Spring Drama

This Spring turned out to be full of contentiousness and drama, and hard as I tried to stay away from it, I had to slog through it! Meanwhile, the rain that hadn’t come in its normal amounts during the winter, started to make its appearance. During the first few really beautiful Spring days, I was chained to this legal matter I was helping my mother with and resenting the time that was taking me away from hiking, from being out in nature. I felt like I was being robbed of Spring.

Basically, without getting into details, it stemmed from lack of coherent communication between parties, obstinance, bitterness, and escalated from there.  This took over two months to resolve. It was enough to make me lose it a couple of times, but on the times when I wasn’t falling apart I tried to remind myself to stay centered, breathe and know that it would eventually pass. And I think now, the worst is over.  I’m finally able to enjoy looking forward to the rest of Spring, warmer weather and being able to focus on my photography again.

Iris, Purple and Blue

During one of the rainy days I was so frustrated I combed through my images from last year and worked on this image.  The beautiful Iris was from my sister’s garden, and I added another exposure and textures.

Dandelion Don’t Care About the Time

This second photograph was of a dandelion taken this Spring during a short walk – my favorite and only form of therapy aside from meditation. But walking really comes in handing especially when the mind refuses to quiet itself.  The title, Dandelion Don’t Care About the Time, is from one of my favorite Rolling Stones songs. I have used various verses for some of my other dandelion photos.

You can see it does has a time theme, and that is pertinent, because especially as one gets older, there is a realization of how much time is spent on drama. It causes so much stress, making us lose sleep, causing us to worry about things that are somewhat uncontrollable.  We often forget in the middle of emotional upheaval or fear that the one thing we can control is our reaction. There were a lot of nights when I would wake up at around 3am and just start worrying about how things were going to come out. What I started to do after a few nights of this was pick up a book. In most cases it worked.  It took my mind away from the useless circling that it was doing and engaged my thoughts elsewhere. After an hour or so of reading, I would feel sleepy again.

No Man’s Land

One day it was supposed to be beautiful and warm. I headed up to a lake area where there are usually lots of dragonflies and was hoping to find some wildflowers.  Spring was not evident – the area around the lake was far to marshy to get close to it and on top of that it started to drizzle. Yet in spite of that it was a day that was wonderful for just escaping.  I took multiple shots, panning the camera to obtain this photograph and later combined and aligned them in Photoshop using the perspective option. Do you see where I’m going? I took some photographs with the tripod, and then I just sat, tucking my jacket underneath my butt to protect it from the cold and slightly damp ground, leaned back against a rock and closed my eyes. I listened to the birds, the stirring of the trees while my dog went exploring on her own. I was miles away from any human being, and it was a wonderful time-out from reality.

Growing from Rock

Later my dog and I walked down the road, where there was still snow on the ground.  It almost felt like I had entered an alternate universe where no bickering existed, no lies and distorted truth, and no hurt egos, and no vying to get the upper hand. The world wasn’t easier: trees would fall, lightning would strike, prey would be eaten, but still, life would continue.

On the way home I stopped to take some more photographs. I especially liked this one of a small rock formation that juts out of the water at Cougar Reservoir and looks like a small island with fir trees growing. Again, there is a theme of life being able to spring forth, even from hardship. Roots find ways around the rocky obstacles, and there is growth.

There were no winners, only losers in the legal matter, unless of course, you count the attorneys who did come out ahead. However, in the realm of things that had transpired during that time: a missing jetliner, a downed ferry with lost children, mudslides, and tornadoes, among others –  it was a speck of sand.

And fortunately during this stressful time, there were moments, not as many as I would like for the real Spring drama: lovely blossoms, adorable ducklings, otters at play. That is the drama that interests me.

The last photograph on the page is from a walk I took with my dog and my friend and her dog.  It’s titled When Life Gives You a Mud Puddle… and I think, as I often do, that we have a lot to learn from the natural world.

