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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.
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Continue reading →: Gray Foxes ReturnThere’s no way to know for sure if the two foxes who showed up in the exact same spot on a bank above the river are the same as the ones I saw a bit over a month ago, but it would be a pretty safe bet. This was a…
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Continue reading →: Duckling UpdateJust when I was doubting I’d see the duck families again this summer, two different families of Common Mergansers and one Wood Duck family came by in the last week, and it was impressive to observe their growth and development….and it was especially heartening to see that a majority of…
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Continue reading →: Baby’s Got Blue EyesJust a few years ago the only dragonfly I could identify was the locally ubiquitous and aptly named Flame Skimmer, the bright orange dragon seen buzzing over the river all summer, often tangling with others of its kind, and one of the few dragons that would reliably sit still for…
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Continue reading →: Wood Drake in Eclipse PlumageNot long after mating, the male Wood Duck loses his exquisitely beautiful feathers and goes into “eclipse” plumage. Seen from a distance it might not be easy to distinguish the drake from the hen, but if you can get a good look you will see a faded version of the…
Welcome to Free Range Photography, a photo-journal of encounters with birds and wildlife, mostly in Humboldt County, California.
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