Al Larson Photography

Most of the time when you have an opportunity to photograph a bird it is flitting about or positioning itself behind a branch, leaf or a twig. You take a number of shots hoping that at least one will turn out worth while. In this case, however, a Steller’s Jay perched out in the open basking in the warmth of the early morning sun. It stayed in this spot for several minutes. I carefully slid open the kitchen window and fired away. One exposure would have sufficed. It was hard to choose which of the three shots to publish. One thing I’ve learned is to always have the camera near at hand.

I woke up this morning and was greeted by this scene when I looked out the window. It was just a few weeks ago that I posted a photo of this location. Then the trees and shrubs along the creek were ablaze with the reds and yellows of Autumn. My, oh my how the time does fly. I’m glad that I have squirreled away a good supply of fire wood in the shed. I’ll be cranking up the ol’ snow blower any day now.

When one travels through evergreen forests one is apt to see dead or dying trees. What is causing these trees to die? If you examine beneath the bark of the affected trees you will probably find a labyrinth of channels etched into the cambium layer. When these channels circumvent the girth of the tree the life sustaining sap stops flowing up the trunk. This effectively kills the tree as surely as taking a hatchet and chopping a ring through the bark around the tree.

There are several species of bark beetles that attack trees. Their size range from quite small to large. It is the larvae of these beetles that eats into the bark. Some species grow to longer than 2 inches and actually bore into wood beneath the bark. These are sometimes called “grubs.” Each species seem to create a different pattern with their burrows. Some tree specialists can identify the species by simply examining the design of the burrows.

The accompanying photo was taken from the underside of a piece of bark that was peeled from a dead pine tree. You may even call it an abstract photo. A person may imagine that it could be some earth feature photographed from outer space. Such are the wonders of Nature.

I can remember my 5^th or 6^th grade class singing, “You should hear him gobble at the girls and boys, for he thinks he’s singing when he makes that noise…” I have yet to learn what it is that the turkey is communicating with its “gobble.” It issues other sounds for danger, feeding, lost from flock, keeping flock together etc.

Wild turkeys normally roost high in the pine trees at our place safe from ground predators. We can hear them flying up to their lofty perch in the late evenings. When we come home late at night and rattle the chain on our metal gate a tom will respond with a loud gobble. They gobble when they hear distant thunder from an approaching lightning storm. They respond to artificial turkey calls and other unusual noises. It’s fun to speculate what goes on in their bird brain.

The bird in this photo seemed to dare me to advance any closer. I was on my belly in the grass inching closer and turning as the bird moved about. I have found that my photos turn out better when I get down to the subject’s level. It helps to get an horizon in the picture.

History would have us believe that the Wild Turkey was nominated, among others, to be our National Symbol. Benjamin Franklin stated that this bird was native only to the United States and was abundant in all of the states (at that time). He argued against the Bald Eagle because it was a predator and a scavenger. He proved to be in the minority.

Since our country has proved to be a warring nation (each generation has marched off to war) the Bald Eagle most represents our national aggressiveness. The turkey has found a place close to our hearts, our stomachs. Come Thanksgiving Day I doubt that there will be a soul in the country that will not have the word “turkey” on their lips. And a vast majority will have turkey through their lips.

Be that as it may, the turkey is a very handsome bird. It has a beauty all of its own.

Even out in the country one should draw the blinds. You never know who may be looking in the window at you.

Since this is November “Thanksgiving Month” I will toss in a few turkey photos. We have quite a few Wild Turkeys roaming about the place. They have become quite tame. This fellow appears to be observing something inside the window. In reality he sees only his reflection. I have noticed that in turkeys, as with most living creatures, there is a “pecking order” where one individual wants to dominate over his associates. This turkey sees his reflection in the window and pecks at it apparently thinking it is a rival. This behavior continues some times for many minutes until their beaks become sore. This happens mostly during the summer when toms establish their harems.

While wandering around Owyhee County back country one is pretty much alone. Sometimes I spend all day without meeting more than four or five vehicles. The solitude is not oppressive, however. Wildlife abounds, animals, birds and flowers.

In this photo I have found a new friend, a donkey. It allowed me to approach and pet it. We posed for this picture a moment before I went along on my regular duties. I held my camera at arms length in front of us, set on wide angle and snapped the shutter.

I have more than 350 bluebird nest boxes set out in several sites in Southwest Idaho. They are located in Owyhee, Elmore, Boise, Gem and Valley counties. This also covers a variety of habitats including, but not limited to, pine forests, sagebrush covered hills, juniper country, farm lands and back yards. With such varied habitat and scenery there is ample opportunity to take pictures.

The nest box in this picture is mounted on a mahogany tree on a high wind swept ridge in the Owyhee mountains. The elevation is close to 6000 feet. The view from here is spectacular. One can look across the Snake River plain as far as the eye can see. Turn around and South Mountain greets you some 30 miles away. I enjoy checking this box, not just because a Mountain Bluebird is usually in attendance but one gets the feeling of being on top of the world. From a human’s point of view this is one lucky bluebird.

I heard a thump on the window and I rushed outside to see what had happened. There I saw a little brown bird sitting on the board attached to the window sill that serves as a bird feeder. I recognized it immediately as a Northern Pygmy Owl. It sat on the board facing the window looking perplexed. I hurried back into the house, grabbed the camera and squeezed off a couple of shots. I was lucky to get this one good photo at close range just inches from the window pane. It flew up into a nearby pine tree where it allowed me to get a couple telephoto shots before it flew out of the yard. Always keep that camera close at hand. You never know when you may need it!

The Northern Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium gnoma) is one of our smaller owls measuring barely 7 inches long. It hunts during the daylight hours as well as at night. Its prey includes rodents, birds, and insects. It will attack and kill prey much larger than itself. I once witnessed a Pygmy Owl eating a California Quail that I assume it had killed. It took three days for this little guy to consume the quail. During this feast the owl stood guard over its meal hoarding it from feisty Steller’s Jays and pesky pine squirrels. It is a wonder how such a small bird can stow away so much food in such a short time.

Pygmy Owls are cavity nesting birds and will use abandoned nests of woodpeckers and other natural cavities usually in trees. They have been known to use manmade nest boxes however I’ve never had the privilege hosting one in any of my mine.

Hilda and I have been privileged to have been serenaded occasionally by one of these guys in the wee hours of the morning. Its call is usually a series of short, single low-pitched whistles. Once in a while it will give a barely audible melodic chortle which might be interpreted as a song.