White Tulip

Poppa Otter

Above It All

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Skittering

Daisy May

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When Life Gives You a Mud Puddle…

Exploring What’s Not Too Far From Home – William L Finley Wildlife Refuge

A couple of weeks ago, tired of photographing my local stomping grounds, forest and rivers, I opted to take a day’s outing to the William L. Finley Wildlife Refuge south of Corvallis and about an hour and a half from me.  It’s funny that living so near rivers and woods, that while hiking I rarely see a lot of wildlife except for the occasional deer. And the ducks, geese, and other birds, as I’ve mentioned in previous posts, are not tame and prefer wider boundaries when it comes to encounters with humans than at other places where they are more used to us funny two-legged creatures.  Often when I’m on a trail, it is utterly quiet with no signs of visible life, except for my dog and I, of course.  You might get to a spot where suddenly there are the sounds of birds or running water, but passing through, it becomes quiet again.

After the Swim

The coast is a good two hours away and that’s if there’s no work being done on the highway, and I was looking for something closer. So I Googled it and found there are three wildlife refuges between Eugene and Portland. William L. Finley was in easy driving distance, providing a day’s outing without the additional cost of having to spend a night away from home.

I had never heard of the refuge before, and speaking to others in my area, later, they hadn’t either. It is named after a wildlife photographer and conservationist, born in 1876 in Southern California and dying in 1953 in Portland, Oregon. He served on the National Association of Audubon Societies for the Protection of Wild Birds and Animals, (later National Audubon Society) in 1905 and became the second president of the Oregon Audubon Society in 1906.

The Refuge appears to been established in 1964 and contains over 5,000 acres of diverse habitats which was one of the things I found fascinating.

I drove up Hwy 99 , through farmland, and then turned down a gravel road which bordered a neighboring farm.  After several hundred feet, I came upon a large field in which there were at least 15 Great Blue Herons spaced out.  On the other side of the road were marsh ponds with many ducks and some geese.

Heron in a Field

Many of the trails are closed during the winter as the primary purpose of the refuge is to provide a safe wintering spot for the birds, notably the dusky Canada Geese.  There are also some historical buildings within the refuge, and one that is spotted early on is the Cheadle Barn built in 1900.

Bird on a Branch

The road comes out of the refuge, first going south and you then turn right and head north on Bellfountain Road, where you re-enter the Refuge.

There is a gift store and a Refuge Office and the chipping sparrow, seen to the right, was near those buildings and taking advantage of the sun and the nearby bird feeder.

Stellar’s Jay

One of the  trails starts from this point – the Mill Hill Loop (3 mi. loop), a very woodsy trail. I had taken this trail last, so I ended up only going in a mile or so.  At the beginning of the trail were numerous Stellar Jays flitting about from tree to tree. This is also a trail where bobcat, beaver and even a cougar might be spotted. Two months earlier, a cougar kill of a deer was found near the trail.

The auto route road continues meandering through the refuge to the Woodpecker Loop trail which is the first trail I walked. This is a lovely trail.  It winds through a wooded area where the trees are alive with the rustling of birds, the sound of woodpeckers, and songs of other birds.  I’m not a birder, and there were many birds flitting about, most hard to see due to the density and shade of the area, and even when seen, too fast for me to photograph in the low light.

However, the trail works up a hill, and I felt as if I had been transported to California.  There were oak trees and golden meadows.  There were jays flitting from tree to tree and the oaks were huge and lovely. There were also extraordinary views of Mt Hood and the Cascade Range.

By the Shadow of an Oak

You then continue back into a wooded area, although at one point you have a view of another section of the refuge..  I found this remnant of a fence, and I loved the way it looked,  despite the fact that it no longer served any purpose.

Useless Boundary, No 2

The spotted towhee is also one of the birds I spied among the beautiful branches of the surrounding trees. He’s so dark and I don’t think I would have spotted him, except for the glint of his eye as he turned his head.

Little Sharp-Eyed Bird

Past the Woodpecker trail, the auto route continues on past Cabell Marsh.  There is an overlook area for Cabell Marsh, less than a quarter of a mile from the parking and down a trail, but the other trail from this point that goes all the way down to the marsh is closed until Spring.

Past this, I spotted a car pulled to the side, and thus was able to see some bull elk in the shadows across a pond. Then another mile down the road, there was another overlook area.  There were many raptors about. One bald eagle in a tree, many young ones in another tree, and off in the misty distance a large herd of elk. Later, around that area, I also passed a field, where I spotted a large bird in the field feeding on something.  When I took the photographs, I thought it was a hawk, but after reviewing them on my computer screen, I see that it was an owl, exciting for me since I’ve never seen one in the wild before, although the images can’t be used as the owl is just too far away.

