Although not at first intending specifically to record it, the pattern of the veins in the wings of this Honey Bee, Apis mellifera, is remarkable. As the wings of these insects are essentially membranes, the common interpretation of the veins’ purpose seems to be that they provide strength to the overall wing structure. Location: Scappoose, […]
Oregon
Odd Duck
Visit most any marina along the Pacific coast of the United States and you will more than likely find two groups of birds to be ubiquitous – gulls and ducks. Thus whenever one sets out to do a little photography of either one of these two groups, a few opportunistic images of the other will […]
Photo Interlude: Loss of Vertical Hold
There are times, such as have been these past few days, when I feel a bit like this less than successful image of a Western Gull, Larus occidentalis, I took in Astoria a few weeks ago. While I’m sure the gull had everything under control as it went from a smooth soar into a dive […]
Photo Interlude: Death in the Shallows
Despite their seemingly benign appearance, when it comes to predators in the tidal zone of the Pacific Northwest, the Ochre Sea Star, Pisaster ochraceus, is among the most ferocious. There are few other creatures that inhabit this zone that this sea star cannot successfully kill and eat. The ones I found in the early morning […]