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November 15, 2020November 14, 2020

Winter’s Return

Winter’s start is always messy. The warm days of fall still linger and melt early winter snows. This week we’ve had a mix of weather … most of it wet … much of that snow.

The week ended with a winter storm watch for the Cascades making passes un-passable. We’re not looking to get far. At present we will enjoy a crisp morning stroll that includes untracked powder.

The snow fall we got at the beginning of the week came under a cold front and frocked pine bows.

However, by the end of the week the temperatures warmed and the snow it brought was deeper but also heavy and hard to shovel. By afternoon the city plows were clearing the rutted streets of a slushy mix.

The shift to consistent cold is coming, but for now we have to contend with this snow and rain mix.

November 8, 2020November 7, 2020

A Quiet Day

This week, with constant din on social media and political static on email we thought it would be good to take a break. Phones were turned off and we headed to a favorite stream bank.

The days are cooler but not cold and there is the threat of ‘first snow’ in the forecast. But the Crooked River offered a quiet pause before dropping back into the media storm.

The turmoil surrounding us right now will ease. There is a new challenge ahead, but for now we’ll stay safe and hunker down against the storm.

We hope you’re able to do the same. As for next week, well we plan on going back out into the world … just not any place with lots of people.

November 1, 2020October 31, 2020

Morning Light

This week we headed back to Odell Lake. We made it there at first light and were able to get some amazing images . . .

There were lots of eagles flying about. But fewer Kokanee in the creek, so it must be at the end of the spawn.

The campground was shuttered, so we had it to ourselves.

This morning we were mostly focused on the ducks as they landed, took flight and just paddled around. A calm day left the lake with a mirror surface.

We are starting to get familiar with the new camera kit, but there is still a learning curve with the system.

I hope the snows hold off for another week.

We had such a great time hiking along the edge of the lake, we may try to make it back again.

October 25, 2020October 25, 2020

Kokanee Adventures

Signs of fall are in the air … cool, crisp temperatures and autumn color.

Leaves aren’t the only changing color. Landlocked salmon, Kokanee, are a blazing red as they start to spawn.

Oregon’s Trapper Creek, feeding Odell Lake. is one spawning site that attracts scores of Bald Eagles feasting on vunerable salmon.

Not too far north, as the eagle flies, is Wickiup Reservoir, which also has a population of Kokanee. We try to get to at least one of these two places every year just for the spawning event.

October 17, 2020October 18, 2020

Looking through a new lens

This week, unlike the last few, was filled with ‘doing’. The air quality improved and the sun was out.

We took day trips three different days.

Hit the Crooked River on a perfect fall day … caught no fish but had a great picnic.

We love areas like this … that said, we never travel unprepared, even on short trips.

The other two days we headed east toward Fort Rock and the high desert.

Came across a few road obstacles … nothing we couldn’t manage.

If you’ve spent any time on this blog it’s clear we are iPhone photographers. We subscribe to the adage ‘the best camera is the one you have in hand’.

However, the types of images we are attempting to capture require telephoto lenses that just aren’t available on an iPhone.

This week we took delivery on a new Sony camera and lenses. Similar to the system we rented in June and posted about in issue #38 on birding.

Storm front moving across the Summer Lake Wildlife Area.

Of course Summer Lake was one of the places we headed for. Unfortunately it’s hunting season and there was some obvious restrictions on where you can go if you’re shooting but not ‘killing’.