The refuge is definitely a place I will return to, not only in the winter but at different times of the year.  Two birders I met, indicated winter is the best time in their opinion. They lived in the area and therefore are lucky enough to be able to visit it often. I am such a novice when it comes to birdwatching, and it was interesting to note how they could often tell what type of bird it was from a long distance from the flight or call. They said in November there are murmurations of thousands of starlings – another thing I would love to see. However, I will also be going in Spring as I really enjoy getting out of the car and walking – I’d love to explore the other trails.

Cabell Marsh

Killdeer Hunting for Worms

I drove out of the refuge and headed back south on Hwy 99, but couldn’t resist turning in again at Bruce Road and looking at the marsh and geese once more. I spotted this little fellow, a killdeer hunting for worms.  I also have a shot of his success, but haven’t processed it yet.  The first photograph in the post also resulted from pulling in again to the refuge. I could barely stand to leave, but I knew my poor dog, banished from the refuge, was waiting at home for me.

As I was leaving, something stirred the geese up.  Up hundreds of them flew in the sky. It’s a beauty to watch them fly and turn almost as one mind.  However, I noted when reviewing the photographs – most of them show that pattern of synchronized flight – that there was one image where there is a moment of chaos. Some are turned left, some right, and others seem to be flying towards my camera. It’s such a cool thing to be able to rediscover something about a moment that has passed – like seeing it was an owl in that field, or seeing that there was a second of chaos in perfection – it just one of the many things I love about photography.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this and will get out to see what a little bit beyond your normal stomping grounds. And I hope you will be pleasantly surprised. See you in a few weeks after my return from my week’s vacation in Kauai!

A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That

My energy is often affected by the weather, so the last few weeks I’ve been all over the place, reacting to the effects of a windstorm, rain, foggy dreary days and even a bit of sun. This week’s post’s photographs are taken from the last few weeks of work, some of it old, some of it new.

In the first week of January I had my biggest sale, a 60″x40″ print of a photograph that was one of the first uploads I did to Fine Art America. However, I had reworked it about 4 months ago, improving the final image, and apparently that work paid off. So with that in mind, and knowing that I’m progressing as a post-processor and photographer, I decided to go back through the archives to see if there were photographs I had overlooked.

Letting Off Steam

The first photograph is one I took in Yellowstone, after I had just gotten my current camera.  I hadn’t done any post processing on it at all.

I often feel that if I processed an image one day later, it would turn out differently, because the choices I make will be slightly different, and each choice leads to a different direction.  That’s the beauty and joy of digital processing. This photograph had potential, and with the help of some tonal contrasting and darkening the sky, I was pleased with the results.

On The Prowl

The second photograph, On The Prowl, is actually three photographs.  I had stopped to get a photograph of an egret in the marshes when I was in Harney County last Spring, but then spotted these two coyotes in the distance stalking a flock of geese.  Because the coyotes were at such a distance,  I hadn’t done anything with the images, yet it had been extremely interesting to watch the two coyotes in action. I decided to composite three of the photographs together to create what is akin to a storyboard.

In the first two photos, you see one coyote who was doing most of the work, while the second one was to the right of him, just waiting.  I was switching back and forth between the egret and the coyotes, and each time, it would take me a bit to readjust my eyes to spot them as they would crouch in the grass and then make their move. I was probably more happy than not that they weren’t successful, and the third image shows them giving up for the time being.  I also felt a bit sorry for them as a coyote’s got to eat too!

Impressions of a Heron’s Flight

Impressions of a Heron’s Flight was also sourced from three photographs.  I have shown a photograph of the same heron in the prior post, but hadn’t processed these photographs as the egret had taken off suddenly, and I had not been prepared to catch his flight and couldn’t adjust the ISO setting quickly enough to get the shutter speed I needed for the fading afternoon light. I had panned, but the photographs are less than sharp when you zoom in. Still, I loved the photographs, and seeing the position of his wings in each image. I took three of the best shots and stitched them together.  The composite works fairly well as the back ground of this 3 to 4 seconds of flight was before he curved to the west, and also before my photographs became really blurry :),  The blur that does show expresses the motion of the heron. I darkened and deepened the images as well.

Ascension of a Sunflower

The next photograph is of a sunflower past its prime.  This was an image where the detail was so good on the flower itself, but the background was, well, blah! I added another exposure and used a bi-color filters  to give the background some more interest and then that suggested to me the ascension theme, so I also added some rays.

