Random Musings

Today was my 40th birthday and it was a really nice day. I had posted last year, at this time, that the idea of age is actually something I consider one of life’s gifts. That said (and not to be said again) I spent the day looking down instead of up. I was tracking wildflowers and was amazed at all that I saw. One of the main reasons I did not take pictures at the feeder today was because the evening grosbeaks came back and I just wanted to allow them time to get used to me before taking more shots. So instead I went looking for wildflowers and felt pretty lucky by the end of the day. For the record I didn’t pick any flowers, one of the real blessings of taking photographs is it isn’t necessary. So instead of babbling I’ll get to the local wildflowers. (p.s. so the only birds I will show were ones taken on may 5th. I had too many at that time to show.)

(Camassia quamash)

I had shown, last week, this photograph of Common camas and mentioned that Indians actually loved the taste of the roots. As a matter of fact some tribes actually battled over camas fields. Adam Paul had mentioned that hopefully no one mistakes it with death camas. Here is a photograph of death camas I got today. {Adam Paul takes amazing landscapes, birds and wildflowers!}

(Zigadenus venenosus)

He is absolutely correct! The mistake can be fatal. The rub is that both Common death camas and Common camas often grow in the same areas. Both of the stems and leaves look exactly the same and when the bulbs are uprooted they are virtually identical. However, one tastes like a sweet potato and the other can kill even horses if enough of it is ingested. It’s a really pretty flower with a mighty punch. Death camas also looks a lot like wild onion as well however, in that case they do not smell like wild onions.

(Triteleia grandiflora var. grandiflora)

I had mentioned to Montucky, a curious soul cataloguing the backwoods of Montana in a beautiful way, that a flower we had both identified last year had not blossomed yet in my area. The name is Douglas Brodiaea so I took the above shot today to show it’s current condition for his sake. Meanwhile, when I stopped to get the shot of the death camas, you could imagine my shock when I ran into a whole field of them, with all of them in full bloom! That was a nice birthday surprise as I think this just may be my all time favorite wildflower. So here is an open shot of one of them…

(Triteleia grandiflora var. grandiflora)

Okay I also saw that the silky lupine was just starting to bloom as well. Here is your typical lupine leaf and any plant with this type of leaf is regarded as a lupine. Washington has 23 species of lupine in our forests so specifically identifying them always makes me a bit leery. Consider the silky lupine comment a hazards guess. This also might be silvery lupine as well. (Lupinus argenteus)

(Lupinus sericeus)

(Lupinus sericeus)

A couple birds…..

Sharp-shinned Hawk. On May 5th I was watching the birds and taking photographs when all of them simply flew away - and fast! I saw this bird fly into the tree it was the size of a large woodpecker which is what I thought it originally was but often what I see in the lens is shocking. Sadly, he was in a dark area so the shot isn’t too good but I finally identified him as the smaller hawk species of the Sharp-shinned Hawk. I got to tell you it was amazing how fast the birds flew away when he came. I had forgotten to post him so here he is.

On that day a Turkey vulture came by and I got a decent shot of him as the lighting was actually pretty good. They, a group of four, circle the mountain looking for something to clean up everyday so far they’ve never had to land on our property.

And lastly Monarch, helped me identify this little warbler that I found over at Lake Pierre as the Nashville warbler. Thank you Monarch! {If your a bird lover his page is a must see!}

On that day, I also ran into the funniest sounding chickadee I’ve ever heard. I glanced at it in my telephoto lens and went, “wait by sound that cannot be a black-capped chickadee!” I was so shocked at what it sounded like, which did not mesh with what I saw, I only took one picture and it did not show his face well enough for identification. That being the case I’ll be visiting him again and very soon. So hopefully (fingers crossed) you can look for him in the future. Meanwhile, I think I’ve overloaded you enough. I’ll post some more wildflowers later this week as my photographic cup runneth over. Thanks for taking the time to look!

I was stunned that I actually won Bo’s Contest on violets. This makes makes me laugh a little maybe the little violet is a lucky flower for me? One of my little pioneer violets was generously linked on Janet’s site as well. And when I visited down by the creek this weekend the pioneer violets took over the forest bed which made for a gorgeous sight! (I’m a really big fan of claiming both compliments and luck where ever I can find it. Life seems too short to do otherwise.) If you haven’t visited Bo’s page click on her name and it will take you to some of the most artistic and breathtaking photographs of Wisconsin you’ll ever lay your eyes on. I find it completely refreshing to visit as it is a testimony to the breathtaking beauty of yet, another part this beautiful country.

