds of them in lines like soldiers standing at attention,  they are just plain stunning.

See my previous post Time Lines: Utah Parks for more pictures featuring a small taste of the geology in Utah’s parks.

Time Lines: Utah Parks

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Time lines from long ago

The time lines are obvious in the many rock forms in state and national parks in Utah. Can you imagine the stories from hundreds of millions of years ago these land forms could tell us?

Time Lines Capitol Reef NPk 5May2017

Capitol Reef National Park, Utah

Time Lines Arches NPk 3May2017

Arches National Park, Utah

Time Lines Zion NPk 6May2017

Zion National Park, Utah

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Succulent Wall: WPC

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I often stop to look at the succulent wall at my favorite plant nursery. Varied in their colors, shapes, and textures, these prolific plants always impress me.

Succulent Wall in Bend, Oregon 27March2018Weekly Photo Challenge – Prolific

 

Blackbird Rising: WPC

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Last weekend I saw this yellow-headed blackbird rising above the misty steam surrounding Crystal Crane Hot Springs in Oregon. He looked almost like some mystical character awakening from a dream.

Blackbird Rising above the mist 6April2018Weekly Photo Challenge – Awakening

Have no fear, killdeer here: WPC

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Every time I see a killdeer, it brings a smile to my face.

Killdeer at Summer Lake, Oregon 30March2018A bold bird

They are a bold little bird. Yes, you usually hear their distinctive kill-deer call long before you see them. Their black and white banded markings, and cinnamon-colored rump and tail feathers, make it hard to mistake them for something else.

Their bold personality is another thing I admire about them. They are a small bird, but they are fearless if you are near their nest. They assume anyone nearby is a potential predator. Killdeer bob up and down and call if you get close. If that doesn’t discourage you, they’ll drag a wing, feigning injury. The birds flap their wings on the ground while leading you on a wandering path away from the nest. Courage in the face of adversity.

Nest and young

The nest is a scrape in the ground containing three to five speckled eggs. It’s easy to overlook so watch your step if you hear an adult nearby in the spring or summer months. The young birds are covered in down and ready to run right after they hatch. They are one of the cuter birds I have seen in the wild. Watch this short video to see a chick with a vocal adult.

Killdeer baby finds Mom

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Many moods of my muse: WPC

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In my backyard, an old western juniper tree serves as my muse. Hope you enjoy these pictures that show the many moods of my muse through the seasons. The moods in the sunsets range from a quiet blush to a loud show of anger.

My cover image shows a rainbow of emotions surrounding the tree.

Juniper sunrise 2Feb2015

Weekly Photo Challenge – Rise/Set

Yellowstone Favorite Places: WPC

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I have so many Yellowstone favorite places it’s hard to choose. Here’s a collection of photos of things that make the park special. I start this post with a quote from President Theodore Roosevelt who was known as the “conservation president.”

“The only way that the people as a whole can secure to themselves and their children the enjoyment in perpetuity of what the Yellowstone Park has to give is by assuming the ownership in the name of the nation and by jealously safeguarding and preserving the scenery, the forests, and the wild creatures.”

Theodore Roosevelt, April 24, 1903 at the laying of the cornerstone of Gateway to Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone Favorite Places Mammoth Hot Springs 2017Yellowstone National Park, with its larger-than-life landscapes, dramatically changing weather conditions, amazing menagerie of wildlife, variety of plant life, and geology in action, is one of my favorite places. It also has a rich history as the world’s first national park.

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A Bluebird Day? : WPC

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A bluebird day in Bend, Oregon 13March2018

A bluebird of unhappiness

The mountain bluebird perched on the snag for a long time in a drenching rainstorm. While all the other birds sought shelter, he stubbornly remained on his perch. He wondered if it really was a bluebird day. The bird thought his brilliant blue plumage would attract a mate by reminding her of the sky on a sunny day. No such luck!

Weekly Photo Challenge – I’d rather be…

Where the deer and the antelope played

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Celebrating a life

After living a life full of leaps and bounds, she settled down in her favorite aspen grove. The bunchgrass waved goodbye. The rabbitbrush shaded her in her final moments. The rosebush provided fruit in celebration of her life. And finally, the aspen covered her in leaves of gold.

