Forest at Night exhibit at High Desert Museum, Oregon
Bend Branches always appreciates your comments and likes. Comments may not appear right away since they’re screened for spam prior to posting. Thanks!
Wildlife
The silence of… : LAPC
The silence of sunrise
Over High Desert lakes in the spring
And juniper forests in the winter
The quiet presence of dawn
dewdrops on strawberry blossoms
And ripples radiating around curious creatures
The muted tones of a morning
rainbow forming over stormy seas
And icy rivers, meandering through winter landscapes
The silence of daylight
breaking over misty mountains
And awakening birds, in the blur of sleep
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge (LAPC) – Quiet hour
Bend Branches always appreciates your comments and likes. Comments may not appear right away since they’re screened for spam prior to posting. Thanks!
The wonder of Yellowstone: LAPC
This week, the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge is to show your go-to places. For me, I’ll never get enough of seeing the wonder of Yellowstone. Every time I visit the national park, I see amazing new sights.
The wonder of Yellowstone fauna
When visiting the park, I often see bison, pronghorn, and elk. I know exactly where to find the Sandhill Cranes and Mountain Bluebirds. Ravens and killdeer are common. But sometimes you get to see creatures that are not as common. I’ve had memorable encounters with badgers, foxes, and snowshoe hares.
Flora at Yellowstone
In the spring and summer, you may catch glimpses of wildflowers in bloom. Gentian and Indian paintbrush brighten the landscape. Meadows are filled with vibrant green grass.
The wonder of Yellowstone thermal features
The thermal features are one of the things that distinguishes this park from all others. Grand Prismatic Hot Spring is the largest and most colorful. Morning Glory’s yellow edge shines like a spring flower. The water of Artemis is brilliant blue in color. The trail at Artists’ Paintpots wanders through several features.
Yellowstone’s landscapes
The landscapes are big and bold at Yellowstone. The Yellowstone River cuts through canyons in dramatic waterfalls. Storms brew over Yellowstone Lake. The Lamar Valley hosts vast herds of wildlife.
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge (LAPC) – Go-to places
Bend Branches always appreciates your comments and likes. Comments may not appear right away since they’re screened for spam prior to posting. Thanks!
Watching wild things: LAPC & FOWC
Watching wild things
Ruminating on what they’ve left behind
And looking forward to what lies ahead
Watching winged wonders
Considering what’s best to leave buried
And what’s worth soaring towards
Watching wild creatures
Surfacing from turbulent waters
And basking in their many accomplishments
Watching wild things
Transforming from earthbound organisms,
Into many-eyed sages of the skies
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge (LAPC) – It’s a Wild Life!
Fandango’s One Word Challenge (FOWC) – Bury
Bend Branches always appreciates your comments and likes. Comments may not appear right away since they’re screened for spam prior to posting. Thanks!
2024 favorite photos: LAPC & SS
Today I’m sharing some of my 2024 favorite photos. I divided them into four categories: Critters, Cuisine, Cultural attractions, and Countryside.
2024 Favorite Photos of Critters
I’m beginning with the critters category. In case you didn’t know, I love animals and often feature pictures of them.
The first photo shows a curious Long-tailed Weasel emerging from roadside vegetation at Summer Lake in Oregon. It was so cute!
This Pronghorn pranced across a grassy field at Yellowstone National Park. These graceful creatures are one of my absolute favorites.
A Great Blue Heron in a Portland garden walked right up to me in the middle of a rainstorm. What a magical moment!
In this picture, an American Avocet crosses a pond at Summer Lake Wildlife Area. I liked the simplicity of this photo
Cuisine photos
The next category is cuisine. Did you know blog posts featuring food are some of the most popular?
I begin with an appetizer, of course. This Spicy King Salmon Hwe is from Yoli, a Korean restaurant in Bend, Oregon. We ate a tasty 5-course meal there.
