Jonathan Ley

Jonathan Ley

@jonathanley.bsky.social

Daily posts of my own photos of nature, wildlife, travel and other odds and ends from the US Pacific Northwest and beyond. It'll be a mix of new images, and those from the past couple decades of exploring our world. Blog at: www.phlumf.com

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Hello Bluesky! To see just my original content, click the "Media" tab. This "Posts" tab includes reposts of interesting content I've stumbled upon. Bluesky runs on reposts, so if you see something you like on my feed, please repost it. Thanks!

This is a Water Scorpion, plying the waters of Parish Lake Oregon yesterday. These predatory insects breath through a siphon at the end of their long abdomen, while they hunt just under the surface. #bug #insectphotography #aquaticinsects #waterscorpion

Yum! This Turkey Vulture found a snack - a mole. Trouble was, he couldn’t get any leverage to rip it up. After grabbing, prodding, and tossing it around, the vulture flew off with it. Maybe it needs to ferment a bit. At a wildlife refuge along the Columbia River. #bird #birdphotography #vulture

This Townsend’s Solitaire - a type of thrush - perched just for a moment below a scenic overlook high in Oregon’s Columbia River gorge. You have to look fast if you want to see the most interesting birds! #bird #birdphotography #thrush

When I saw there was a #BirdOfTheDay theme of stepping out or walking, I thought of this photo I took of a Northern Rough-winged Swallow actually running down a ledge in Chicago. They have such tiny legs. Not sure I've ever seen another one doing this. #bird #birdphotography #swallow

This particular Yellow-crowned Night-Heron is a celebirdy here in Oregon. It’s the first one ever spotted in our state. It’s been playing hide-and-seek in the vast Summer Lake wildlife refuge for the past month. #bird #birdphotography #heron

Close up and personal with a Clark’s Nutcracker. I took this photo from a bird blind in central Oregon. It was so close this view filled the frame. You can see the outline of the blind in the reflection in the bird’s eye. #bird #birdphotography #nutcracker #jay

This is a Belding’s Ground Squirrel- the little guys you see racing across the roads in eastern Oregon, tempting fate. This one was thankfully nowhere near a road… about a week ago. #wildlifephotography #oregon #squirrel

These petroglyphs at Picture Rock pass north of Summer Lake take a bit of sleuthing in the bush to find. Not sure exactly how old they are, but people have inhabited this location for many millennia. This is what was important to them. #petroglyph #landscapephotography #oregon

This Cassin’s Sparrow is a typical “little brown bird” most people wouldn’t take a second look at. But if you know birds, it’s more like “cool! A Cassin’s Sparrow… at least I think it is… is it?” This was last week in central Oregon. #bird #birdphotography #sparrow

Lewis’s Woodpeckers are striking birds, especially when the light hits them just right. These are gregarious birds - living communally, looking out for each other. This one was in central Oregon last week. #bird #birdphotography #woodpecker

Pinyon Jays are social birds - living in extended family flocks that help each other defend nests, find food and so forth. They are in serious decline unfortunately. I spotted this one in central Oregon last week. Such an elegant bird! #bird #birdphotography #pinyonjay #jay

This Clark's Grebe was plying the waters north of Summer Lake Oregon a few days ago... still is, I suppose. Most birders already know - if the eye is in the white, it's Clark's Grebe, if it's in the black, Western Grebe. #bird #birdphotography #grebe

Lake Abert is huge, yet unfamiliar even to most Oregonians. It's a 65 sq. mile inland sea - no outflows means the shallow water accumulates salt. A handful of similar lakes stretch from south central Oregon into northern California. If you want solitude, it's here. #lakeabert #landscapephotography

Music and Nature come together in “In a Landscape” - an outdoor classical piano concert series by Hunter Noack. I attended this recent concert at Summer Lake, Oregon - under the stars (most IaL performances are in daylight). It was sublime. #inalandscape #piano #photography

Lazuli Bunting letting it all out this spring in east Portland. I feel like these guys have been expanding their range locally in recent years, and I’m all for it! #bird #birdphotography #bunting

I’ve seen Mountain Quail a few times, but only fleeting views. This is the best I’ve seen yet, but there’s lots of room to improve, which keeps me motivated! #bird #quail #birdphotography