Where the deer and the antelope played 2November2017Weekly Photo Challenge – Story

Silent barks: WPC

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Silent barks speak with voices needing to be heard.

Silent Barks Western Juniper 8August2016Unknown worlds are tucked into their cracks and crevices.

Silent Barks Paper Birch 16February2018Layers peel away to reveal glimpses of their hearts.

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Pronghorn herd in the High Desert

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Last fall, we saw a pronghorn herd on the drive to Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge in southeast Oregon. This herd consisted of about 100 bucks and does.

You can see Hart Mountain peeking out in the distance. A storm was moving in. Here are pictures of the storm as it developed. Storm Clouds over Hart Mountain.

Pronghorn herd near Hart Mountain, Oregon 1November2017

Can you find a big buck watching over his harem in this picture? Both bucks and does can have horns, though the does’ are small or sometimes absent. Males have short black manes, a neck patch, and black markings across their forehead.

Weekly Photo Challenge – A Face in the Crowd

Sweet mutt

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A sweet story

We adopted our dog, Tesla, a year ago and she is a sweet mutt. She was at a local Humane Society shelter as a young puppy as part of a litter of ten. Each puppy in this litter from Warm Springs, Oregon was given a temporary name that started with a “C.” A loving family adopted her and gave her a new name. Unfortunately, they had to return her due to their circumstances. We drove an hour through a snowstorm and walked into the shelter in Madras a half an hour after she was dropped off. She was stressed out and nervous when we met her but we knew she was the one for us.

She is a Heinz 57 mix of breeds with a very sweet personality. Tesla was a star student in her obedience class. As you can probably tell from the photos, she is kind of goofy. She likes to play with her toys while standing on her head. Her ears are sometimes up, sometimes down, or sometimes one is up while the other is down. Tesla still loves to chase her very long tail – even though she is almost two-years old.

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Tour of Bend

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The Weekly Photo Challenge this week is Tour Guide. This will be easy!

Enjoy some pictures of beautiful sights in and around Bend, Oregon. Can you see why I love living here?

JanuarySunrise 6January2018

Peek-a-boo view of an Northern flicker
Desert primrose in landscape, Bend, Oregon in May 2017
California Quail near prickly poppy and green rabbitbrush
Stone House
North American river otter, Lontra canadensis
Bitterroot, Lewisii redviva
Sand lily, Leucocrinum montanum
Snowshoe and ski tracks at Ten Mile Sno-Park
The Sisters & Broken Top Sunset
Deschutes Brewery Black Butte Porter and a growler
View from the top of Lava Butte
South Sister & Broken Top
The stores are open late on First Fridays

Moon in mourning

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Today I lost a close relative to cancer. Even the moon went dark to mourn her passing.

Weekly Photo Challenge – Beloved

 

Crazy Quilt of Colors

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I noticed this crazy quilt of colors along the shores of Little Lava Lake in September. The sedges and rushes varied in their color and had interesting forms. It was almost as if they formed a single living organism.

Crazy quilt of color along the shores of Little Lava Lake, Oregon 28September2017

Weekly Photo Challenge – Variations on a Theme

Common Nighthawk

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Silent Sleeper

You may have heard this bird flying overhead making a “peent” call. The common nighthawk is most active in the hours around sunrise and sunset. Due to their cryptic coloration and silent behavior during the day when they roost, they can be difficult to spot.

Common Nighthawk at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon

Common Nighthawk at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon

Weekly Photo Challenge – Silence

Weathered Tree

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Here is a weathered old tree that is beautiful even without any leaves. Its trunk leans and twists but the tree still manages to keep standing.

Weathered tree at Arches National Park in Utah. 3May2017

Weekly Photo Challenge – Weathered

Barn swallows times three

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Here’s a picture of three young swallows perched in a willow tree at Sunriver, Oregon waiting for a snack. The fledglings are usually fed by the parents but sometimes they are fed by older siblings from a previous clutch.

Young barn swallows perched in a willow tree at Sunriver, Oregon 1July2017

Weekly Photo Challenge – Growth

Favorite Pictures 2017

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The Weekly Photo Challenge this week is Favorite. I could not select just one picture so here are a few of my favorites from the past year. Enjoy!

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah 6May2017

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah in May 2017

This one is from my most liked post of the year – Utah National Parks: Trees & Rocks. There are lots of photogenic landscapes in Utah and this post contains a photo from each of the five national parks.