The next photo is of a pizza from Rush’s Squares in Bend. Their Pesto Margherita pizza is delicious!
The next picture is of a fish taco from 10 Barrel Brewing in Bend. There are a lot of places that serve fish tacos, but this particular one’s ingredients make it stand out from the rest.
The last one is of a Mixed Berry Cobbler from the Blue Duck Restaurant at East Lake Resort in Oregon. This generously portioned dessert is great to share with tablemates.
2024 Favorite Photos of Cultural Attractions
The next category is Cultural Attractions. I did a lot of traveling in the West in 2024.
The first picture is one of several I took at Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland, Oregon. This type of garden is designed to look beautiful from any angle.
The next picture is of old machinery at The Museum of the American West in Lander, Wyoming. I used black and white processing to highlight the lines and shapes of the machinery and the clouds.
This photo is of a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton. It is one of many photos I took at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana.
The next photo is of a rock-covered bridge and building beside a pond. This picture was taken at Petersen Rock Garden and Museum, a unique roadside attraction in Redmond, Oregon.
Countryside Photos
The last category is Countryside. I include photos of landscapes from the sea to the mountains.
The first picture was taken at Fogarty Creek State Recreation Area in Oregon. The curving shapes formed by the tide were beautiful.
This photo of river reflections was taken along the Columbia River in Oregon. I used cross processing to oversaturate the colors.
I used my new drone to take pictures at Summer Lake in Oregon. This photo shows an art piece created with rocks in the foreground and dust devils spinning over the playa in the background. I wrote a short story about my visit there, featuring other drone photos.
The last photo shows the mountains surrounding the Lamar Valley in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Bison herds frequently graze peacefully in these grasslands.
Hope you enjoyed seeing some of my 2024 favorite photos. Be sure to check out my recent 2024 Bloopers post to see photos from the last year interpreted with my unique sense of humor. 🙂
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge (LAPC) – Favorite images of 2024
Sunday Stills (SS) – Memorable Moments of 2024
Bend Branches always appreciates your comments and likes. Comments may not appear right away since they’re screened for spam prior to posting. Thanks!
Grateful to visit: LAPC & FOWC
Grateful to visit vast landscapes
where lone bison contemplate the day ahead
And places where Cliff Swallows
flutter around High Desert nests
Grateful to visit coastal aquariums,
where Pacific sea nettles drift together in jubilant dances
And places where dinosaurs,
trilobites, and other creatures’ last moments are forever preserved
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge (LAPC) – Gratitude
Fandango’s One Word Challenge (FOWC) – Jubilant
Bend Branches always appreciates your comments and likes. Comments may not appear right away since they’re screened for spam prior to posting. Thanks!
Small and large scale: LAPC
In photography, the way you show objects in small and large scale can have a big impact.
When I’ve seen grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park, most of the time they are hundreds of yards away. I took this small scale picture through my spotting scope of a sow with two cubs in the Lamar Valley.
To see a closer view of a grizzly bear, I visited the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone, Montana. They are massive creatures.
Sometimes, bonsai masters sculpt smaller versions of objects of nature. This is a juniper tree bonsai, recently purchased at the Bend Summer Festival. It measures 4 inches in height.
Continue readingMagical moment with wildlife: LAPC
I had a major magical moment with wildlife while visiting Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden in Portland a few weeks ago. I took a little used side trail and paused briefly in the pouring down rain.
This Great Blue Heron walked right up to me before turning to stand near a pond. I could have reached out and touched the bird. WOW! I stopped snapping pictures when it was really close to me because I didn’t want to scare it.
I’m working on a book where the main character is a girl born with the powers of several animals. One animal is a Great Blue Heron. Was this heron showing its appreciation of my efforts so far on that book?
I had another magical moment with wildlife at Yellowstone National Park this week. We were at the end of the road at Slough Creek and saw a small critter weaving its way through the sagebrush. A badger!
