Great Horned Owls are fairly common in the Pacific Northwest … although they can be hard to spot with their typically nocturnal ways. And they like to hide out, as below. (I was just lucky to spot that one, but it had been a nest before.)
One of my favorite ducks is the cinnamon teal. I think the coloration is great … and the little beady red eyes remind me of a couple early mornings when I didn’t get enough sleep. I found these at the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge outside Olympia, Washington.
I mostly like grouse. I get a little bit annoyed with them when they fly up into my face to chase me away from their young. If they weren’t so well camouflaged, maybe I would see them and wouldn’t get startled so much. Anyway, enjoy these photos …
I found these two praying mantises at the Mima Mound Nature Area south of Olympia, Washington. I’m not an expert on insects so can’t say if these are both the same species or etc. But they are interesting little critters. They are cannabalistic, though.
We’ve got raccoons in the neighborhood … and I think we’ve got one that comes up onto our deck and get water out of the dog’s water dish. (if the dog could learn to drink water with a straw, maybe the water dish could be inside again) The worst, of course is when the dog notices the raccoon on the deck and reacts with manaical barking in the middle of the night. Regardless, the raccoons can pose well and they aren’t as camera shy as many other critters.