Pete French Round Barn near Diamond, Oregon 13Sept2017

Pete French Round Barn near Diamond, Oregon in September 2017 (infrared)

Here is a picture of the Pete French Round Barn. This picture is in infrared and it shows off the beautiful structure of this barn. To learn more about this barn that was built in the 1880’s and to see more photos, see my post – Pete French Round Barn.

Glowing sunrise over the High Desert of Central Oregon near Bend. 18Oct2017

Glowing sunrise over the High Desert of Central Oregon near Bend in October 2017

We see plenty of stunning sunrises and sunsets in Bend, Oregon but this one in October was especially beautiful. It was taken from my yard.

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Stone steps ascending

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The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps – we must step up the stairs.    Vance Havner

Stone Steps Zion NPK, Utah 7May2017

Twisting rock wall and stone steps at Zion National Park in Utah

Weekly Photo Challenge – Ascend

Cheeky Scrub Jay

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This young scrub jay patiently followed its cheeky parent around even though they kept dropping bark on its head. The young bird was waiting to be fed but maybe it should be thinking about leaving the nest soon. 🙂

Weekly Photo Challenge – Cheeky

Pronghorn beneath a grassy rainbow

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Herd of pronghorn at Malheur NWR in Oregon 14Sept2017

Here’s a serene scene of a herd of pronghorn at Malheur NWR in Oregon. The grasses and shrubs behind them form a rainbow of varied color.

Weekly Photo Challenge – Serene

Turkey Time!

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Before the transformation…

Tomorrow many people will be eating a delicious turkey dinner. I wanted to share some pictures of what turkeys look like in the wild before they are transformed into the centerpiece of a Thanksgiving meal. Enjoy!

Weekly Photo Challenge – Transformation

Crane Creek Ranch Sculpture

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I saw this metal sculpture of a stagecoach on a recent trip and wanted to experiment with how to present it. I chose to use a digital version of the autochrome process.

Stagecoach sculpture at Crane Creek Ranch near Lakeview, Oregon Autochrome 1November2017

When this process was first presented at the Paris Photo Club by the Lumiére brothers in 1907, it was a turning point in color photography. Other methods existed but this process used a novel ingredient – potato starch. Glass plates were covered with grains of potato starch dyed red, green, and blue. Carbon black and a thin emulsion layer were added and the plate was flipped and exposed to light. The image could be developed into a transparency.  To see some of the dreamlike photos created with this process, click here.

The sculpture is on Highway 140, northeast of Lakeview, Oregon. The artwork is near a locked gate with “Crane Creek Ranch” over the entrance.

Here’s what my original image looked like:

Stagecoach sculpture at Crane Creek Ranch near Lakeview, Oregon 1November2017

Weekly Photo Challenge – Experimental

Storm over Hart Mountain

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Last week  when I visited Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge, a threatening looking storm was moving in. Dark clouds temporarily blotted out the big blue sky. We didn’t stay long on this primitive dirt road near refuge headquarters. When the roads there get wet, they can turn into a muddy gumbo that makes it hard to drive.  We made it out fine, flushing some sage grouse on the way. Spectacular sights!

Weekly Photo Challenge – Temporary

Pete French Round Barn

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Horsemen of the past

Turning in his saddle and tilting his dusty hat to shade his eyes, he finally sees it in the distance. The round barn. The year is 1887 and he and the other vaqueros are moving a herd of horses collected over the sagebrush covered plains of the High Desert in Oregon. He had worked so many hours that week that when he finally settled down each night on a bed of hard sandy soil, he instantly fell into a deep sleep.

Pete French Round Barn near Diamond, Oregon 13Sept2017

Moving cattle, horses, and mules for his boss, Pete French, was a hard but satisfying life. Guiding his horse with worn leather reins, he moves  to the back of the herd of mustangs and starts driving them towards the barn.

