Backyard Wildlife

[Cabezon]

There is a red fox that uses a deer trail through my yard (and by my home office window) to travel between a creek below my property and open fields above it. But it typically is really moving as it pops into view. Even with my camera + telephoto at my elbow, it is out of view before I can grab the camera and dream of focusing. I have been trying to take a picture of it for two years.
But on this morning, it actually stopped, scratched an itch,

stood up,

and then settled down to scratch another itch.

Success!
Steve

 

[Jim F.]

Congrats! Once in a great while I will see one around here. I suspect that the overabundance of Coyotes keeps the Fox numbers down.

 

[Cabezon]

I was in my office trying to catch up on some photographs in my collection when I caught a flash of gray out of the corner of my eye that popped just out of view. But when I stood up and moved to my right, I could see a barred owl sitting on a piled-up tarp that sits by the edge of my hot-tub. I'm not sure what the owl was after, perhaps a Douglas' squirrel that I have seen in that area. I quickly grabbed my camera and managed a dozen shots before it flew onto a low limb of a nearby Douglas fir.



Camera in hand, I rushed out in my slippers to try to take a few more. But just as I was just about to take its picture, it flew off into my neighbor's yard and out of sight. Still, I had a brief, but quality view of this owl. I will hear them calling at night, but it is rare to see them active during the day.
Steve

 

[Canuck from Kansas]

I was in my office trying to catch up on some photographs in my collection when I caught a flash of gray out of the corner of my eye that popped just out of view. But when I stood up and moved to my right, I could see a barred owl sitting on a piled-up tarp that sits by the edge of my hot-tub. I'm not sure what the owl was was after, perhaps a Douglas' squirrel that I have seen in that area. I quickly grabbed my camera and managed a dozen shots before it flew onto a low limb of a nearby Douglas fir.
View attachment 33835
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Camera in hand, I rushed out in my slippers to try to take a few more. But just as I was just about to take its picture, it flew off into my neighbor's yard and out of sight. Still, I had a brief, but quality view of this owl. I will hear them calling at night, but it is rare to see them active during the day.
Steve

Just wonderful. When I awake and let the pups out for breakfast at about 4:30 AM, I can hear a couple of owls hooting. Not sure what kind and have never seen them, only heard. Maybe one morning ...

cheers

 

[wetline dave]

Gee whiz maybe 2 out or three mornings when I get up to leave and head out a skunk has passed through and alas I haven't seen him!

Maybe I need to venture out at 4:30 rather than 5am.

Dave

 

[Jim F.]

I will hear them calling at night, but it is rare to see them active during the day.

I can hear a couple of owls hooting. Not sure what kind and have never seen them, only heard. Maybe one morning ...

Birds around here are still scarce-to-nonexistent, but there is no shortage of outdoor cats however . The other morning I could hear a Great Horned Owl calling. I slipped outside and could see his silhouette against the dawning eastern sky. I had mounted my fastest telephoto lens on the Sony, but the owl departed before there was any kind of even marginal shooting light. At least we got to call back & forth for a while . . .

 

[M_D]

Speaking of out door cats….while driving through the neighborhood the other day my wife gets all excited and tells me to quickly turn the truck around cuz she saw something in a yard.

She can hardly wait to get back and said stuff like she couldn’t believe it, etc…

So I pass the yard and she’s nearly yelling saying it’s still there, it’s still there and to quickly do a U turn.

I make the turn and see this in the tree



I’m thinking ‘Holy Crap’ there have been mountain lion sightings in the area over the years and here’s one resting in a tree in broad daylight!

Then we look a little closer and realize it’s a stuffed animal



I wonder how many people the home owners have ‘gotten’. It makes me smile now whenever I drive past

 

[tkww]

Pretty happy to see this one yesterday afternoon. Looks newly hatched.

 

[Gyrfalcon22]

I was in my office trying to catch up on some photographs in my collection when I caught a flash of gray out of the corner of my eye that popped just out of view. But when I stood up and moved to my right, I could see a barred owl sitting on a piled-up tarp that sits by the edge of my hot-tub. I'm not sure what the owl was after, perhaps a Douglas' squirrel that I have seen in that area. I quickly grabbed my camera and managed a dozen shots before it flew onto a low limb of a nearby Douglas fir.
View attachment 33835
View attachment 33834
View attachment 33833
Camera in hand, I rushed out in my slippers to try to take a few more. But just as I was just about to take its picture, it flew off into my neighbor's yard and out of sight. Still, I had a brief, but quality view of this owl. I will hear them calling at night, but it is rare to see them active during the day.
Steve

Great shots, Steve! It is odd to see typical larger night owls during the day. Barred are definitely the most day-ish owl here I come across (well, there is a Short-eared owl locally I saw for just a few seconds).. Have spooked a Barn owl accidently and had it fly out in the daylight and they are stunningly different looking. They sort of glow orange and white.
Back to your owl. I see them light like that seldom. I know you have great lighting there on that bird, but I do think we have the "rainforest effect" on the owls here. I have seen Great-horned here in decent lighting before dark and they can really be quite dark colored. Adding a photo below of a Barred owl I spooked when I was checking our pumphouse. I might have almost walked into him with my head. It flew across the road and perched full daylight.
Just a weird looking bird? Young of the year as this was Winter? He is wet some, but have seen quite a few Barred (and one Spotted in same spot in 1983). Makes me wonder.