Meanwhile, I have a couple more shots to toss up and share.

feathery false lily of the valley (Maianthemum stellatum) other common names for this plant is; starry false lily-of-the-valley and star-flowered solomon’s-seal. The rich green makes this plant a beautiful addition to the forest floor down by the creek.

Swamp lantern (Lysichiton americanus) The leaves of the swamp lantern plant was often used by American Indians to store things. It works really well to wrap fish in and cooking them over a camp fire the leaves contain a natural peppery taste that enhances the fishes flavor.

Woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca L.) Yummy! the wild strawberry’s are flowering!

I was also lucky as the very shy evening grosbeaks stopped for a brief visit.

Male Evening grosbeak

Female Evening grosbeak on the right (Red crossbill on the left)

I also caught sight of a lazuli bunting feeding however, he is so shy I haven’t got a great shot. Hopefully my hunting blind will come in handy for just such an emergency. While in it I got very close to a spotted towhee which in this area though many exist (by the many calls I hear) they are difficult to capture on the camera.

And the Violet-green swallows are nesting in a little birdhouse made by my daughter Sami. Here is the male and female protecting the birdhouse. I have watched and noticed that if any bird lands on it they will swoop down towards them very aggressively coming within what looks like inches from the invading bird to scare them away. It’s very effective as far as I’ve seen.

I can hear the cowbirds but never got a good shot of them. They have a very unique and unusual call over here. That is upsetting as I hope they don’t take over my yard. I actually caught sight of one riding on the back of the horse next door, another photo opportunity missed!

Here are my most recent bird feeder shots….

House finch

Pine siskin

Juvenile Red crossbill

Red crossbill (male)

p.s. for my birthday I got a wicked hunting blind! (I love that it was a 40th birthday present!) I can sit, wait, and take shots without upsetting or disturbing the birds.

I’ll also include a couple flowers just for my mom.

(Clematis columbiana) or rock clematis but most commonly called Columbia virgin’s bower.

I know this is a Larkspur, my best guess is Upland larkspur. If I’m right for the record it’s (Delphinium nuttallianum.)

With opened petals….

A bumble on Tall Oregon grape. (Mahonia aquifolium)

And lastly, my pup Pepper… she was being stealthy…. shhhhhh!

On the third of this month I visited Lake Pierre. I’ll just walk through it…

First I caught a glimpse of a of both the female and male version of the barrow’s golden-eye. It was nice to see spring romance. The shot was good enough for an ID but not good enough for the site. I was thrilled to see the lady and hope for a better shot soon.

Then the mallards were obviously singing the same kind of tune…

Then I ran into the Rednaped Sapsucker he was so disinterested in me I could get a lot of shots…
To be honest I was hoping to see some Kingbirds and Kingfishers but no luck….

so, a chipmunk came by…. and then a white crowned sparrow. I had seen so many of those at home!

And then my brass ring showed up…

As I struggled through the weeds…

And my daughter’s were looking for me, across the lake, they spooked him out! So, this was the view I got…

So I took shots once he landed and realized why it had been so hard to get the great blue heron.

He is a master at stealth… just as I was passing the tree that would have placed me about fifteen feet from him, a dog barked and he flew away… I fumbled for a flight capture and failed… Again I can only hope for next time…

On the way back I sat and watched an osprey fishing across the lake.

We went home.

Then I stopped at the local bridge to take shots of birds that nest on top of it.

Turned out to be rock doves (or feral pigeons.) They nest on the top of our bridge coming from Kettle Falls to my side of the river.

They were gorgeous in flight and I called it a day…. honestly, at the end of the day I felt I just could not complain…. the doves were beautiful.

We’ll feature crossbills. Primarily because over time me wandering closer and closer to the feeders with them on it has been more and more accepted. (On windy days they don’t like me around much.)

Soooo…. some crossbill shots.

A really richly colored male…

He is a beauty so I thought I’d toss him up twice.

Meanwhile, a juvenile….

Cornell says that they look a lot like Pine Siskins - today was the first time I got a shot but I can see the resemblance.

