This catch was so back lit that I was going to delete it. Upon inspection, I was struck at how the back lighting shows how vascular their ears are. The red in the ears is blood. The vascular and large ears are very important in thermoregulation during the warmer months. They function a bit like a cars radiator.
The black-tailed deer is one of nine subspecies of the mule deer. It was first recorded by the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804-06.
Black-tailed deer live in the temperate coniferous forests along the Pacific coast. These forests are characterized by cool temperatures and lots of rain, but an overall mild climate. Black-tailed deer do not therefore migrate in response to seasonal changes, unlike some of the other mule deer subspecies. Instead, black-tailed deer often spend their entire life in the same general area.
Emigrant Lake – Jackson County – Oregon - USA
Tags: Black-tailed Deer Odocoileus hemionus columbianus Doe Emigrant Lake Oregon Mark Heatherington
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Actually the clicking of my camera woke him up. After a few clicks, I left him in peace.
Mallard Duck (Anas platyrhynchos) (M)
“Perhaps the most familiar of all ducks, Mallards occur throughout North America and Eurasia in ponds and parks as well as wilder wetlands and estuaries. The male’s gleaming green head, gray flanks, and black tail-curl arguably make it the most easily identified duck. Mallards have long been hunted for the table, and almost all domestic ducks come from this species….. Mallards are large ducks with hefty bodies, rounded heads, and wide, flat bills. Like many “dabbling ducks” the body is long and the tail rides high out of the water, giving a blunt shape. In flight their wings are broad and set back toward the rear…… Mallards are “dabbling ducks”—they feed in the water by tipping forward and grazing on underwater plants. They almost never dive. They can be very tame ducks especially in city ponds, and often group together with other Mallards and other species of dabbling ducks.”
Source : Cornell University Lab of Ornithology
Emigrant Lake – Jackson County – Oregon – USA
Tags: Mallard Duck Anas platyrhynchos Emigrant Lake Jackson County Oregon Mark Heatherington
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Emigrant Lake - Jackson County - Oregon - USA
Habitat : Lakes and Ponds
Food : Insects
Nesting : Cavity
Behavior : Aerial Forager
Conservation : Low Concern
"Handsome aerialists with deep-blue iridescent backs and clean white fronts, Tree Swallows are a familiar sight in summer fields and wetlands across northern North America. They chase after flying insects with acrobatic twists and turns, their steely blue-green feathers flashing in the sunlight. Tree Swallows nest in tree cavities; they also readily take up residence in nest boxes."
- Cornell University Lab of Ornithology
0077
Tags: 0077 Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor Swallow Bird Nature Wildlife Emigrant Lake Jackson County Oregon USA Mark Heatherington
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California Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus beecheyi)
One the first warm day with sun, I found this little one sunning in front of it’s den. Spring is here….
Emigrant Lake – Jackson County – Oregon – USA – Earth Planet – Universe
Tags: California Ground Squirrel Spermophilus beecheyi Emigrant Lake Jackson County Oregon Mark Heatherington
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Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
Emigrant Lake - Jackson County - Oregon - USA
Habitat : Lakes and Ponds
Food : Fish
Nesting : Tree
Behavior : Aerial Dive
Conservation : Low Concern
"Unique among North American raptors for its diet of live fish and ability to dive into water to catch them, Ospreys are common sights soaring over shorelines, patrolling waterways, and standing on their huge stick nests, white heads gleaming. These large, rangy hawks do well around humans and have rebounded in numbers following the ban on the pesticide DDT. Hunting Ospreys are a picture of concentration, diving with feet outstretched and yellow eyes sighting straight along their talons."
- Cornell University Lab of Ornithology
Tags: 6144 Osprey Pandion haliaetus Bird Raptor Fish Hawk Bird of Prey Nest Nesting Nature Wildlife Bird Photography Nature Photography Wildlife Photography Mark Heatherington Mark Heatherington Photography
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