From this Spring: I found myself in the interesting position of traveling, in a matter of a couple of days, from the wet coastal forest in Oregon to the hot desert of Central Washington.
Red-legged frogs are slowly disappearing, thanks to the introduced mississippi bullfrog, so it was a pleasure to come across two of them on property managed by The North Coast Land Conservancy along Circle Creek.
(Red-legged frog / Rana aurora)
A remote camera also had an unexpected visit from a black bear during a rain storm. This camera was set-up to photograph skunks, but this american black bear seemed curious about the set-up. I was absolutely surprised that the camera was untouched by this visitor considering how close she came to the wide angle lens.
(American black bear / Ursus americanus)
Two days later I was in the hot, dry desert of Central Washington working along the basalt cliffs. As the sun sets, life begins to stir among the crags and cracks of the cliffs.
(Pallid bat / Antrozous pallidus)
Bats love the extreme heat that builds up along these southern facing cliffs, and as the evening cools they emerge to begin hunting insects.
(Western small-footed bat / Myotis ciliolabrum)
(Pallid Bat / Antrozous pallidus)
