Butterflies, Birds, Rocks

Over the past several months I've taken a number of picture of nature's beauties, and thought I should post them. Here they come, in not too timely of a fashion, but maybe they are just what is needed coming into serious Fall (which happened here recently).

I saw this unusual butterfly (1-2-06 - according to Becky it is a hairstreak) while in Arizona in May. A little later I saw shot this caterpiller (or whatever, maybe the butterfly in another lifetime).

On the way home, we took a walk on the coast near Tanna's and Stephen's, and got this colorful rock and this shot of the ocean and a spit of land.

After returning to Oregon, we took a walk on the Rogue River. At home we had an unusual number of hummingbirds at our feeder. Here's one with tail feathers displayed to warn off other hummers. Must be a new crew here, with two at once. This one pretty much has her head in the feeder. We have a lot of redtail hawks and turkey vultures overhead in the summer. In the pond, the goldfish are fat, happy, and numerous. One morning I was up early and saw this fox lying in the front yard. In an attempt to get a closeup, I resorted to a "cheapo" long range lens, shooting it through one side of the binoculars, getting a closer, but fuzzy view.

When we went on the Limpy Creek Botannical Trail, we went by this waterfall.

One day they had a parasail meet at Woodrat Mountain, near Jacksonville and across the mountains to our west. They came over the house by ones, twos, and larger groups, some pretty close and colorful.

We had a lot of barn swallows in the shed this year, and I managed to catch the new brood in their nest. In August we went kayaking at Howard Prairie reservoir and saw two young bald eagles, one obvious in lower left quadrant, while the other is near the center about two-thirds of the way to the top of the picture. Here's the lower one through one lens of the binocular. A little later, one flew away. An osprey was on the hunt later on, while pelicans and other water birds lazed on the shore. Back home, I got this picture of three fawns and the mother of two of them (I think).