Get Your Head on Straight

Finally I did take some new photographs during this time.  I have been pretty bored with the same old, same old, and haven’t really gone anywhere different.  But there is a fish hatchery down the road, that I hadn’t been to  since before I even moved here. Just goes to show you how you can take some things for granted. I ended up going back twice in one week, as the first day, the water in the pond was still rather murky from the windstorm we had a few days earlier.  I was trying to capture a huge sturgeon they have in one of the pools, over six feet long, but as he swam 1-2 feet under the water’s surface, I was not successful on either day.

However, I did get this shot of the mallard duck.  I was happy as the ducks I normally see about are not as used to people and do not let you get within 50 feet, so being close and able to capture the detail is wonderful.

It’s funny when you go out wanting to shoot one thing, but end up coming away with something completely different. I think it’s a good thing not to be too rigid, but also to be prepared.  Thursday, I went out determined to get some shots of birds.  I went to an area where I thought they’re might be some blue jays.  Not a one.  I had only brought my telephoto lens, and instead, I really needed my other lens, which was sitting at home.  I will try to go back there with the right lens, and I have yet to really look at those images to see if my telephoto zoom at 100mm worked well on any of my captures.

Lone Crow

The final photograph also speaks to happy accidents.  The second day I went to the hatchery, there was smoke drifting upriver from somebody’s outdoor fire.  I was initially dismayed.  But while walking by the river, I noticed how beautiful the afternoon light shining through the trees was being diffused by the smoke and this made for a beautiful atmospheric shot of a crow in the tree branches.

Yesterday, I had a wonderful outing to the William L Finley Wildlife Refuge I will write about next time. Thank you for your read!

I Found a Patch of Ice and A Hidden World Beneath

Shortly before Christmas, the first snow arrived, followed by some freezing temperatures that dipped below zero.   Outside it was a Winter Wonderland and inside, it felt just the same as my electric heater couldn’t keep up with the low temperatures. But as the weather got warm enough during the day to partially melt the snow, and then as it froze again at night, beautiful icicles could be found hanging down from fallen limbs or rocks that bordered the river.  When I looked at these images up close on my computer screen, I saw strange shapes in the reflections – faces that peer out as if for the few days before the icicles could fully melt, a window was open to a different world. For those of you who watched Fringe (loved it), think of the window Dr. Walter Bishop created to see the other universe.  Except in my imagination, the being on the other side is peering back.

Snow and Icicles, No. 1

Curved Edge

The next week, much of the snow had melted, but on the other side of the river which gets more shade, there were still patches of ice covering small pools of water.  In the first photograph, Curved Edge, I loved the way, the image shows the thin curved sheet of ice creating a shelf above the pond, and the thaw that can be seen in the water droplets that hang off the ice’s edge.

In the second image, Beneath the Ice, one of my all time favorites, the ice is translucent and reveals a round stone and flora beneath its surface. It’s as if everything is trapped below the surface and struggling for air. But the darker color of part of the stone and the patch in the upper part of the image where ice has melted – these to me signify an abatement of  pressure, a release that is not only inevitable but imminent.

Beneath the Ice

In looking at this image, the phrase came to me, “I found a patch of ice and a hidden world beneath,” and this suggested all sorts of things to me, both literal and symbolic.  I thought about how we have winters in each of our lives, where we seem to freeze up.  We become emotionally frigid, afraid of expressing ourselves, afraid of letting others in. We hunker down behind our fortress, and to the world we present our bland indifferent face as if to say, you can’t hurt me now!  Yet of course, inside we are suffering and still alive.

Of course, sometimes we need to protect ourselves for a while. Winter is the season when the natural world seems to go dormant. Leaves are dropped by trees to save energy.  Some animals find a cave and hibernate.  I often would love to do that! I came home with the flu, and during the illness I slept most of 30 hours straight, and I needed that and felt restored afterwards.  Other animals grow a winter coat like this young deer.

First Winter

But winter can also be a dangerous time. Huge trees are brought down by the weight of snow or ice upon their boughs. Sometimes the burden and pressure of carrying that armor around causes us to crack. Or we can suffocate beneath it – forget how to express ourselves because we are so fearful and that state of being has become habitual.

