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Continue reading →: Glimpses of American MinkTiny and quick, when an American Mink makes an appearance it is always a thrill, and then a challenge, to follow the activity of this fierce member of the weasel family as it goes about its business along the river. A couple months ago I was lucky enough to see…
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Continue reading →: Diving for TreasureThis otter spent quite a while diving for small treasures in a fairly stagnant part of the river the other morning and gave me a chance to watch her efforts pretty close up. An otter’s body takes on an almost liquid form as she sleekly enters the water, causing very…
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Continue reading →: September ShenanigansYoung Sharp-shinned Hawks might be accused of having delusions of grandeur as they figure out what kind of prey they can be successful at catching in their first year of life. I have seen them go after Kingfishers, who seem to find them a bother more than a threat. I…
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Continue reading →: Gray Fox Wake-up CallFor the third time I have seen Gray Foxes at this spot, a ledge carved by high water last year over the river with a stand of willows providing some cover, but allowing morning sun to come through. This time there was just one, sound asleep. She didn’t notice me…
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Continue reading →: The Spider and the FlyOver the course of a week I watched the world of this little branch overhanging the river transform from the realm of a spider with a beautiful web and dozens of captured gnats into a web in ruins, no sign of the spider, and some kind of fly patrolling the…
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Continue reading →: My Big BackyardA lot of people who love birds also love keeping lists of the birds they’ve seen. The really serious ones know which birds they’ve seen in which county and consequently which ones they need to make their county lists more complete. I am far too lazy for that, but I…
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Continue reading →: Tiny HouseWestern Pond Turtles are always a treat to see. They are a sign of spring when they first appear in and along the river, hauling out onto rocks or fallen trees to bask in the sun, motionless until something startles them and they abruptly plop into the water for cover.…
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Continue reading →: Pileated Woodpeckers Are Back!Pileated Woodpeckers are North America’s largest member of the Woodpecker clan and their range covers most of the eastern US with a lucky-for-us distribution down the Pacific edge of the US through western Washington and Oregon and then down through coastal northern California and the Sierras. Their bright red crest,…
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Continue reading →: Shorter Days PotpourriSomewhere around mid-July, the air starts filling with clouds of tiny insect life-forms illuminated by a sun you’re a bit sick of. The underfoot grasses, soft and moist just a few weeks ago now crackle with each footstep, and mats of green algae form on the surface of the ever-stagnating…
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Continue reading →: Mantis for Breakfast, Hold the WingsA young or perhaps molting Steller’s Jay caught a large insect not long after dawn this morning. Maybe a Mantis of some kind? ID help welcome. The bird tore off and discarded the wings and then gobbled the good parts down pretty quick. See the video for the whole event.
Welcome to Free Range Photography, a photo-journal of encounters with birds and wildlife, mostly in Humboldt County, California.
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