Barn Swallow Flying

Unlike yesterday's post, this did not rely on "blind luck", however I would be a fool not to acknowledge that luck does play a role. In fact, the failures and bad photos I have made far out number the good. Sometimes fate works in my favor.



a barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) flies out of a compressor shed where it has a nest

Bat At Dusk

An old image from the film files. One of the first images I ever made of a bat using a technique called "blind luck".



bat at dusk

The Pack Rat And The Pringles Can

I wish I had a photo of this episode, but I was too out of it. I have been in the backcountry in Idaho, camping in the desert. I am still recovering from being ill, and operating at about 50% - 60% normal capacity. I was staying up late to photograph bats, and getting up early to photograph pika. It was impossible to sleep in the afternoon because of the heat.


So the few hours of sleep I was getting were precious. 


I was awoken one night with an odd clunk clunk sound that seemed to be moving all around my tent. Did I leave a metal mug out? Is some animal playing with it?


With flashlight in hand, I groggily emerge from my tent and start looking for the source of the odd sound. The light beam quickly found a pack rat (a bushy tailed woodrat) dragging a pringles can through my camp. It was a short "snack version" of the can. That rat looked as if he has the prize to beat all prizes. I was camping in the middle of a lava bed, and the rat was jumping from rock to rock - banging the can with each jump. 


I think it roused me to just show off the prize because the rat's path seemed erratically circular around my tent. 



A pair of young bushy-tailed woodrats (Neotoma cinera) 




The next day in town seeking provisions, I purchased a can of pringles. 

Brief Break

I will be out of reach of the interwebs for the next week or so as I head out to the wilds of Idaho. I am still recovering from my recent health setback, but I feel fit enough to travel.


I should be back in action around the 4th.

Jumping Grasshopper

The timing on this was tough, and I spent two afternoons trying to get it right. Also - have you ever tried to get a grasshopper to jump on cue?



grasshopper jumping

Bat With Injured Wing

Working with wild bats it is not unusual to find bats that are recovering from injuries. After all, they live a hard knock life that is full of peril.


This big brown bat has a hole in its wing that has not diminished its ability to fly or hunt. It's hard to say how it might have been injured. It might have escaped from the claws of a predator, or snagged a cactus or barbed wire fence. Over time, the hole will heal over leaving an obvious scar.



bat with inured wing

Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus)

Big brown bats are one of the more common bats of North America. If I were to describe their personality it might typically be along the lines of "angry pitbull". This is understandable since I often encounter them after they have been caught in a researcher's net. I'd be angry too. The occasional meal worm offering does not usually assuage their attitude.


But every once and a while you into a big brown bat that is actually kind of sweet. This is not uncommon in a lot of species of bats. Some personalities are just calm as cucumber, but not usually big brown bats.


This one was sweet, and a great flier.



big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus)



big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus)



big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus)



big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus) flying at night

Knocked Down

I made a silent pledge to myself that this section of my website would be updated everyday for at least a year. It is an exercise in discipline as well as an excuse to show some of my latest images.

The last few days have really knocked me off my feet, as I have been forced to deal with an unexpected medical problem. I am okay, but feeling a lot of pain. The details are beyond boring, but I should be back in action in a week or less. Full recovery is expected.

It does offer a moment to appreciate my (usually) good health - something I try not to take for granted.

Tricolored Bumble Bee (Bombus Ternarius)

This species is fairly common, but I have not had much opportunity to photograph it until a recent journey into the deserts of Central Washington. They made a characteristic rhythmic buzzing sound as they moved from one lupine bloom to the next. They have a noisy, buzzy flight that I really enjoyed observing.



Tricolored bumble bee (Bombus Ternarius) flying among silky lupine (Lupinus sericeus) flowers





Tricolored bumble bee (Bombus Ternarius) flying among silky lupine (Lupinus sericeus) flowers