Al Larson Photography

Here is a photo from my files that I took several years ago. It was taken from my kitchen window. When first observed the prey was nearly intact. Actually I think that the quail was larger than the owl. It took nearly three days for the owl to consume this large meal. During this time the owl would gorge itself then perch in the tree above. When another critter attempted to share this meal the owl would pounce down from the tree and drive the intruder away. Steller’s Jay and Pine Squirrels (Red Squirrel) were the main intruders. During this time I had ample opportunities to photograph the occasion. The moral here is to take lots of pictures when opportunity is present. The opportunity may never present itself again in this lifetime.

Our house makes a wonderful blind. Here is a scene from the bedroom window this forenoon. It had a pardner in the field across the creek.  This guy wandered slowly around stopping, watching and listening. I never saw it pounce on any prey. There are plenty of gophers around here and this hunter is welcome to help himself.

Imagine my surprise this morning when I glanced out the kitchen window and saw this little guy. It was making itself at home near the area where I feed birds. It seemed to be interested in the nearby Steller’s Jay and juncos but never made a pass at any of them while I was watching. The white coat of the ermine is the winter dress for weasels. Weasels sometime raid my bluebird boxes during nesting season, kill and eat adult birds, nestlings and eggs. “All around the chicken coop the monkey chased the weasel.”

Here is a night photo, shot in my backyard. The spotlight highlights the bridge, oak tree and the ornamental windmill. No filters were used. The warm sepia hue is probably due to the incandescent  spotlight. If you look closely you will see animal tracks all through the new fallen snow. Several elk had been carousing around the yard a short time earlier.

I passed by this parking lot at Hillside road and Old Hwy. 55 and saw this flock of gulls. I just had to stop and get a picture, several in fact. I stitched 4 of them together for this panarama. My question is: How many birds are there?

This little Western Bluebird fledgling has been out of the nest less than a day. It is one of five that fledged on this day. The sixth one fledged the following morning. Out in the world for the first time and will not return to the nest again. The youngsters disperse closeby until they have practiced better flight. The parents keep track of the little ones as they leave the nest. This one found refuge near the base of a plum tree in the yard. They are still dependent on the parents for another 21-28 days. They may flock together in a family group and may join other families in their fall migration.

I never cease to be amazed when I see a bird approach their nest box. They never crash into the side of the box but gracefully land at the entrance. Sometimes they seemingly fly directly into the box with hardly a pause. Othertimes they grasp the edge of the entrance, hang by their feet and brace their bodies with their tails against the box. The best time to observe bird activities at the nest is after the eggs hatch and until the nestlings fledge. Once the bluebird nestlings fledge they take up residence elsewhere. However, should the parents decide on a second brood the fledglings may stay in the area. They have been known to sometimes assist their parents feed the new siblings. I’ve also seen them coaxing their younger brothers and sisters to come out at time of fledging.

A couple days ago Jimmy Yorgenson and I checked some Wood Duck boxes on the south side of Lake Lowell. Water level is rather high this year and we feared that we may not be able to get to all of the boxes. As luck would have it we were able to reach 30 of the nest boxes. We repaired some and added clean shavings to others for bedding. It will be impractical to get to the remainder of the boxes until water level is lowered.

There was evidence that some of the boxes had been used by Wood Ducks last year. Also many of the boxes had small owl pellets inside. Five of the thirty boxes had live Western Screech-Owls in them. One had a pair of owls. One bird was banded last year as an adult setting on eggs. Another was banded as an adult in 2008 using the same box as this day.

On this outing we also observed three Great Horned Owls and one Barn Owl perched or flying through the trees. This was a great day for owls!

This photo was taken while making the rounds checking nestboxes on the Sagehen Reservoir bluebird  trail. The day was warm. I was driving the pickup with the window open on the driver’s side. Returning to the vehicle after checking a box I discovered this little lady in the cab of the pickup. Trapped as she was she presented an opportunity to snap some pictures. After several exposures I moved around to the other side of the vehicle and the bird exited through the open window. No apparent harm was done with this encounter. My guess is that she entered the cab in search of insects or maybe just curiosity. Note the brownish area on her upper back. Male western bluebird’s back is even more brown which help distinguish them fron the eastern species.

Imagine my surprise this morning at predawn. I arose, turned the porch light on and peered out the wndow.  Nearly an inch of snow had fallen during the night. Temperature stood at about 32 degrees. The snow was almost imperceptably slipping over the eaves. I hurridly put the camera into action and captured this shot. It’s a good thing I did for a few moments later the entire snow sheet went crashing to the ground.

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