Jackson Bottom Wetlands
Made a trip out to Jackson Bottom Wetlands near Hillsboro, OR. Still lots of lovely blossoms available to enjoy out there. The bird life has settled in to it's summer norms, but I still find them entertaining. Also nice to keep up with the Osprey pair that are tending at least one chick in the nest. Here are the images I made on that wonderful Sunday:
As I have always admitted, I rarely know that names of the flowers or plants I photograph. And this is a fine example of that. But, even if I don't know the name, I'm pretty tickled that I was able to catch the three different stages of this blossom. At the top, you will notice a blossom with green "berries." The middle image shows a bloom with a single, "ripe berry." And, at the bottom, the most in focus blossom shows what it looks like once the "berries" have dropped. Kind neat.
If you know me at all, you know I love me some backlit subjects. And these flowers proved to be wonderfully backlit!
I added a little filter effect to this one to make it appear more like how I saw it in my mind. It seemed so dreamy to me that I had to recreate it in my editing software.
Lots of little Goldfinches were out enjoying the morning feast.
I love that this little Goldfinch found a very colorful area in which to be photographed!
A female Red Winged Blackbird. She found a very unfortunate position to sit on this board.
A Great Blue Heron sat atop this pole surveying and preening. It never moved the entire time it was within sight. I made a black and white silhouette out of it because it seemed right.
I call this image "Blue." Love how the sky, the reflectors, and the feathers of the Tree Swallow all show varying shades of blue.
Yes, more Bullfrog action. For no other reason than these guys make me giggle.
Not sure of the variety of butterfly, but I desperately wanted to capture a good photo of it. Perhaps next time...
Man, I've felt like this after a few meals in my day...
This is what a Bullfrog looks like while making that "interesting" call.
Moved over and closer a bit to capture a little more detail of this Bullfrog.
An Osprey upon it's nest. I was told there was a chick in there, but it never poked it's head up high enough for me to see it. Planning on going back to check it's progress and would love to be there when it fledged!
A Red Tailed Hawk soared over the Osprey nest. Unbelievable how vocal the Ospreys were! Was hoping for a fight, but the Hawk continued on over the water. Where it circled around checking out and harassing the ducks.
A Mallard hen swimming along after leaving the area where the Hawk was circling.
I was told once that these weren't Lady Bugs. Well, whatever they are, this one looked pretty cute sitting on the Thistle.
A Honeybee worked this Morning Glory blossom over pretty good. Made me smile knowing that there are still bees around that are working hard for their hive.
Fern Hill Wetlands
Even though I was aware of the closure of most of the area at Fern Hill, I wanted to check out the progress of the construction and take a look at the areas that are open. The ponds were drained and most of the water had evaporated. It was interesting to see how many Great Blue Herons were hanging around in the tiny little puddles of water looking for something to eat. And then it hit... the stench! The wind would occasionally bring the smell of the rotting carp across my path. Egads! But I'm hoping for some major progress over the summer when it's fairly quiet there anyway. The construction is scheduled to last into 2017. Can't wait to see it finalized. It should be a lovely place for everyone to enjoy. Kudos to the Friends of Fern Hill Wetlands and the City of Forest Grove for taking such proactive measures to provide for humans and animals alike!
A Brewer's Blackbird female greeted us to the trail and sat nice and pretty for a portrait.
The source of the stench. Tons of carp rotting under the hot sun. Too bad Great Blue Herons don't like hot fish dishes.
This sight cracked me up. In an effort to find live food, the Great Blue Heron on the left found one of the last, deep puddles to hunt. There were about a half dozen Herons standing around staring at the little puddles and trickles of remaining water.
It was getting pretty hot out there when this Great Blue Heron flew up into this tree. You can see it's mouth slightly agape as a method of cooling itself. The water below was absolutely choked with plants. Not an easy place to hunt for food.
It always cracks me up to watch and listen to the Tree Swallows as they sit atop their nest boxes defending their territory. This one was giving a very stern warning to another that flew just a little too close.
Sometimes the best way to beat the heat is to find a shady spot and hang out.
A juvenile Scrub Jay sitting in the top of this mostly dead tree had it's beak open as a cooling method.
Hanging on. And displaying it's beautiful colors. A male Tree Swallow.
BUSTED!!! Yep, this little Goldfinch spotted me below the bush it was hanging out in. I'm not too sure, but that doesn't look like a very appreciative expression...
I enjoy watching the little bugs as they explore the flowers. Not sure of the bug, but this Dandelion was quite a wonderful place to explore, apparently.
An American Robin allowed me to get pretty close to makes it's portrait. They really are a pretty bird, even if they are so common that I seldom notice.
A perfect model this little Tree Swallow. It even opened it's beak as I told it to "smile!" Unfortunately, I didn't get a good capture of that.
Was a wonderful outing and a first with my nephew and fellow photographer David Lynch. I was thinking my pace might be a bit boring for him, but he seemed to enjoy the exploration. Will be looking forward to more outings with David and finding more sights to share with you all!
