Steve Lanier

This heron was very intent on a fish - I haven’t seen one crouch so low before.

Going in for the kill!

This fish hardly seemed worth the agonizing wait.

I didn’t get a clean shot of this Osprey with its prey until it took off and over a building.

Talons on birds of prey are pretty lethal.

A couple birds were making a ruckus; I found out it was this Owl around the corner rather than me.

It took a bit of searching to find the specific species of this grouse.

There was an unusual grid pattern of jet contrails in the sky.

This fellow was really good at dropping trees. A jet moved into view just before I took this shot.

I intentionally blurred the lavender to create an overlay of color.

Quickly moving from one flower to another.

Poor butterfly was on the grill of the car. I managed to gently remove it and put it on some grass nearby.

Was going to shoot another falls nearby but there was construction everywhere.

Images in this Gallery taken Jun 8-14 2018. We saw a group of pelicans resting on the rocks and had an opportunity to stop and take some shots.

The gulls gave away our presence as we quietly approached the group, but they held their ground (rocks?) while I took some shots.

Ok, enough posing.

This is the first time I’ve witnessed a bird faking an injury to draw attention away from its young. It flopped on the ground as I shot, then turned around to make sure I was paying attention.

Had to wade thru 6’ high grass to get to this pond (I’d forgotten how allergic I am to grass) but there were several species there.

These little ducklings are pretty gangly looking, but cute nonetheless!

A nice clean shot.

I saw these both here and in Spokane. They are larger than the Red Wing variety, and much more raucous when they call.

There were several active Ospreys in the area. Lots of things to eat in the Columbia River and ponds.

This osprey made a few dives before snagging lunch,

Based on the markings, size and bill, I believe this is an Ash-throated Flycatcher.

Another view of the Ash-throated Flycatcher.

These were everywhere hovering in the low grass. Based on the acreage, I expect there were hundred(s) of thousands in the area.

Every season has its wonders. This is very late spring. Autumn will bring bright red fruit from these blossoms.

Slightly backlit, allowing late evening sunlight to filter thru sails.

Late evening shot with the Washington side of the Columbia in the background.

This is such a beautiful area, and evening light makes it magical.

As high as this Crow and Red-Tailed Hawk were, they clearly were talon-to-talon until the Hawk finally left.

Photos in this Gallery taken May 29-Jun 1, 2018

There were a lot of small fish gulls were diving for.

It was a successful hunt but several (barely) escaped.

Pictures really don’t do justice to rainbows, do they?

A shower accompanied the evening rainbow; I quickly took a few shots of the peony with the droplets before the light dimmed.

These droplets lined up in a row along the ridge of the peony.

Intricate details often draw me close to a subject.

The stamen on this flower seem to float in space. Taken with 100mm macro lens, f2.8.

Similar to a recent post, but the 100mm macro lens gives a different perspective than the 100-400 lens used then.

This berry was intriguing, but don’t know what it is. Let me know if you can ID it!!

This is another macro shot, which gives a more intimate view than the 100-400 lens.

All shots in this gallery taken mid-late May.

An unusual variety.

These striking flowers are very small, as is the plant.

These look like formed green slime, very interesting!

This berry is not quite ripe, but beautiful all the same.

I have a lot of Towhee shots, but am always taken by them!

This Sparrow really belted it out!

It was low tide and this crab (undersized) was hiding in a covered rockery on the marina until the tide was back in.

When a gull gets a moon snail it attracts a crowd that is happy to try and steal it.

Is there a bit of boat envy here? Maybe, but which is which?

This is guaranteed fun for dogs retrieving items thrown in the water.

This grouping of images was taken between May 21-23, 2018

I have “flashier” images of hummers but like the simple open setting of this shot.

Another clean, simple shot.

The babies were extremely hungry and demanding of the parent.

These were particularly cute ducklings, some with cottonwood pollen in their mouth.

Couldn’t resist posting this shot of the baby trying to get on the log.

Time to salute?

Apparently these birds aren’t overly graceful landing

This crow kept badgering the Osprey until it had enough and left.

These birds have a VERY melodic call, and were singing all over the park (though mostly hidden). Beautiful.

I had to look this one up.

This was a recent addition by our back patio. It has a nice light pattern!.

All images in this group were taken Apr. 2, 2018.

Crab breakfast was on the menu.

Looking for more crab possibly!

Thrashing the crab into submission.

I saw the splashing but didn't see the fish until I looked at the image.  Lots of feeding going on in this group of shots!

First shots of this breed of Scoter.  They whiz by quickly.

Love the contrast in colors.  But the pink legs?  and black toenails.

Oystercatchers will often take their catch and wash it in the water before eating.

Part of a sequence showing the oystercatcher with a clam.

I got down very low to get these shots, it makes a dramatic image.

Unsure whether these are greater of lesser yellowlegs.

This group of image dates: Mar 25, 28 2018

This is in front of a church where a friend of my wife designed the landscaping.  Love the color of this variety.

Have a few shots posted recently.  These are still blooming but flowers are quickly turning.

Unsure of this plant, as usual I'd love to know if you can ID it!  Comment or email me.  Thanks!

The red, pink and purple on these trees are intense - an overcast day such as this one - amp up the color saturation quite a bit.

The males are beginning to show much more.

Both this shot and the last one had almost zero water movement, always nice for a clean background without distractions.

I was fortunate to catch both the male and female diving at the same time.

Same hummer as shown a bit earlier, really loved the display it put on.  This is a male.

The show continues...

The colors on the throat changed frequently.  It was there long enough to be on full display before it took off.

I love a good puzzle; will take guesses as to what this is. 

This is the first shot of a nuthatch I have.  It was making short work drilling a hole.

This landed nearby while shooting the hummingbird so got off a couple quick shots.

This is the first time I've seen a wood duck in this park, especially since there is not a pond there.  This one landed in the tree while I was walking thru.

This Chickadee was looking for bugs, it wasn't saving any of the material for nesting.