Listening for Grey Jays

On September 30, 2019September 30, 2019 By Mike and Christy11 Comments

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With the silence only punctuated by a infrequent call of a pair of Grey Jays we walked through the grasses and lodgepole pines on a fall day with the sun veiled by cloud yet still somewhat present.

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Listening for a deer or perhaps a bear the forest remained silent. Even the tall dry grasses stood still as statues.

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Just when you thought it could not get any quieter a Grey Jay would call one of their various calls but were never seen, only heard. as we walk through the forest and meadows that day.

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Footnote: The Grey Jays is now Officially called the Canada Jay but Grey Jay just felt appropriate on this slightly grey and very quiet fall afternoon.

River Crossing

On September 29, 2019 By Mike and Christy6 Comments

Photographing wildlife from a moving kayak is fun but the results are always uncertain due to the movement of the river and the subject. Luck happened to be on our side as we watched this elk in Grand Teton National Park.

Just Rosy

On September 28, 2019September 21, 2019 By Mike and Christy8 Comments

After 4 days of drizzle, rain, drizzle, rain..a rosy sunset was well…just rosy. Photographed in the Bunsby Islands off the west coast of Vancouver Island, Canada.

Three bee salad

On September 27, 2019September 20, 2019 By Mike and Christy8 Comments

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A favorite at picnics near and far.

Take three bees, an assortment of flowers, dash of pollen and splash of nectar, blend together and voila, a fine little dish recreating the bounty of summer.

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Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend.

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The fruits of their labor

On September 26, 2019September 17, 2019 By Mike and Christy10 Comments

Working hard from spring through summer the plants have done their thing. Now all that hard work is proudly on display.

The Choke Cherries have ripened and will provide food for bears and birds and even a human or two.

The Oregon Grape has produced berries of purple-blue that will help feed the grouse and pheasants as well as waxwings.

The wild rose has a a tough go of it as these bushes are a favorite food of deer. These Rose Hips were hanging high on the only branch not trimmed low to the ground by a local family of deer. A mother Mule Deer and her two fawns can really make quick work of a rose bush.

The snowberry bushes are numerous and cover the forest understory. This year they have done well and the berries will provide food for songbirds, game birds and many small mammals as winter rolls into town.

The plants have been busy and the fruits of their labor show.

Whispering

On September 25, 2019September 13, 2019 By Mike and Christy23 Comments

Dramatic skies contrast with gentle golden grasses whispering change is on the way.

Rocky Mountain Bee Plant: Cleome serrulata

On September 24, 2019September 15, 2019 By Mike and Christy5 Comments

Rocky Mountain Bee Plant: Cleome serrulata was a wonderful late blooming wildflower near us this year. It drew numerous species of bees, and butterflies, from near and far and always had visitors when in bloom providing pollinators with a generous sip of nectar.

Growing up to 4 ft tall Bee Plant stands out in the fields of tall fall grasses.A beautiful and very sculptural wildflower Bee Plant is fun to photograph as well.

According to the USDA “Cleome serrulata is an important cultural plant for many Southwestern Indian tribes. The young, tender shoots and leaves are good sources of vitamin A and calcium. In the past they were used as potherbs or medicinally as teas for fevers and other ailments. The seeds were ground and used to make gruel or bread. The Navajo still use the plant as a source of yellow-green dye for their beautiful wool rugs and blankets. Many pueblo tribes use a concentrated form of dye, made from boiling the plant into a thick black resin, to paint designs on pottery or for decorating their baskets.”