The Dollar Lake Complex Fire - Time-lapse

Forest fires are frightening things. But this experiment in time-lapse and fire turned out to be mesmerising. This fire, unlike other fires around the country, has not threatened homes or lives. It is burning primarily in wilderness, but many beetle killed trees are fueling a hot fire that moves quickly.



Dollar Lake complex fire in the Mount Hood National Forest.

Jungle Aethsetic

One of my favorite old movies is the 1933 version of King Kong. It has all the ingredients of a great adventure film, and audiences were stunned at the visual effects. They might look dated to the modern eye, but in the context of its time it remains quite an accomplishment.



Why am I writing about this? Even as a child, I was fascinated with the depiction of the jungle in this movie. Created on studios, back lots, or in miniatures - the forest is depicted as a etherial, mysterious and dangerous place.

When I was in Ecuador recently I was struggling to come up with a new or interesting perspective on the rain forest. The locations were interesting and gorgeous but had been photographed hundreds of times before. What could I do the was new?

I opted for something old. With a few simple filters applied in Photoshop, I took the original photos and added grain and optical imperfections. It is debatable if doing this has any merit, and it might have been more "honest" to have taken the photos with a Holga camera on black white film. But in truth, I like the results. And these images remind me a great deal of the fanciful locations found in the 1933 version of King Kong.

Bat Size Comparison

Watching bats flit about the night sky, it can be very hard to get a good impression about their color, shape and size. From the last few posts I posted images of three species separately, but here they are in comparison to one another. I think this illustrates well the remarkable variation among bats.


A male hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus) (top) is considerably larger than a female eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis) (middle) and a tricolored bat (Perimyotis subflavus). Photographed near the Conasauga River in the Chattahoochee National Forest, Georgia.

Hoary Bat (Lasiurus cinereus)

Photographed while I was in the Chattahoochee National Forest near the Conasauga River, Georgia. I have photographed hoary bats before on the West coast where they are much more common. This male was particularly beautiful however. 


hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus)

a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oregonwild/4892788840/" title="hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus) by Michael Durham, on Flickr">
hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus)


hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus)

Tricolored Bat (Perimyotis subflavus)

Taxonomy with any species can get confusing, but it can be really challenging when one species is reclassified into another. There are usually excellent reasons for doing so which typically involve a close genetic study of the animal that reveals new information about its lineage and interrelatedness to other species.


Case in point: Tricolored bat (Perimyotis subflavus) formerly the eastern pipistrelle (Pipistrellus subflavus). Most everyone I know still calls these little bats "the Eastern pip".

To quote wikipedia: Although traditionally considered a member of the genus Pipistrellus, a growing body of evidence suggests that the Eastern Pipistrelle is only distantly related to the pipistrelles proper. Hoofer and Van Den Bussche (2003) found the Pipistrellini (containing Pipistrellus s.s., Nyctalus, and Scotoecus) sister to the Vespertillionini. Both the Eastern and Western Pipistrelle were outside of this clade. They suggest that the Eastern Pipistrelle be removed from the genus Pipistrellus and placed in its own genus, Perimyotis.


And thus it was



Tricolored Bat (Perimyotis subflavus)



Tricolored Bat (Perimyotis subflavus)



Tricolored Bat (Perimyotis subflavus)


Jerry Coyne writes about the species classification debate with a post about elephants here: http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2011/01/02/how-many-species-of-elephant/

Bat Dimorphism

Male and female bats often have the same physical appearance (to human eyes at least). However the eastern red bat mentioned in the previous post is noted for having an easy clue for gender - the males tend to be more red than the females. 


This can be a subtle difference, or a dramatic difference. One biologist I spoke to felt that the male bats probably develop a deeper red as they mature and get older. 



male (top) and female eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis)

The Beautiful Eastern Red Bat (Lasiurus borealis)

This particular bat is not really uncommon, but I have been looking to photograph one for years and years. Lovely, graceful, and not terribly friendly! Like all bats they prefer to be left to themselves when it comes to human interaction. 


The image of the red bat roosting on a tree limb was especially hard to obtain. This little male would land for about three seconds (just enough time to barely get into focus) and then take of before I could press the shutter!



eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis) roosting on a tree limb



portrait of an eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis)



eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis) in flight

Stepping Back...

And taking a deep breath. 


As I get older it seems I have less time to accomplish anything, or perhaps my perception of time is shifting. This might also be because video is becoming a more prominent part of my work.


I might not have much time, but at least my time lapse work is showing some promise...

Georgia Forest Sounds

Coming from the west, where our forests are filled with bird song and the rhythmic chirping of crickets - I had forgotten how loud the forests in the south can be in Summer. At night, the cicada where especially loud - and I shot a few video scenes to capture the ambient audio...


forest sounds, fort mountain state park georgia

Fort Mountain State Park - Georgia

I have been in George to participate in the Bat Blitz, sponsored by the Southern Bat Diversity Network (SBDN). We headquartered at Fort Mountain State Park in the Chattahoochee National Forest. It had been many years since I had been to Georgia, and I took the time to hike around parts of the park to see the landscape during daylight.