Coyote print & photo: First Friday Art
A coyote howling drawing
Today I’m sharing a coyote print & photo. I drew the coyote in pen and ink and printed it with sublimation ink onto special paper. Then I used a heat press to transfer it onto a fabric bag. I gave the finished product to a friend for a birthday present.
This was my first attempt at this type of printing. It turned out a little blurry. I tried transferring another one of my drawings and didn’t have the press hot enough. Maybe I should have read the suggested settings by the fabric manufacturer. 😉
Sublimation printing
What is sublimation printing? It uses heat to bind the ink and fabric together. A post on prodigi describes it as follows: “The inks that are used turn into gas when brought under heat, then combine with the fabric and permanently print onto the fabric.” They compare it to a tattoo.
One thing to think about if you are considering trying this type of printing; the printer should only be used with sublimation inks. Fortunately, the cost of the equipment is relatively low. I bought an Epson ET-2800 printer and an Offnova heat press machine for less than $300 total. Of course, you can spend hundreds of dollars if you want products with more features.
Continue readingAntelope of the West, the pronghorn: WPWC
We recently returned from a long road trip through several western states and spotted hundreds of pronghorn along the way. I’m a big fan of this antelope of the west and love taking pictures of them.
Pronghorn, Antilocapra americana, also known as antelope or pronghorn antelope, are quirky animals in many ways. Their scientific name means “American goat-antelope.”
In September of 1804, upon first seeing pronghorn, Lewis and Clark expedition members assumed they were goats. Captain Lewis noted the “superior fleetness of this anamal which was to me really astonishing.” Upon examining them more closely, Lewis referred to them as antelope, based on their resemblance to African antelopes.
In reality, pronghorn are the only surviving members of the North American Antilocapridae family. Goats and true antelopes are in the Bovidae family.
In this post, I’ll share more about their natural history.
Range
Pronghorn range from the southern prairie provinces of Canada, southward into the western states of America and into northern Mexico.
Under the Snow Exhibition
When I entered the Under the Snow exhibition at the High Desert Museum on a busy weekend, I thought of one word: engaging. I watched young children dash from one part of the gallery to another, voicing their excitement the whole way. Adults paused and pointed out interesting facts and features. The interactivity of the displays drew everyone in. This exhibition, created by High Desert Museum staff members, displays information in English and Spanish.
Under the Snow presents information on twenty species of wildlife, plants, and fungi on large and small screens. They live in the area beneath the snow called the subnivium. The snow provides insulation, maintaining a steady temperature even when it’s below freezing outside.
Continue readingBackyard Beauties in Bend: LAPC
I see some of our backyard beauties often, like the chipmunks. This one came right up to our sliding glass door, driving our indoor cat crazy. It was showing me its best side.
Other animals give us unique views. This immature Cooper’s Hawk posed nicely for me on the back porch.
Our regular visitors can be very entertaining. Playful Mule Deer fawns like to run full speed around the yard (when they aren’t busy munching on my plants).
Focus on the eyes: LAPC
When you focus on the eyes of your subject, you make a connection with them to share with others.
The intense golden stare of an alert Great Horned Owl.
The ghostly ice-blue eyes of a dog with ancestry from frozen lands.
The chestnut brown gaze of an immense grizzly bear in motion.
Focus on what is important: LAPC
Focus on what is important and blur the distractions.
Magnify the delicacy of Nature’s architecture.
Find subjects that stand out from the herd and capture their strength.
Focus on the palette of colors used to create distant masterpieces.
Peaceful scenes near Bend, Oregon: LAPC
Once again, I’m sharing images of peaceful scenes near my home in Bend, Oregon.
Sahalie Falls, about an hour west of Bend, rewards visitors with this picture perfect view. Moss-covered rocks frame the rainbows floating over the river.
