Al Larson Photography

“When whippoorwills call, And evening draws nigh, We’ll be happy in my, Blue Heaven.” This is one of my favorite songs.

“Pooorwilllzz” Even though the call of the Common Poorwill is somewhat different than that of a Whippoorwill it has a similiar quality. It sounds as though it says “poorwill” with a little soft buzz at the end. In the dusk of early evening one can often hear the soft call of a poorwill in the mountains of southwest Idaho. It takes me back to my early youth when I worked on a ranch in the Jordan Valley, OR area. The birds came in quite close to the cabin. Oh, to relive those moments again!

The poorwill nestlings in this photo hatched from the eggs shown on this blog a few days ago. As I approached the nest site the attending adult flushed from the nest and with much ado invited me to follow. I, however, turned my attention to photographing these nestlings. After several shots from various angles I hastened away within a couple of minutes. My philosophy is, try to be not too intrusive and make my presence as brief as possible.

Addendum: After some research I have concluded that this is the nest of a Common Nighthawk. I’m sorry for the mistake.   Al

I would not like to have been present when this activity took place. Evidence shows that lightning struck this tree during an electrical storm. The tree stands on a hillside with few neighbors. The bolt traveled down the trunk knocking a corner from a nestbox hanging there. A few chips from the box were located on the ground below and a larger piece was found some 15 feet away. Sap flowed freely from the wound as evidenced by the drippings on the box top. Luckily the box contained only an abandoned rodent nest.

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Fourth  of July is the time to display patriotic colors. With the cooperation of our favorite bird we find here the red, white and blue. Mr. Mountain Bluebird helps us celebrate the Fourth.

Keep your camera at the ready and capture moments like this. When you are out and about you never know what you will find. How many times have you heard, “Oh rats! I left my camera in the car?”

This is the second sighting of an American Robin in my yard this spring. The skiff of snow that had fallen during the night had gradually melted away. The robin seems to have come in because of  the presence of siskins, juncos and jays in the area. It stuck around just long enough to have its picture taken. The wire fence could not hold the bird, of course, but I was able to capture it in the camera.

Here is another shot from the Kitchen Window. Oh, how I enjoy eating my breakfast with scenes like this in front of me! Cottontails seldom make themselves visible here at the ranch. I took this picture several years ago in the dead of winter. Some of our excess Christmas decorations (pyracantha) were placed in the snow beside the woodshed and adds a bit of color. Each year after Christmas I set our tree outside near the feeders. Just press the trunk into the snow and it will stand and stay green until the spring melt. This gives the birds added protection from marauding predators.

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?

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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At the end of WWII, I found myself on duty with the USMC in Peiping, China. I soon found a Chinese friend (at left in photo) who could speak good English. He knew his way around the city and volunteered to show me the sights of Peiping. We visited the Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Forbidden City, a Buddha temple and a Catholic church (where we sat in a balcony with the choir boys).  Our principle means of transportation was bicycle. There were also rickashaws and san lurs (three-wheeled pedal-powered rickashaw) available. Restaurants served real Chinese food to be eaten with chop-sticks. Eating soup with chop-sticks is an adventure of its own.

One evening Lu and his friend, Shorty (male) and I stopped by a photo studio for the above portrait. We donned costumes that could have been worn in ancient China. Lu posed as a General. Shorty in his dress, posed as the Emperess. I wore the attire of Emperor Liu Pei Hwang Sheang, Sung Guo Dynasty (right in the picture). As I remember, I was glad to shed the footwear. My feet were too big to comfortably fit in those shoes.

A few days ago I was in our yard in Boise and I happened upon this mushroom growing close to an old tree stump. I had never seen one just like this before. I snapped a photo of it to show anyone who might be interested in such a thing. I hardly think it may be edible. It could cause a severe bellyache or possibly eternal slumber.

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This past Saturday I went out into the Owyhee mountains to finish maintanance on my “Bluebird Trail.” The weather was chilly and there was still a touch of snow in the shade and north slopes. Although there has been a couple weeks of freezing temperature at nights there weren’t many scenes of fall color. Toward the end of day I happened upon this small grove of aspens. The leaves were just starting to turn. I often stop by this grove during the summer. I have a nestbox located nearby and it is a nice place to stop and have lunch.  I often wonder about the person/s who may have lived in this rustic old cabin. What secrets lie in the history of this place?