Paul Cory

You know, absolutely could be a Bewick's Wren. The curved beak had me thinking Creeper, but perhaps this beak isn't curved enough.

A small bird - a Brown Creeper, I believe, singing at the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge just outside Portland, Oregon. The bird is perched on a vertical branch, facing left-to-right, and has its beak wide open and head back as it sings. Another vertical branch in is the background to the viewer's right of the bird

Song of Spring

A Brown Creeper (I think) singing its little head off at the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge just outside Portland, Oregon.

#Oregon #Portland #TualatinRiverNWR #artPhotography #photography #fineArtPhotography #BrownCreeper #PNW #wildlifePhotography

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The setting sun causes Horsetail Falls in Yosemite National Park to glow orange. The craggy face of El Capitan is split by glowing, misty streak of orange that is Horsetail Falls. The wind has caught the water and tossed mist into the air, making the falls seem larger. Snow dots little ledges on the cliff face, and at the top of the image, the snow capped peak is crowned by trees silhouetted against the clouds racing overhead.

Before Firefall, Yosemite National Park

This is technically before full Firefall - the falls are not yet fire red. But with the wind kicking up the water, I think it makes a great shot.

#YosemiteNP #California #artPhotography #photography #YosemiteFirefall #WaterfallWednesday #HorsetailFalls

The setting sun sets the ephemeral Horsetail Falls on El Capitan ablaze. During a two week window at the end of February, the setting sun lines up perfectly with the snow melt fed Horsetail Falls in Yosemite National Park to create a blazing cascade. It doesn't happen every day during the window - in fact, it doesn't happen some years at all.

Firefall, Horsetail Falls, Yosemite National Park

Click through to see the whole image.

Saturday's Firefall was not one of the most spectacular ever. But against the odds, it happened, and I was there.

#YosemiteNP #California #artPhotography #photography #YosemiteFirefall

A Raven in Yosemite National Park poses for a photographer atop a soiled sign reading No Camping or Overnight Parking.The bird is black, with blue highlights in its feathers. It is looking back over its shoulder at the photographer. In the background is a snowy forest and creek.

Yosemite Ravens have zero fear or respect for humans, or their signs. Note: the, ah, stain, on the sign is not fresh, though that does not mean this particular raven is innocent.

#YosemiteNP #California #artPhotography #photography #Raven #wildlifePhotography #BirdPhotography #Birds

A Great Egret snags a tadpole or minnow from the seasonal wetlands in Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge in Portland, Oregon. Color photograph, Peering past the tree trunk at frame right, the egret is visible through stalks of tall grass. It has its small prey in its long beak, neck pulled back in an S-curve as it prepares to swallow its snack.

A Great Egret snags a tadpole or minnow from the seasonal wetlands in Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge in Portland, Oregon.

#Oregon #Portland #OaksBottomWildlifeRefuge #artPhotography #photography #fineArtPhotography #GreatEgret #PNW #wildlifePhotography #BirdoftheDay #CollectiingFood

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As the sun sets off Ruby Beach in the Olympic National Park, cormorants dry their wings after a day of fishing in the cold waters of the Pacific Ocean. Vertical Color Photo: The birds and the sea stack they are perched on, are silhouetted against a blazing orange sunset sky of textured high clouds.

Cormorants Welcoming Sunset

As the sun sets off Ruby Beach in the Olympic National Park, cormorants dry their wings after a day of fishing in the cold waters of the Pacific Ocean.

#Washington #OlympicNP #artPhotography #photography #fineArtPhotography #Sunset #PNW #Cormorants #USNationalPark

Thank you!

Thank you!

Horizontal color photograph: A hummingbird pulls a bit of moss off the bottom of a thick branch to use in nest building in the Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge in Portland, Oregon. The humming bird has iridescent green feathers. Its wings are fully outstretched, semi-translucent against the blue sky. Just above the bird, you can see the moss-covered bottom of the branch it has just pulled the moss from running almost the full length of the top of the image.

Tis the season for love - shot this hummingbird gathering nesting material 10 days ago in the Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge in Portland, Oregon .

#Oregon #Portland #OaksBottomWildlifeRefuge #artPhotography #photography #fineArtPhotography #Hummingbird #PNW #wildlifePhotography

Reminder that images show up first for my Patreon subscribers: www.patreon.com/cw/PaulCory/...

Horizontal color photo from the Portland Japanese Gardens: a stream flows in a small cascade over moss covered boulders into a still pond. The boulder, moss and fern lined edges of the pond come in from the lower corners of the image and converge at the point the stream drops into the pond, just to the viewer's right of the image center. Two gnarled trees, leaves stripped by the season, roughly bracket the stream. Fog fills the background, softening and partially obscure the tall evergreens that tower over the garden.

The Portland Japanese Gardens are steeped in the sounds, colors and textures of nature, sculpted and architected by man to create a harmonious blend of elements and shapes. Taken on a foggy winter morn.