Pete French Round Barn near Diamond, Oregon 13Sept2017

Round barns – marvelous structures with a purpose

The Pete French Round Barn, near Diamond, Oregon, was built in the 1880’s. The center pole and supporting poles are made from ancient western juniper trees. The juniper shows cuts and gouges from past use but is still strong. Umbrella-like beams radiate out from the center to support the rounded roof of this 100-foot diameter barn. Horses were stabled in the middle part of the building. The 63-foot diameter rock wall in the middle section forms a round corral in the building’s interior. A 20-foot wide circular paddock surrounds it. During the long winters, 400 to 600 horses and mules were moved through and trained in the barn, safe from the harsh conditions outside.

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A glowing morning

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This morning I saw a colorful and glowing sunrise over the High Desert of Central Oregon. What a wonderful way to start an October day!

Glowing sunrise over the High Desert of Central Oregon near Bend. 18Oct2017Weekly Photo Challenge – Glow

Lounge lizard on lichens

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I saw this scaly lizard crawling along the rocks at Fort Rock, Oregon. It crawled up to see me at eye level. Maybe it was trying to intimidate me by pretending to be Godzilla (?) There were lots of colorful lichens on the rocks surrounding the lizard as it surveyed me.

Lizard on lichen covered rocks at Fort Rock, Oregon 10June2016

Weekly Photo Challenge – Scale

Beyond the facade: Malheur’s treasures

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This old building may appear dull and pedestrian to some. If you look beyond the peeling paint and overgrown yard, you will experience an environment alive with color and song. This building is one of the dorms at Malheur Field Station located near the headquarters of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.  Birds, and birdwatchers, flock to this oasis in the High Desert of Oregon.

Malheur Field Station, Princeton, Oregon 8April2017

Many people have learned about this area through classes at the field station and visits to the refuge. Stop on by if you are ever in the area!

Western Kingbird at Fort Rock, Oregon in April 2017
Western grebes doing their mating dance, Malheur NWR, OR

Benson Boat Landing Sunset at Malheur NWR May1982 SiobhanSullivan

Weekly Photo Challenge – Pedestrian

Fuzzy Lawn Art: Mule Deer Bucks

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Three mule deer in Bend, Oregon 9August2017These guys are so helpful at keeping our landscaping plants nice and trimmed – NOT! This is the view out my front window of three mule deer bucks. They were enjoying the plants so much they did not want to leave.

Three mule deer bucks in Bend, Oregon 9August2017

Weekly Photo Challenge – Windows

Layered point

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This week the word for the Weekly Photo Challenge is Layered. Here is one of the many beautiful layered formations along the Scenic Drive in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah.

Formation along the Scenic Drive in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah 5May2017

Waiting for take off: Cooper’s hawk

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The Weekly Photo Challenge this week is Waiting.  This young Cooper’s hawk was checking out the scenery (and prey) before taking off.

Immature Cooper's hawk near Bend, Oregon 6Sept2015

Utah National Parks: Trees & Rocks

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The Weekly Photo Challenge this week is Structure. I immediately thought of our recent trip to the five national parks in Utah. The structure of the rocks and geological features is complimented by the trees in these parks. Whether dead and twisting, or green and contrasting, the trees are a main character in an interesting landscape.

Arches National Park, Utah 3May2017

Arches National Park, Utah

The arches are amazing at Arches National Park and standing dead trees add to the scene. You can see Double Arch in the background.

A fence along the trail in Canyonlands National Park, Utah 4May2017

A fence along the trail in Canyonlands National Park, Utah

I loved these fences made from old juniper wood in Canyonlands National Park. They helped keep people on the trail and were nice to look at too.

Capitol Reef National Park, Utah 5May2017

Capitol Reef National Park, Utah

The rainbow of colors in the cliffs of this canyon in Capitol Reef National Park were complimented by the bright green of the trees. A storm was moving in in this picture.

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah 6May2017

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

A windswept pine tree clings to the edge of a cliff in Bryce Canyon National Park. Puffy white clouds (like in “The Simpsons” cartoons) float gracefully in the background.

Zion National Park 6May2017

Zion National Park

Colorful and tilting structures in the rock, line a tree-filled canyon in Zion National Park. A few wispy clouds hang over the valley.

The national parks in Utah are full of interesting structures both large and small. The geology of the region tells a dramatic story. The trees and other plants living here have adapted to harsh conditions. The wildlife living here takes advantage of the local environment.

Take the time to look up but also to look down when you visit these parks. Each park is a little different from the others and each one has amazing sights worth seeing. The forces of Nature are strong here.