This White-headed Woodpecker was drinking from the Metolious River in Oregon. It repeatedly dipped its bill into the water like a straw. The central Oregon Cascades is one of the best places to see woodpeckers in the US. #bird #woodpecker #birdphotography

I haven’t posted in some time, but let’s give Bluesky another go. This Common Merganser family is on the go! Along the Metolius River in Oregon a couple days ago. #bird #duckling

Just a simple photo of some Oregon Grape from the other day's hike through the Tillamook State Forest in Oregon's coast range. #oregon #oregongrape #naturephotography #landscapephotography

A view of the Milky Way over Shadow Lake, in the heart of the Wind River mountains of Wyoming. Wish I was there now... in a galaxy far far away. #landscapephotography #windriver #nightphotography #stars #milkyway

The Black Rosy-Finch is a enigmatic denizen of the central Rocky Mountains. It's one of the least-studied songbirds in North America, as it breeds in rocky boulder fields and cliffs well above the tree line. This one was molting, giving it a disheveled look. #bird #birdphotography #blackrosyfinch

This Clark's Nutcracker was living up to its name - you can see the pine nut in its beak. This was in the middle of Wyoming's Wind River mountains. #bird #birdphotography #clarksnutcracker #naturephotography

Crossing the South Fork Little Wind River with Payson Peak in the distance. This was part of a week long backpacking loop through the heart of Wyoming's southern Wind River range. #backpacking #landscapephotography #hiking

When you see American Pikas bouncing around the alpine rocks, putting all their effort into blurting out a "meep" like a dog's squeeze toy, how could you do anything but smile. This one was at about 12,000ft elevation in the Wind River Range. #pika #wildlifephotography #windriver #backpacking

A view over Deep Creek Lakes in the Wind River mountains of Wyoming. This was part of a 66-mile loop through the southern part of the range. #landscapephotography #windriver #backpacking #hiking #mountain

This is the skeleton of a giant Allium that bloomed earlier in the summer in our garden. Sure, the flower is neat, but this is a whole different way to enjoy the plant - and it doesn't need watering! #flowerark #flower #allium #flowerphotography

This Hermit Thrush was calling out to it's fledglings to "come and get it", forcing them to chase their food, and not wait for it to be delivered. Good lesson. This was in the Olympic National Forest last week. #bird #birdphotography #hermitthrush #naturephotography.

The Buckhorn Wilderness on the east side of Olympic National Park is home to an ancient forest of Western hemlocks, Douglas fir, Western redcedar and many other varieties. This photo is from last week. #landscapephotography #oldgrowth #forest #trees #olympicnationalpark

I encountered a pair of Barred Owls last week in a local forest. People ask how I find these owls - more details in the comments. I like how the forest is reflected in this one's eyes - the world it inhabits is being projected back at us. #bird #birdphotography #owl #barredowl #superbowl

In this case, there were two owls. They appeared to be an adult mated pair. They groomed each others faces for an extended period (unfortunately, away from my lens!). Eventually a squirrel showed-up and both owls took off simultaneously toward it. Not sure how it turned out for the squirrel.

I encountered a pair of Barred Owls last week in a local forest. People ask how I find these owls - more details in the comments. I like how the forest is reflected in this one's eyes - the world it inhabits is being projected back at us. #bird #birdphotography #owl #barredowl #superbowl

Often many songbirds of different species will hear the alert and join in. This is what's called a mob. If you hear a mob - for sure check it out. Birds don't do this for no reason - it's always something.

I encountered a pair of Barred Owls last week in a local forest. People ask how I find these owls - more details in the comments. I like how the forest is reflected in this one's eyes - the world it inhabits is being projected back at us. #bird #birdphotography #owl #barredowl #superbowl

I was walking through this forest in the early morning. that's the first key - get up early. I heard an American Robin sounding an alert. Most songbirds have a similar alert call - loud single notes over and over. They just "sound" like an alert. If you hear this, it's always worth investigating.

A few days ago, I hiked up to this viewpoint (nicknamed Valhalla) in the Buckhorn Wilderness, immediately east of Olympic National Park in the US Pacific Northwest. The large mountain is The Brothers, which I last climbed over 20 years ago. #landscapephotography #olympicnationalpark #wilderness