#PortlandJapaneseGarden #Oregon #Portland #artPhotography #photography #fineArtPhotography #Fog

I found these mushrooms sprouting from one of the trunks in the Wisteria Arbor in the Portland Japanese Gardens on a foggy winter's morning. I was drawn to the contrast with the wood, and the curves of the forms. Vertical color photograph: tight shot of a wisteria vine trunk and a clump of mushrooms. A crack in the trunk comes in from the bottom of the image and describes a gentle S curve through the frame. It starts wide and slowly narrows as it rises. About the middle of the image, a clump of brown mushrooms, shiny with dew, erupt from crack. Around the crack, the trunk is mottled with green moss.

I found these mushrooms sprouting in the Wisteria Arbor in the Portland Japanese Gardens on a foggy winter's morning. I was drawn to the contrast with the wood, and the curves of the forms.

#PortlandJapaneseGarden #Oregon #Portland #artPhotography #photography #fineArtPhotography #fungi

The receding tide made intricate arrangements of sand and smooth stones on Ruby Beach in the Olympic National Park on a winter afternoon. Vertical color photograph: in the foreground, dark sand is cut and texture by the receding tide. A inverted V shape of dark stones smoothed by the waves and time point towards the horizon. Beyond, the beach is littered with more stones. Towards the top of the image the sunset sky is first reflected in the shallow water at the edge of the beach. There is a thin break in the colors caused by the surf, and then sea stacks are silhouetted against the blazing orange-yellow sky. A line of clouds stretches across the sky, running diagonally from the upper left of the image to just above the horizon line on the right.

The receding tide made intricate arrangements of sand and smooth stones on Ruby Beach in the Olympic National Park on a winter afternoon.

Camera on tripod for enough dynamic range.

#Washington #OlympicNP #artPhotography #photography #fineArtPhotography #Sunset #PNW #RockinTuesday #USNationalPark

Vertical color photograph: close up of a fir branch covered with jewel-like droplets riding the edge between ice and liquid.

Late January in the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park in Washington State. It was cold and frosty, and this fir branch was covered with jewel-like droplets riding the edge between ice and liquid.

#Washington #OlympicNP #artPhotography #photography #fineArtPhotography #Frozen #PNW

Paul Cory | Patreon Landscape, Nature and Wildlife Photography.

Just a note - my Patreon supporters see these images before anyone else. www.patreon.com/cw/PaulCory

The sun sets behind the famous Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon, and the people have come to be awed. Horizontal color photograph: Haystack Rock, and its reflection on shallow water on the beach, dominates the image. The Rock is just left of image center and is silhouetted agains the sun, which is setting the space between the great bulk of the main rock and a spur just to the right of image center. The sun is orange, and it's creating a band of orange along the horizon, which transitions slowly to aqua towards the top of the image. The sun rays shooting through the gap and the sea mist illuminate the silhouette of a woman in a coat with her phone raised to film the scene. A silhouetted man is walking in from the right side of the image, caught mid-stride. Deep in the shadows to the left of image center, the outline of another woman who has stopped to view nature's wonder is barely visible. The beach sand is rippled by efforts of the outgoing tide.

Haystack Rock Sunset, Winter

The sun sets behind the famous Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon, and the people have come to be awed.

#Oregon #CannonBeach #artPhotography #photography #fineArtPhotography #Sunset #PNW #HumansOfBlueSky #HaystackRock #Landscape

Merriman Falls, Olympic National Forest. Vertical B&W Photograph: The main falls plunge from the top of the photograph, just to right of center, amidst mist shrouded greenery. Just above the midpoint of the image, a huge fallen tree crosses the creek. The water flows under tree and between and over more moss-encrusted logs and boulders, and then down a maybe two foot drop, before making a hard left to exit out the left side of the frame under a massive, green-draped boulder. In the foreground is a set of smaller boulders, splattered with moss.

It also make for lovely B&W image:

Merriman Falls, Olympic National Forest. Vertical Color Photograph: The main falls plunge from the top of the photograph, just to right of center, amidst mist shrouded greenery. Just above the midpoint of the image, a huge fallen tree crosses the creek. The water flows under tree and between and over more moss-encrusted logs and boulders, and then down a maybe two foot drop, before making a hard left to exit out the left side of the frame under a massive, green-draped boulder. In the foreground is a set of smaller boulders, splattered with moss.

Merriman Falls, Olympic National Forest.

The falls photograph best in the winter, I think. It's easier to see the falls, but there is still abundant vibrant greenery.

#Washington #OlympicNF #artPhotography #photography #fineArtPhotography #Waterfall #WaterfallWednesday #PNW #USNationalForest

Horizontal color photograph: a colorful male northern shoveler and his reflection in the still waters of the marsh. The bird is facing right-to-left. He is trailing a small wake in the still waters behind him as he paddles about the marsh. The water is otherwise still and glassy, his reflection is sharp and detailed. He has an oversized flat, black, bill, an iridescent green and black tea, yellow eye, a white throat, brown wings, black top feathers and a bit of teal towards his rear. There's another white patch at his rump, under the the black and white tail feathers.