When I’m in a state like that, it’s not as if I can be forced out of it by the kind words or admonitions of friends.  Often I have to sit with it and wait for movement. I bide my time until I feel a bit stronger, perhaps, even a bit of defiance,  or a point when I’m bored with myself and my shield of ice.  Then I try to use the time, to explore the depths that lie beneath the ice. What are my fears? What would I really lose if I try to change my perspective? I remind myself that there are still opportunities ahead, paths to walk down, chances to take, things and thoughts and feelings to give and to receive. A bit of movement beneath the ice can make it give way.

Heron’s Winter’s Watch

Starting this New Year, I’ve been feeling more hopeful in than I have in a long time. I hear of friends who’ve been out of work for a while, getting jobs. I’ve seen examples of people just trying to be gentler with each other, despite their difference of opinions.  Maybe that’s just the effect of the new year but it doesn’t hurt to believe that it’s possible. Happy New Year!

Champoeg Park Overlooking the Willamette River

My Usual Haunts – Exterior and Interior

I didn’t post last week, as my days off were filled with a couple of outings, but it should work out well, because as I review my photos from two weeks ago and think back, I’m in a similar frame of mind this week.

I find myself, at this stage of my life, more confined, so that when I look at photographs of others from far off places, I’m a bit envious, although I’ve been blessed to have traveled in the past. But the current situation can dim my spirits and I’ve been feeling like I’ve been running on empty. So I seek refuge in my usual haunts, and find myself traveling familiar grounds, physically and metaphysically.

The Bit of Sun That’s Left

Metaphysically speaking – I find myself on the verge of depression. I’ve been here and through it before. I’m isolated, geographically, from my closest friends, and I feel at a disconnect. I feel like I’m putting one foot in front of the other and just plodding through without any hope of getting to some place better.  I know this feeling will pass and come again and pass again, and I always seek to come to terms with it philosophically or spiritually.

By the Canal

I wish I were less analytical and lighter in nature.  My belief is that people who are tend to be happier. In the past, I’ve quit my job, moved, taken a trip, but those aren’t options I have the energy or money for and of course you never can really escape your self, not while you’re living!

And I don’t dislike my self, but I miss being near people who get me.  Any way, I know I’m in the midst of a poor me pity party, so I will move on. Maybe others reading this will find comfort in knowing that others also experience these blues and greys.

Peaceful Easy Feeling

Physically, I return to my favorite walks with my dog and my camera.  Sometimes I take only a few pictures and discard the majority, thinking I’ve done that. Sometimes there are just a few that I care to keep, but the act of walking is a soothing one, and my dog, Maisie, appreciates it as well.

Sometimes, the walk alone will shake the inertia away. If not, it allows me to sit with the feelings I’m going through.  It settles the restlessness like a form of meditation. And since I haven’t been doing my meditation practice regularly, this is good.

At other times, although I’m walking the same road I’ve walked numerous times before, I see something new, or more clearly.  When we find ourselves in the same life patterns, it’s interesting to wonder if instead of a circle, our path is not instead a spiral viewed from a different angle. Are we reacting the same way to a similar situation, or trying to find a new way.  This is a challenge of both consciousness and discipline.

Young Buck

One morning, two weeks ago, I got up early (not easy for me as I tend to be a night owl) seeking to find the elk that a friend had said were visiting her yard. Though they had been there for two days in a row, and come 4-5 times that week, they were not there that morning. (A week later I did see some female elk, but my photos were lousy as the light was too low and I was unable to get any sharpness at the distance.)

Disappointed, I decided to take try to take some pictures of the fall color that was fading fast.  I came upon these beautiful rays shining down on the road.  Was it as great as the elk would have been?  No, but it was lovely and that will have to suffice.

So I will keep trying – getting up early, occasionally, to seek the elk and putting one foot in front of the other, trying to muster some hope that my path is not a circle, and spiraling upwards and not down.

Another Road Travelled

Full Moon Rising on Yet Another Birthday

I thought I’d start with one of my poems from 2010, since it deals with age!

South Sister and Lake

      

Untitled

Calcified like the old fossil I have become

Stripping down my life to essentials – nature, my dog.

I have arrived at nothing.

I bear no burden

I have become merely elemental.