I am always hoping to see a Spotted/Barred hybrid-Sparred owl- not for the good of nature, but for selfish observation. I like oddities!


To add. It was a smallish Barred owl for sure. Spotted are smaller than barred but this one does not give any indication it has the chest markings of a spotted.

 

[Cabezon]

The bird in my images is similar to a bird that I photographed twice last summer on my property. I have also seen diurnal barred owls in NC and the birds were that light gray too. The bird in your picture is far more tan in hue.
Of course, burrowing owls are supposed to be quite diurnal too. I used to see those when I lived in Santa Barbara and along the Salton Sea.
Many years ago, my wife and I were camping at the Hoh Rain Forest camping area, by the river. In the evening, a northern pygmy owl swooped into the short riparian trees by our campsite just after a flock of chickadees had swept through. A very cool but brief sighting.
Steve

 

[RCF]

Pretty happy to see this one yesterday afternoon. Looks newly hatched.
View attachment 33978

Definitely looks like a monarch and not a viceroy. Missing black stripe/line on lower wing... Great to see...

 

[Gyrfalcon22]

The bird in my images is similar to a bird that I photographed twice last summer on my property. I have also seen diurnal barred owls in NC and the birds were that light gray too. The bird in your picture is far more tan in hue.
Of course, burrowing owls are supposed to be quite diurnal too. I used to see those when I lived in Santa Barbara and along the Salton Sea.
Many years ago, my wife and I were camping at the Hoh Rain Forest camping area, by the river. In the evening, a northern pygmy owl swooped into the short riparian trees by our campsite just after a flock of chickadees had swept through. A very cool but brief sighting.
Steve

I did see a lighter barred last year at a park and it was strikingly different than what I am used to
locally.
I'll try and not get too owl crazy.. yes, the pygmy owls are incredible ! usually just a quick flutter view

 

[headduck]

What's this guy?

 

[Cabezon]

What's this guy?View attachment 34057

That is a garter snake. There are three species (and several subspecies) in Washington. All are variable in coloration. It might be a Western terrestrial garter snake (Thamnophis elegant). My id is based on the light cream stripe. If you have a head shot. this species has 8 upper labial (lip) scales while the other two species have 7 upper labial scales.
Steve

 

[headduck]

That is a garter snake. There are three species (and several subspecies) in Washington. All are variable in coloration. It might be a Western terrestrial garter snake (Thamnophis elegant). My id is based on the light cream stripe. If you have a head shot. this species has 8 upper labial (lip) scales while the other two species have 7 upper labial scales.
Steve

Thanks man. I'll google him... and learn more.

 

[Cabezon]

Nature red in tooth and claw. This happened this morning. I was at my computer when I saw our local red fox streak across the yard and pounce on something in the tall grass. Fortunately, I had my camera on a side table and whipped off the lens cover and started shooting. When the fox stood up, I could see a dark tail sticking out of its mouth, one of the Douglas squirrels that use that part of the yard. The fox seemed at one point to drop the body and then pick it up again. The fox chewed on it a bit, and then it no longer had anything in its mouth. Done with its meal, the fox trotted off. [Its hind quarters might be molting into a thicker winter coat.


Steve

 

[Gyrfalcon22]

Great action shots, Steve ! Always wonder why the fox population is not bigger? I know they can lean towards evening/nocturnal in my encounters. Maybe if they howled like Coyotes we'd know more are around?

 

[Stonedfish]

Saw this small lizard at the local beach this morning. Sorry for the less then stellar pics.
Little guy was moving fast. Anyone know what type it is?
SF

 

[Cabezon]

Saw this small lizard at the local beach this morning. Sorry for the less then stellar pics.
Little guy was moving fast. Anyone know what type it is?
SF

View attachment 34985View attachment 34987View attachment 34992

That appears to be a Western fence lizard, Sceloporus occidentalis (see here) It has a blocky head. They are found around the edge of Puget Sound and along eastern foothills of the Cascades (primarily). The other lizard found in Western Washington, the Northern alligator lizard, has a much smoother head.
Steve

 

[Stonedfish]

That appears to be a Western fence lizard, Sceloporus occidentalis (see here) It has a blocky head. They are found around the edge of Puget Sound and along eastern foothills of the Cascades (primarily). The other lizard found in Western Washington, the Northern alligator lizard, has a much smoother head.
Steve

Steve,
Thank you.
As always, I appreciate your knowledge.
SF