Me and My Reflection

Male Northern Shoveler, paddling around the marsh in the Ridgefield NWR in Washington State.

#BirdOfTheDay #Ducks #Washington #RidgefieldNWR #artPhotography #photography #NationalWildlifeRefuge #fineArtPhotography #NorthernShoveler #PNW #wildlifePhotography

As the sun sets off Ruby Beach in the Olympic National Park, a shorebird rests on a sea stack, somehow confident that the incoming waves won't drench it. Horizontal color photo: The setting sun - out of frame to camera left- has turned the sky orange and stained the dark waters of the Pacific a similar color. In the mid left of the frame, a sea stack is silhouetted agains the sky, and atop it, a shorebird stands, a sharp black shape against the sky. Moving across the frame, left-to-right, a wave shatters against the rock, water droplets frozen in mid-air by the high shutter speed.

Still Bird at Sundown, Ruby Beach

As the sun sets off Ruby Beach in the Olympic National Park, a shorebird rests on a sea stack, somehow confident that the incoming waves won't drench it.

#Washington #OlympicNP #artPhotography #photography #fineArtPhotography #Sunset #PNW #Scape #USNationalPark

Paul Cory | Patreon Landscape, Nature and Wildlife Photography.

I've created a Patreon page to support my nature, landscape and wildlife photography. A paid membership gets you early access to photos and other content, and automatic entry into occasional print or calendar giveaways. Not abandoning BlueSky, just changing the flow.

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Hair Ice formation on a fallen tree branch near Merriman Falls in the Olympic National Forest. Hair Ice is peculiar to the Pacific NW. Vertical color photograph: hair-like strands of ice spring out and curl away from a fallen branch, surrounded by the green of lichens and moss on the forest floor.

Hair Ice

This is called "hair ice" and it's peculiar to the Pacific NW. Found this piece near Merriman Falls in the Olympic National Forest on a cold morning. 

#WashingtonState #OlympicNationalForest #artPhotography #photography #PNW #fineArtPhotography #HairIce #USNationalForests

Male Northern Shoveler, taken just after he finished shoveling around in the marsh for breakfast at the Ridgefield NWR in Washington State. Horizontal color photograph: a colorful male northern shoveler and his reflection in the still waters of the marsh dominate the image. All around home, brown marsh reeds stick out of the water, creating a simple maze for him to navigate as he feeds. He's moving left-to-fight across the frame, looking back over his shoulder in the direction of the camera.

Male Northern Shoveler, taken just after he finished shoveling around in the marsh for breakfast at the Ridgefield NWR in Washington State.

#Washington #RidgefieldNWR #artPhotography #photography #NationalWildlifeRefuge #fineArtPhotography #NorthernShoveler #PNW #wildlifePhotography

He really wasn't in any trouble, it wasn't attached to anything and it was just a bit of marsh plant. Eventually he gave up and just paddled around the pond with it stuck to his face, hoping no females would see him. I'm sure it came off the next time he dived.

Aaauugh! My Breakfast is Fighting Back! Dammit! A male Ring-necked Duck trying to disentangle himself after diving to munch on some tasty plants in the Ridgefield NWR in Washington State. Eventually, the shortness of his legs defeated him, and he just swam around the pond with the offending plant hanging from his bill, hoping the females weren't watching. Horizontal color phot: The duck, white wings, black butt and head, golden eyes and black bill broken by white stripes, is rolled over on its side, vainly attempting to scrape a clinging bit of brown water weed off its bill with a black, webbed foot too short for the last.

Dammit!

A male Ring-necked Duck trying to disentangle himself after diving to munch on some tasty plants in the Ridgefield NWR in Washington State.

#Washington #RidgefieldNWR #artPhotography #photography #NationalWildlifeRefuge #fineArtPhotography #RingNeckedDuck #PNW #wildlifePhotography

Unfortunately, thanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill (bullshit), contained a direct appropriation for ICE operations and detention centers. Blocking the overall DHS budget won't affect ICE at all, but it will hurt TSA, Coast Guard and so on. Check Jay Kuo on FB.

A female northern harrier patrolling the marshes of the Ridgefield NWR in Washington State in search of brunch. Never saw these birds out east, so these are new to me. Horizontal color photo: The reddish harrier is flying, wings lifted high. It's in profile to the camera, scanning the marshes below for prey. Its talons are tucked back in tight at the tail. In the background are marsh reeds and trees, heavily blurred by the telephoto lens.

Northern Harrier on the Hunt

A female northern harrier patrolling the marshes of the Ridgefield NWR in Washington State in search of brunch.

#Washington #RidgefieldNWR #artPhotography #photography #NationalWildlifeRefuge #fineArtPhotography #NorthenHarrier #PNW #wildlifePhotography