©Belinda Greb 2010

I’m really not a fossil yet, although some days I definitely feel like it, but birthdays are really just ordinary days for me at this point. More of a marker of the passage of time, like New Year’s, but not carrying any high expectations of a celebratory nature or, thank God, the self-analytical angst of “what have I accomplished thus far” that they once did.  Part of that may be just normal, part of the settling into one’s life. Yet I can only speak for my own life’s experience, and I know plenty of people my age who still retain lives full of emotional intensity, inner drama, and intricate plans for their future.

Not to say that I feel over and done with – 🙂 – but I do feel okay with the slowing down, an acceptance of this new phase of life. Part of that acquired acceptance is due to my life’s experience – seeing that change is unavoidable; that some die too young and that death is inevitable for each of us; and learning that some things are within my individual conscious control and others are not; and that life will often take us down unexpected or undesired paths, and while we can kick and scream all we want, we are still there and what is possible to change is how we react to it.

Light Falling on South Sister

But part of that acceptance also has to do with my inner life’s experience which has led me to the belief that this is all natural, and that at every stage of life, there are treasures to be discovered. I may not have the energy I had ten years ago, but I have a vantage point from where I can reflect upon the changes in our world and in my self, and compare and contrast them and gain insight into both. I may not be the center of attention or worse, may seem irrelevant to others – that’s okay, I’ve learned to be comfortable with not living for others and oh what a relief that is, what freedom!

I’m middle-aged – by today’s terms only because we’re living longer 🙂 –  and I realize I probably seem old to younger generations. I don’t get the humor in the newer sitcoms, and I don’t really feel communication is what it used to be, and that’s fine. A younger generation is going to have a different world than the one I occupied, just as I inhabited a different world from my parents or grandparents. They’re going to have experiences that I never will, just as I have had some that they never will. Various worlds can cohabit the same plane and do – it’s just a matter of a multitude of perceptions.

Moon Rising Above North Sister

What makes this alright for me, I suppose, is that I do believe in life after death – in fact, I believe in reincarnation. Why? Because: I’ve had inner experiences and dreams in which I was another person with emotions and thought processes that were foreign to me; my observations of nature and the way it always regenerates in one form or another; my reading and exploration of various philosophical and spiritual literature or practices in my life-long interest and pursuit of these matters; but more importantly because that belief just seems true based on my intuition. Maybe I’m wrong, maybe right – I don’t feel the need to argue the point with anyone. It’s not like someone’s going to be proven right! But for me the setting of the sun, just hearkens the rising of another, symbolically speaking.

Rising Moon

Which leads me to my birthday, a week ago, quietly celebrated with phone calls from far away friends and an outing with nearby friends to a vista point that overlooked Three Sisters Wilderness. We walked, we talked, we watched the beautiful light on the mountains, and then watched the moon rise. We went home in the dark, and it all seemed perfect.

What I found on a Walk

Running behind on everything, so I thought I’d just show what I photographed on just one walk. (Actually I typed this short post in the  WordPress Quick post, but that disappeared – so I’m trying again!)

I find a walk is a great way to clear my mind and replenish my energy, especially when I’m feeling blah.  This walk was like that. I walked uphill behind the canal, where I took the photograph of a farmhouse, then feeling better, I decided to continue my walk along the canal.  The last photograph is my favorite. It’s a composite of an intentionally blurry landscape I took (not really knowing how I was going to use it – just focused, and then turned it to manual and turned the focusing ring slightly) and another photo I took for texture of a rusted part of the bridge over the canal with a great plate and bolt.

A walk in nature always makes me feel connected, to the world, the source, whatever – just connected as in “Only Connect” from E.M. Forster’s Howard’s End. That phrase always resonated with me.

Next week I will try to find more words, more time,  and the photos will of the Three Sisters, taken on a great birthday outing with good friends.

For a larger image or to read the photo’s description, click on the photo or title.

Farmhouse

Wavering between Shadows and Light

End of Summer

Modern Landscape

What Summer’s Here? Coulda Fooled Me!

Okay, well I almost got to last week’s post, but on the two decent days we had last week, I was up on the roof, cleaning off branches, twigs, and moss, and cleaning out the gutters, before the next downpour – rainy weather becoming such a normal thing during late Spring and early Summer here in Oregon.  So I almost missed the beginning of Summer, never mind about my “weekly” post!

And since we’ve had so much rain, I haven’t been shooting a lot. I did work on some older pictures, and before I got up on the roof on Saturday, I did take a short walk through a lovely meadow of wildflowers with my sister and brother-in-law who were visiting.