Trees and granite stones in Fort Mountain State Park in the Chattahoochee National Forest, Georgia.


a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oregonwild/4892790212/" title="Chattahoochee National Forest by Michael Durham, on Flickr">
Trees and granite stones in Fort Mountain State Park in the Chattahoochee National Forest, Georgia.



The view near the top of Fort Mountain State Park, part of the Chattahoochee National Forest, Georgia.

Trail Of Tears - Georgia

Not long before my grandfather died, he made a point of telling me about some of our Cherokee bloodlines. His father was full blooded Cherokee, and his mother was white, which of course, makes him half Cherokee.


He told me about the Trail Of Tears - the forced removal of the Cherokee from their homelands in parts of the south in 1836 - 1839. Thousands of Cherokee died along the trail, as they were moved to the Indian Nations. Their properties were stolen by decree, and those who refused to cooperate were placed in jail or beaten into submission.


I found myself on the way to Chatsworth Georgia recently, and noted with some surprise that I was on highway marked in memory of the Trail Of Tears. It was along one of the routes used. It seemed so long ago, and so far away when my grandfather spoke of it. But here was a reminder, and it made me think of that long ago conversation with my grandfather.



trail of tears highway marker


Below is a clip from the Clint Eastwood movie "The Outlaw Josie Wales" where Chief Dan George portrays Lone Wadie, a Cherokee who was forced to move to the Indian Nations. Half way in he speaks of the Trail Of Tears.

Time Lapse 2

More time lapse footage from the trusty Canon rebel. It was quite windy, which is why the camera is jostled around a bit. 



high definition time lapse video in the desert of central washington

Sunrise Time Lapse

I have been working in high-definition video for the past four years, but the remarkable Canon 5d Mk II and 7D have allowed me to shoot much more while in the field. Shoots that were strictly still photo, can now also be HD video without much additional equipment. 


Of course, it has been possible to shoot video with a regular old still camera if one chooses to hook up an intervalometer and leave a camera in place for many hours if not days. The video below was shot with a standard issue Canon rebel purchased used off of Craigslist. I stuck it out in the middle of the high-desert in Washington and left it unattended for nearly two days while I was photographing bats. 


Sometimes you get lucky with weather and atmosphere. Sometimes you don't.


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Bat Chase - Hot Pursuit

The high-speed camera is cool because it can record things beyond what the human eye can perceive. I remain convinced that there are some wonderful and amazing things that happen at every moment, but proceed unnoticed because of perception, or lack there of.


Behold two long-legged bats in hot pursuit of one another. This is not the best image, but it records something remarkable. Note how they are contorting their bodies as they proceed at full speed with what appears to be chase and evasion.


Two long-legged bats (Myotis volans) exit Pond Cave, one in hot pursuit of the other

Townsend's big-eared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii)

One of the most beautiful and sensitive species of bats using this cave is the townsend's big-eared bat. I got this shot just moments before I shut the system down. In fact, I was dissapointed that I had not photographed any of the Townsend's that I knew were using the cave. Like magic, this was the final frame.


A townsend's big-eared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii) exiting pond cave

Western Small-footed Myotis (Myotis ciliolabrum)

This is bat is small, and in certain habitats, quite common. Lovely nonetheless.



western small-footed myotis (myotis ciliolabrum) flying out of pond cave

Long-Legged Bat (Myotis volans)

Long-legged myotis, another bat recorded at Craters of the Moon National Monument.


long-legged bat (myotis volans)



long-legged bat (myotis volans)


In the photo below, and long legged bat follows a western long-eared bat. 



 a western long-eared bat (myotis evotis) followed by a long-legged bat (myotis volans)

Western Long-eared Myotis (Myotis evotis)

One of the species recorded from the cave in Craters of the Moon National Monument - western long-eared myotis (Myotis evotis)


western long-eared myotis (Myotis evotis) flying out of cave



western long-eared myotis (Myotis evotis)



western long-eared myotis (Myotis evotis)

A New Discovery - Craters Of The Moon National Monument

I was recently working with the National Park Service to photograph and film a recently discovered cave in Craters of the Moon National Monument. This volcanic landscape is littered with caves and lava tubes. Most of these have been known about for decades, and most had been mapped in the 1950's.


When a new cave was recently found by a researcher tracking rattle snakes, it was a little bit of a surprise.


The cave is too cold for bats to live in, but they love to visit it just after night fall. I set up the high-speed camera to record what species were actively using the cave...



high-speed camera set-up ready for action



bats flying out of cave

Cinder Garden

In the heat of the day, the surface temperature at Craters of the Moon National Monument can reach 140 degrees fahrenheit, especially in areas with dark volcanic rocks. During my recent visit, the early summer wildflowers were putting on quite a show. It takes an especially hardy plant to survive the drying winds, extreme heat, and barren soil. Not how the plants evenly space themselves throughout the cinder.


cinder garden in craters of the moon national monument


cinder garden in craters of the moon national monument



big southern butte, a volcanic cone, with cinder garden in foreground