March 9th, 2010
Sam curled up and slept on my lap as I watched a documentary about the Druid wolf pack in Yellowstone. He woke when they showed some noisy ravens on a wolf kill and stood transfixed before the television, something I’ve not seen from him before. Suddenly wolves dashed across the screen and he jumped up and swatted madly at them. His claws were retracted so I let him have his fun attacking wolves and coyotes and elk and bison and all the animals of that great land.
Finally, exhausted from the hunt, he settled back down to sleep on my legs. The documentary didn’t flinch from the brutality of the wolves to other animals and neighboring wolf packs, but even so, I hope for their sake they never have to face my little hunter. Particularly if I were to let slip the lie that they’re the reason he has to get his flea treatments.
These pictures are the first I’ve taken using the live view on the back of the camera instead of the optical viewfinder, something I can’t do with my older cameras. The live view allowed me to lower the camera to his eye level as he slept on my legs and get a much more intimate portrait.
Tags: Canon EOS 7D, Sam
Posted in Pets | 2 Comments »
March 6th, 2010
No no, little vole, stay hidden if you want to live to see the sun rise!
This whimsical portrait of a juvenile great blue heron on the hunt is my favorite picture from the Christmas break. I always love arriving early to Ridgefield and finding a good frost on the ground, although I didn’t have many of those opportunities during this warm winter.
If you’re wondering, the vole won this round.
Tags: auto tour, frost, great blue heron, Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, River S Unit, Washington
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February 28th, 2010
Never has a more snuggly creature walked the earth than our little Sam.
He’s nearly always sleeping on me when I fall asleep and sleeping on me when I first awake. He sleeps on me in the evenings as we curl up in my chair, as he is now, his legs tucked under the laptop and his pink nose inches from my hands.
He also loves to snuggle up with both Scout and Emma. Yesterday when I woke Ellie had her head on my chest and Sam and Scout were curled up together on my legs.
Tags: Sam
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February 28th, 2010
Over the Christmas break, I photographed bitterns more than any other animal. Each opportunity offered something unique, such as photographing them hunting voles, fish, frogs, and salamanders. Or in the sun and snow and rain. Or shooting with a wide angle lens for an environmental portrait or zoomed in with a telephoto lens to highlight their faces, feet, and in this case, the beautiful pattern of the feathers on their chest.
Tags: American bittern, auto tour, Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, River S Unit, South Quigley Lake, Washington
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February 28th, 2010
After a cold start, we’ve had an unusually warm winter this year in the Northwest. Last weekend was warm and dry enough that I let the cats get some time in the backyard, joining Ellie and I as we played hedgehog and I trimmed some of the plants.
Outside hedgehog involves more running and as Ellie tires, her tongue starts hanging out farther and farther until eventually you can glimpse the Great Black Spot, first observed by Galileo Galilei in 1609 courtesy of his advancements in telescope design. I’ve learned that when the Great Black Spot appears, Ellie is getting pretty tired and has to make the difficult choice between squeaking hedgehog and breathing. In her state of hedgehoggephoria, I can see in her eyes she’s not always going to make the right choice, so that’s when it’s time to stop and take a breather.
This intermission would be a good time for entertainment, I’ve thought about putting the cats in little cheerleader outfits, but even I’m not that brave.
As you can see from the picture, a lot of NFL receivers could learn from Ellie’s dedication to her craft, never taking her eyes off the prize until the hedgehog is secured.
Tags: Ellie
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