So not much else to say, except, bah humbug, oh wait, that’s for the holiday season – well I will save you from any more whining about the mostly dreary weather we’ve been having, and say that at least I’m grateful that we haven’t had any tornadoes or floods.

Here are this week’s photos:

The first two are pictures I worked on last week, although they were taken a few weeks ago, and the next few are ones I took on the one sunny day last week – the 2nd day of Summer.  Hope you enjoy!  (You can read more about each photograph if you click on the link and read the description.)

A Riot of No Color – http://belinda-greb.artistwebsites.com/featured/a-riot-of-no-color-belinda-greb.html

 

Pale and Pink – http://belinda-greb.artistwebsites.com/featured/pale-and-pink-belinda-greb.html

 

The First Days of Summer – http://belinda-greb.artistwebsites.com/featured/the-first-days-of-summer-belinda-greb.html

 

Little Weeds – http://belinda-greb.artistwebsites.com/featured/little-weeds-belinda-greb.html

 

Stay Centered –http://belinda-greb.artistwebsites.com/featured/stay-centered-belinda-greb.html

Malheur Wildlife Refuge

Malheur Wildlife Refuge is over 187, 000 acres in Southeastern Oregon, containing over 320 species of birds and 58 mammals. It consists of sagebrush and wetlands.

I had grown more interested in visiting the Malheur Wildlife Refuge after reading Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place, by Terry Tempest Williams (a wonderful book). She mainly talked about the Salt Lake Region in Utah, but did mention this refuge as a wonderful place for bird sightings.  But what really sealed the deal for me was when I heard about the wild horse herds in the same area. I’m not a birder, but I do enjoy seeing the various varieties and recently got The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North American in order to be able to identify more.

After my trip to Kenya, I do feel I became more observant and would start to see the birds more, and becoming reignited by photography has also refined my observation skills.  However, I have a long ways to go.

The headquarters area was about 30 miles from where we were staying – Crystal Crane Hot Springs, most of it a well-maintained gravel road.  There were birders out and about with their huge telephoto lenses, which made mine seem rather dinky. There were a lot of Yellow-Headed Blackbirds about, and also Red-Winged Blackbirds.

In addition at the pond there were several American White Pelicans, which are beautiful.  Around the grounds were bunny rabbits and ground squirrels. Also seen were hummingbirds, and many other birds that I did not identify. It was supposed to be rainy that day, so the clouds were got were much better than expected, with even a few spots of sun.

One birder told us that there were owl babies by Benson Pond, and that we would probably see others about who could point them out to us.

We headed down to Benson, meaning to stop and then look for the South Steens Wild Horse Herd.  We actually passed it, reaching French Glen and realizing we had gone to far.  However, we had stopped to take a picture of a beautiful Great Egret.  While the Egret was fairly sharp for the distance he was from me, I did end up doing a texture to the background, as the photograph was cropped quite a bit.

Where the photograph of the Egret was taken, in the middle distance was a flock of geese, and in the far distance I made out two coyotes probably hunting rabbits or rodents.

Along the way, I also got this picture of a Long-billed Dowitcher.

French Glen is a very small town (est. pop. 12) with a historic hotel built in 1924. Pete French was the owner of a livestock company and he was murdered in his 30s as he had a tendency to buy up land, controlling the water rights and preventing settlers from getting to their own land if they had to cross his.

The little town is at the foot of the Steen Mountain Loop which rises from sagebrush terrain to over 9000 feet. I’ll have some pictures of that next week. Here is a picture of the area right by French Glen.

After going up the Loop, we headed back to see if we could find Benson Pond and nearly missed it again.  There is no sign directly off Hwy 205. Instead, you have to take another gravel road north of it, and then work your way down.

By the time we got there, there was really no one else around to point out the owls, and frankly I didn’t even know what type of owl or what I was looking for! Hindsight tells me I needed to ask more questions, but aside from looking up at the trees to see if I could see any owls (since I did learn that they don’t usually stay right by the nest but in nearby trees).  For some reason I thought it might be a burrowing owl, so I was looking on the ground around Benson Pond, but there was a lot of grass, reeds, and parts where there were holes down to the water.  I also tried to listen for any sounds, but again, was unsuccessful.