The next photo shows a few of my next door neighbors. This mule deer doe often jumped the fence into our yard to take a break from her fawns. 😀
Wildlife sightings at Yellowstone: Sunday Stills
Here are a few photos of wildlife sightings at Yellowstone from our trip in early June. Visitors have opportunities to see many furred and feathered creatures within Yellowstone National Park.
Sometimes you see wildlife, such as this snowshoe hare, that you may not have seen in the park before. This hare’s population peaks about every ten years and this must be a peak year.
Sometimes you’ll see wildlife interacting within close proximity of each other. This radio-collared gray wolf got a little too close for comfort to the bison calves in this herd. The bulls and cows quickly chased it away.
Proud peacock face to face: Wordless Wednesday
Portraits of creatures in different light: LAPC
In these portraits of creatures, the lighting is a major part of the scene.
In the first picture, a family of Sandhill Cranes struts across a meadow in the morning light. The lead bird, in the strongest light, keeps an eye out for predators.
In the next photo, a bull elk grazes in a grassy field. Bright fluffy clouds and dark forest trees are major parts of this shot. The elk, with its bright back fur and dark legs, blends into that environment.
In this photo, a northern river otter drifts through the water. Mid-day sun cuts through the water and dapples the bottom surface. A trail of bubbles emphasizes the otter’s streamlined form.
Continue readingYellowstone in spring is a time to… : LAPC
Yellowstone in spring is a time to
Shrug off that old winter coat and
Feel the warmth of the sun
Continue reading
Peekaboo view of American badger: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Favorite Pictures 2019: LAPC
It’s that time of year when you share some of your favorite pictures. As usual, I have a hard time narrowing it down. Please enjoy this selection of wild places, wildlife, history, and a pinch of art at the end.
Belted kingfisher drawing & photo: BOTD
I drew this stylized picture of a belted kingfisher in flight several years ago. These interesting songbirds nest in horizontal burrows near shorelines. The tunnels range in length from 1 – 8 feet. Tunnels as long as 15 feet have been found.
This drawing is of a male bird. Belted kingfishers are one of the few songbirds where the female is more colorful. They have an additional orange-colored breast band.
While out walking my dog on the Deschutes River Trail this morning, I caught a glimpse of a male belted kingfisher perched on a tree limb. A lucky sighting! He was kind of far away but I had time to snap a quick shot before he flew.
Granny Shot It – Bird of the Day challenge BOTD
Unique Sights-High & Low: LAPC
The Lens-Artists photo challenge today is “unique.” I thought of several unique sights I’ve seen in Oregon that fit this category.
Our guide in Harney County referred to this ancient petroglyph as the Super 8. Do you see a resemblance to an old movie camera? Petroglyphs are carved into stone while pictographs are painted onto stone.
I saw these hairy clematis flowers at the Hell’s Canyon Overlook earlier this month. This unusual flower has a lot of common names including lion’s beard, leather flower, vase flower, and sugar bowl. They look similar to prairie smoke flowers featured in a previous post.
I can’t help but think of the words “unique sights” when I recall this toad I found in my high desert yard. I thought it was so interesting that I wrote a short story about it called The Toad Queen.
Continue readingA few moments with a pronghorn: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Bald Eagle: Don’t Fence Me In
Bald eagle out for breakfast
I saw this bald eagle standing in the middle of a field this morning and couldn’t figure out why it was there. Then I noticed a couple magpies flying close by. Hmmm. Upon closer inspection, I saw a deer carcass several feet away. I guess everyone was there for a breakfast buffet.
2018 Favorite Photos: LAPC
It’s always hard to pick favorite photos at the end of the year. Here are several representing nature, history, and culture. Enjoy and have a great New Year!
Favorite Photos – Nature
Seasons – Glimpses of Oregon: LAPC
Making a Splash: LAPC
As you wade through the waters of your life you often end up making a splash. Sometimes you make a big loud splash and other times you need to make a quieter one. Maybe only a ripple. Here are photos of quieter splashes I have seen in Oregon.
