I was photographing some ducks in this small wooded area of the Ridgefield NWR, Jan. 11, 2013, when this immature Bald Eagle brought its fresh kill (an American Coot) to a branch almost directly overhead where I was parked in my truck. The sky behind the bird was bright and the ... Continue Reading
This is my first spotting and photograph of a Barn Owl in the wild. Spotted in the Ash Tree forest at the Ridgefield NWR on Dec. 27, 2012. Canon 5D Mark III, 1/1000, f5.6, ISO 1600, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens. Continue Reading
I was shooting at the refuge on Jan. 4, 2013, waiting for a Red-tailed Hawk to fly from its perch when this Short-eared Owl landed on a speed limit sign about 200 feet in front of me. Another car drove by the owl and caused it to fly to this marker which was about a hundred fee ... Continue Reading
The instant before touchdown is captured here with a Canon 5D Mark III, 1/1250, f5.6, ISO 1600, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens. Ridgefield NWR, Dec. 10, 2012. Continue Reading
A Northern Harrier’s first wing action as it decides to lift off from a post at the Ridgefield NWR, Dec. 10, 2012. Captured with a Canon 5D Mark III, 1/1250, f5.6, ISO 2500, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens. Continue Reading
It’s been a while since I’ve had a decent look at a Red-shouldered Hawk so I was pleased to see this one Sep. 28, 2012, at Ridgefield NWR. I estimate the bird was about 70 feet away and it was quite early with some cloud cover, making light scarce. I used some fil ... Continue Reading
The winter of 2007 – 2008 was RLH-lovers heaven at the Ridgefield NWR. It was a common occurrence to drive up to a refuge sign with a Rough-legged Hawk perched on it — and the hawk would not fly. This happened several times for me during this time period–but nev ... Continue Reading
I have some sad wildlife news to report today. Regular followers of my blog will probably recall that the Ridgefield NWR is home to at least one family of Great Horned Owls (GHO) this year and has been for several previous years. This year, the GHO parents had two offspring w ... Continue Reading
This is likely the male eagle I captured bringing nesting material back to the nest at the Ridgefield NWR, in southwest Washington state. Taken on May 2, 2012, with a Canon 7D, 1/640, f5.6, ISO800, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens. Nik Color EFEX Pro 4 was used to give some warmth to t ... Continue Reading
This Great Horned Owlet has been out of the nest about a week. He perched on a skinny branch and somehow lost his balance. Taken at Ridgefield NWR May 2, 2012. Needless to say, he was a little embarrassed but he recovered by letting go of the branch and landing properly on ... Continue Reading