Okay I’m tossing up more tho…

Here is a shot with the family? from left to right juvenile, female and then male.

And lastly there they are mauling my new feeder. I was hoping that I hid that one well enough that the smaller birds would get a shot at it.

Okay let me move on… today finally a shot of the bird that builds a nest in hubby’s stovepipe every year… (so far for the last three years)

European Starling; It’s true I caught him (or her?) in the act!

And lastly, the one who decided to nest in my blue bird house…a violet-green swallow.

It’s cool; we are completely happy to have him.

Hi actually I have twin daughters. I think most of you know that by now and both are completely level headed and adorable. I’ll maybe one day discuss two of the people I’m probably the most proud of however, that will have to wait. Instead I’ll toss up three difficult species that I struggle to identify especially in the field.

First, those darned squirrels! I think I finally got it figured out. I was lucky enough to get a shot of a Douglas squirrel recently so I can show a comparison.

The Douglas Squirrel

The Red Squirrel

Sure you say the lower guy does look a little more red… well, give it about a month and the coat of the Douglas is going to go more and more red as the summer winds on. So how to tell? First, it is a Red squirrel or Douglas squirrel if they have that wicked cool white eye line. Then next step… see the black line on the upper guys belly? It’s a black line that separates the upper color with his lower white belly. That’s what a Douglas squirrel has that a Red won’t and never will. So if your lucky enough to see that tummy line it’s an easy ID.

Now birds; the House Finch vs. the Cassins Finch. A few things tell you the difference; the Cassins has a more distinct eye-line and at least locally, a more distinct face pattern. The breast of the House Finch has more markings on it and the Cassins Finch has a rather clean and reddish breast. The tell tale sign that tells me every time however is the line of the beak. It’s almost an arch on the House Finch but only slightly goes down on the Cassins Finch. Here are a couple of shots to compare.

House Finch

Cassin Finch

Top View Cassin Finch.

Now lastly butterflies…. This one really got me! Not having the trained eye of a scientist It took me a lot of time to be able to distinguish these two butterflies. I understood they were different but how? Both are Tortoiseshell butterflies and fall under the small group of brush-footed butterflies. A tortoiseshell simply looks funny when it is closed - it’s brown and mottled on the underside of it’s wings. It did not help that both landed on a nearby tree in a single group. I actually created circles so you can idenify the similar butterflies with the wings open and with the wings closed.

The original shot of both Compton and California and now my marked up version…

The hints are in the circles I put on the photo. On the right is a Compton because when its closed you see the mark that looks a little like a check mark (in butterfly circles it’s called a comma) that is only on the Compton. The second indicator is the two circles on the left butterflies - there should be really distinctive white marks in that circle and since there aren’t it’s a California Tortoiseshell.

Here is a photograph of a Compton Tortoiseshell while open. Other than those two indicators I can’t tell the difference.

Okay now that you know here are a few pretty shots I got of the butterflies who covered an entire bush I think overall I saw on one bush about thirty butterflies.

(p.s. This is a closed California butterfly - no comma - and it’s my favorite shot.)

Hopefully I didn’t confuse anything and I got it right and if not someone out there will correct me!

peace….

Yesterday I ran into an odd woodpecker. I thought I’d highlight him here - he struck me funny the minute I saw him; the most interesting aspect was his size. He was very large and looked quite chubby for a woodpecker. I definitely had to pull out Mr. Sibley’s book for this one…

I identified the fellow as a Black-backed Woodpecker which would be a first for me. What is interesting is we were going up the other side of Bisbee mountain where there was a wildfire two years ago. The fire created a perfect meadow for plenty of deer but it also (unknown to me) created the perfect environment for this woodpecker as well. Who, according to Cornell, “moves from place to place, following outbreaks of wood-boring beetles in recently burned habitats.” Which explains the fellows presence in this area.

Then earlier this month we went on top of bisbee on our side and ran into this guy…

The Red-naped Sapsucker…

Just for fun let me toss in a flower I ran into yesterday as well. It’s called Camas or Indian Hyacinth. Feasting on the bulbs was another Indian favorite in the Pacific Northwest.

so much so I wish I had a bumblebee to post but sadly, I don’t. A couple things occupied my attention a local man who wanted me to get him some local photographs for a business trip. I also have had company as well. The good news I’ve had fun the bad news I feel so neglectful. I’ll catch up on your posts today and then catch up on my photography hopefully the next day. Meanwhile… here’s what I got for you. Wildflowers…..