Common merganser pair on the Deschutes River
Yellowstone Hidden & Revealed: LAPC
In Yellowstone National Park, much of the wildlife is hidden from view. You have to look carefully to find the animals and sometimes they will reveal themselves to you.
Elk in the Lamar Valley are hidden as they blend into the landscape traveling along a ridge top.
However, when they cross a pond they are revealed. The splashing water draws your attention and their pale colored rumps make you take notice of them.
Visiting Sunriver Nature Center
Learn about the natural world by visiting Sunriver Nature Center
Sunriver Nature Center & Observatory is a great place to learn more about the natural world. This small interpretive center is on the west side of Sunriver, Oregon. It’s in an area that includes pine forests, meadows, and the meandering Deschutes River. The “edges” between these habitats are good places to see wildlife.
You can observe local wildlife by walking the trails on your own or going out with a guide. The Sam Osgood Nature Trail winds around the property. In the spring and summer keep an eye out for trumpeter swans. Guided bird walks take place every Saturday morning in the spring, summer, and fall. I have been on several of the walks. You’ll see waterfowl in the pond, raptors flying overhead, and songbirds along the walk. Great gray owls have been spotted in the area occasionally. You never know what you might spot on one of these walks.
There are also programs for families and kids. There are Kids Nature Camps for kids 4-10 years of age at certain times of the year. Family programs might include offerings such as Family Birding, Aquatic Explorations, and Eco Bike Tours. During the school year, staff travel to nearby schools to give presentations.
Thoughts from a wolf: Silent Sunday
Silent Sunday
All-time Favorites: WPC
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
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
Where the deer and the antelope played
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.
Weekly Photo Challenge – Story
Peace and Harmony: Silent Sunday
Silent Sunday
Three Bucks Landscaping Service
Do you need a little help with your garden? These three mule deer bucks showed up to help in our backyard. We often see deer here but it was unusual to see three bucks together. They just did a little pruning here and there and then left. Thanks guys!
Weekly Photography Challenge – Unusual
Nevermore
Silent Sunday
Hidden Fawn
While out hiking last June near Camp Sherman, Oregon, we were surprised to find a hidden fawn in a grassy field. Its mother was close by so we took a few pictures and continued on our way.
Weekly Photo Challenge – Surprise
Hosmer Lake – A Kayaker’s Dream
Have you ever finally made it to a place that people had told you you HAD to go to? For me that place was Hosmer Lake. Why didn’t I go here sooner?!
We went early on a mid-weekday morning. I had heard about the crowds sometimes here on weekends. It can get very crowded – especially in the summer.
There is a concrete boat ramp leading into a bulrush-lined meandering lake. After boarding our kayaks, we were soon greeted by a bald eagle perched in a nearby tree. It was almost as if it had been planted there for a photo opportunity. We paddled on and took a channel to the left.
Continue readingBend Whitewater Park
About the Bend Whitewater Park
Did you know that you can surf on the Deschutes River? Yes, thanks to the creation of the Bend Whitewater Park you too can hang ten on the river that flows through Bend, Oregon. Maybe you would rather float down in an inner tube – you can do that too. Maybe you want to get a glimpse of some wildlife – that’s also an option. The river was split into three channels: the Habitat Channel for wildlife; the Whitewater Channel for kayaks, surfboards, and stand up paddleboards; and the Passageway Channel for inner tubes and small rafts.
A 100-year old dam was recently removed from the river near the Colorado Avenue Bridge and an “amusement park” was put in by Bend Parks and Recreation. At a cost of nearly $10 million dollars, some questioned its value. Bend Paddle Trail Alliance, one of the local groups in support of this park, contributed over $1 million towards the project. The voter-approved bond said that water recreationists would have “safe passage” once the project was completed. That’s a good idea since people were injured or lost their lives because of the dam.
Continue readingCan you see me?: WPC – Narrow
Weekly Photography Challenge – Narrow