There were more egrets, and it was wonderful to watch then land, as well as some Dark-eyed Junco Sparrows, more blackbirds. I also admired greatly these beautiful trees, pictured below as the bark was nearly black and stood out from the green leaves.  On the way back, I happened to catch some movement and saw this beautiful pheasant, but by the time I stopped the car and started shooting though not at a fast enough speed to get any great photos as he was retreating behind a barbed wire fence.

Again, I feel like I would like to go back and just have more time to observe and hang out.  This trip was very short, but it provided a great overview to make plans for the next trip and I had some wonderful experiences.

Next week, just a bit more about the general area.

Wild Horses – Part 2

My prior post, Wild horses Part 1, took you into the wonderful natural area of Harney County, in Oregon, where cattle, horses, and other creatures, large and small, roam and fly  free. I had told you that we encountered horses not only from the South Steens Mountain Herd, but also the Palomino-Buttes Herd off of Highway 20 between Burns and Ripley.

Before I continue on with that, I wanted to post a couple of photographs I captured of another horse I saw on my way to look for the Kiger Mustangs (which I never saw). This horse was in the general area, but outside the boundaries.  At first I thought he might be wild, but he ran towards me, although this could have been a protective move as he was with a mare that looked pregnant.

One thing about photographing these horses, is that you really aren’t that close to them, so many of the photographs I took (with a 100-400mm zoom lens on a full frame sensor) are unable to render a sharp closeup. As soon as they see you, they usually start to move away. This photo is a composite of this horse’s movement, which is beautiful.

The Bureau of Land Management in Oregon actively adopts many of these horses out, so after viewing the one prize photograph I got, he could have been one of these adopted horses.  These horses, mares as well as the stallions, do show a lot of battle scars from living out in the harsh natural environment. The areas are very rocky, and in the winter, there is snow and not much to eat.  Also, they tend to get into scuffles with each other.

I named this photograph “Resilience.” These horses are beautiful, and I love seeing them free, but it’s also important to acknowledge how tough their lives must be at times. When I zoom in on the photo above, for instance,  (the original of the horse in the foreground), you can clearly see some type of sore above his knee. I doubt it is from a fall since it is above the knee. I thought it was probably the result of a horse kicking him.

What amazed me about the Palomino-Buttes herd is how well the horses are able to camouflage themselves into the background.  We thought with the flat terrain spotted by sagebrush, it would be easy to spot them as we drove down the gravel road towards Harney Lake, but we almost passed them.  A truck was coming towards us with a plume of dust behind it, meaning I rolled up the windows to protect the camera gear. I had slowed down, and as the dust settled, suddenly they were there by the side of the road, perhaps 20 yards in.  But by the time, I had brought the car to a slow stop and rolled down the windows, they had moved back. 

There were three adults and a foal.  Perhaps because of the foal, they were very alert.  One horse seemed to be in charge and stayed back while the other three moved off first. I got out of the car and tried to follow them, but they disappeared very quickly into the sagebrush.  When we returned we did see that they had returned to the same general area but were further away from the road.

We also saw two more horses further down the road – they seemed less skittish – the stallion taking his time to pee, before nonchalantly moving off, and again, disappearing very quickly into the brush, although they were moving at a slower pace then the previous horses.  One thing is that the sagebrush does seem to provide good cover. You don’t see them if their heads are down to graze, but again I couldn’t figure out why the cattle were so easy to spot, and the horses seemed much more difficult.

This is the stallion (just after he relieved himself). He’s a beauty. He looked a lot alike one of the other horses we had seen earlier, except for the marking on his face. He seemed in very good shape.

We kept expecting to see a herd of horses, but it seemed we just ran across the smaller group or pairings. Perhaps, they come together in the herd at night. The Palomino Buttes Herd has 71,000 acres to roam and the herd is estimated to number only 32-64. (The South Steens occupy 130,000 acres with numbers between 159-304). This area seemed like it offered much less in terms of grass for the horses.

The final picture of the mare, also shows that she has a number of scars, an especially large old scar from a gash on her hindquarters.

I found myself really longing to go back a day or two after I had returned home.  I would like to be able to observe them for a longer amount of time. Others might find it boring, but I’m fascinated and love just being able to watch them interact with each other.

More photos from my trip on the next post, including some of the birds and a few landscape pictures.  hope you enjoyed!