Today I’ll just toss up the ones I have no confusion on the identity of… which consists of a couple.

First, Arrowleaf Balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata) This is a gorgeous clump of flowers that is probably one of the first real sights of spring only because it’s much larger than a bird and you can catch the happy yellow even while driving at 60mph in a car. A lot of this plant is actually edible and the Indians in these parts boiled the roots for food as well as ate the young shoots of the plant raw. It is considered technically both a wildflower and herb. This is so eye-catching actually that Lewis and Clark discussed this “sunflower” in their diary and discussed the Indian children collecting it for food.

How to identify? Well, one key is it’s fuzzy. Second, it’s all in the name “arrowleaf” the rather large slightly hairy, soft leaves come to a tip, like an arrow.

It is probably the easiest flower to photograph as you just cannot catch it from a bad angle it’s just very beautiful.

Woodland Stars are next. This is when wildflowers look so similar that it takes picking them and holding them up in front of your eyes before you catch a difference and then it’s shocking how really different the flowers are.

We have two kinds of woodland stars - the bulbous and the smallflower woodland-star. I’ll put them up so you can see the difference. Both are both about the same height (probably about three to four inches tall) with small bright white heads. The stem on the small-flowered is thicker, sometimes a pretty pale green and purple and seems more plush then it’s relative which is more purple and rather spindle like. The heads look different too both of their stems however have the typical purple cast to it.

bulbous woodland-star (Lithophragma glabrum)

smallflower woodland-star (Lithophragma parviflorum)

Last stop pioneer violet or sometimes commonly known as stream violets (Viola glabella) because often times they are found along side of streams. The second good way of telling is the typical heart shaped leaves for example….

*Phew* One of my favorite photographic subjects just returned; the hummers. I was lucky actually that two different guys came in before it got too dark to shoot last night. I’m thrilled they are back - I haven’t seen many so setting out one feeder works perfectly fine until they start showing up in droves.

Okay I gotta run because the kids and I are going geocaching today. I have never posted a lot on that subject and always intended too. Hopefully I’ll get some good shots today to introduce this to others online.  Peace and hopefully you all have a beautiful day!

The little Calliope Hummingbird that visited us.

The little Rufous Hummingbird that visited us.

I was actually laughing a bit I bet when on these photos the birds are probably something like a 1:1 ratio of the birds. Looking at it I think in these shots the birds are actually a bit bigger. I’m going to have to measure this someday it might be interesting to find out.

Okay…off to play in the woods!

I decided this would be the year to figure out that funky falls shot method done with a camera. It’s not the easiest method to master and I did figure something out.. tripod. Impossible without it. The goal is to let water give movement to the photograph while the background stays the same. Here are the shots… hopefully I’ll drag along my tripod so that I can practice the method every chance I get and I’ll get good at it. So here are some more creek shots; one is the headwaters of Nancy Creek and the other is Nancy Creek on my property. I have a feeling Katy Creek done this way in the fall will be fantastic.

What’s cool about these shots is they actually look better larger. Meanwhile, I had forgotten one bird yesterday (backyard birds that is….)

The red-tailed hawk is still hunting in my backyard. I thought since it’s been a really slow day in terms of photographs it might be the perfect time to highlight this bird. A couple fast facts; first it is one of the most common Buteos and there are many in North America. The reason is it adapts very nicely to almost any environment. If you see a rather large bird and cannot identify it most likely it’s a red-tail hawk. In the past they were called, “Chicken Hawks” because they have used Chickens as prey often. In North America it is believed that there are eight subspecies of Red-tails. They all look vastly different but the two common traits is the darkened chest band and the dark mark on the leading edge of the wings. (To explain this better imagine your arms spread out, palms facing away from you; your upper arm would be very dark if you were a hawk that is…) Interestingly enough the red tail isn’t the best way to identify one as many Juveniles have a white tail. If you see a red-tail your looking at an adult. The sounds that a red-tail makes is; this one (Click to go to link) it is the most commonly used bird sound in movies.

Okay the birds are out so I guess I can start shooting soon. Blessings to all and thanks for stopping by!

p.s. we saw our first rufous hummingbird today! Yipee! So we put out our feeders.