wildlife photography

Where to start…

Posted by kenleighacres on November 28, 2016

Posted in: 2017 Calendar, Uncategorized, wildlife. Tagged: felt dogs, needle felting, south steens, wild horses, wildlife, wildlife photography. 1 Comment

That seems like a good title after being gone for awhile 😉 My poor blog has been neglected due to the ease of Facebook and Instagram. I thought the followers here might be interested in the trips we have taken this year and the calendars that have come together due to them. I am still very busy with the Felt Pups and sheep and life on the farm is good!

Today only, everything in my Etsy shop, calendars included, is 10% off. Use code CYBER2016

The Felt Pups give me an excuse to use my camera almost every day…here are the photos that I chose to go in the coming year’s calendar…

Nothing brings me joy, like getting outside and taking photos, and the South Steens area of Oregon did not disappoint! We saw a lot of wildlife, including Mr. Owl…

Some lovely antelope….

My favorite, the Bighorn Sheep….

…and some incredible Wild Horses! We hiked many miles to find them and being able to walk among them was something I will never forget! Here are the photos I chose to go in the Wild Horse calendar…

Our big summer trip was to Glacier National Park…Montana now has my heart and we will definitely be returning! Here are some of the pictures and calendar pages from that trip…

Barking for a reason

Posted by kenleighacres on October 7, 2012

Posted in: Border Collie, Farm Life. Tagged: Border Collie, deer, wildlife photography. 3 Comments

Poor Kate gets a bad rap. She likes to bark. She feels like she has to tell us when anything she feels is important is happening. That could be someone pulling in the driveway (appropriate), someone walking past our house (semi-appropriate), our neighbor two doors down sneezing (not really appropriate), or anything else that may be happening within earshot.

This evening she was being exceptionally bad. I had looked out front, looked out back and couldn’t see or hear anything that would cause her to bark. Regardless of not seeing anything, she continued to bark every 5 minutes. I was going to bring her in but I had to get something in my shop first. As I was headed to my shop, she jumped at the fence and started barking at something across the road up on the hill. I looked and looked, but didn’t see what she saw….

until this guy took a step and crunched a leaf.

He was well camouflaged and was holding very still.

We don’t see many deer here, so it is a treat when we do.

I followed him up the hill and he didn’t seem very concerned.

I think he has been the cause for a lot of barking because he was very comfortable on his hillside.

He slowly meandered out of sight, but I’m sure he will be the cause for more barking in the future.

Caught ’em!

Posted by kenleighacres on August 9, 2012

Posted in: Farm Life. Tagged: goldfinch, goldfinches, thistle, wildlife photography. 6 Comments

The summer has been flying by, just like the little Goldfinches. Each morning starts with them taunting me…I can hear them through the windows and just as I grab my camera and sneak out the door, I see them flying away and singing their little song.

Not today!

I finally caught them!

I have so many favorite birds that visit our farm – quail, swallows, doves, pheasants, but I think the goldfinches top this list.

Their vibrant colors and joyful chattering is very contagious. You can’t help but be happy when you are watching them.

They were focused on the thistle and I finally got the pictures I was hoping for!

I’m not a fan of the thistle, but I do love the goldfinches that it brings!

Kate’s other job

Posted by kenleighacres on January 31, 2012

Posted in: Border Collie, Dogs, Farm Life. Tagged: Border Collie, border collies, canada geese, canada goose hazing, goose population, photography, using border collies to chase geese, wildlife photography. 6 Comments

My border collie, Kate, is a huge help here on the farm…

she is wonderful with the moms and babies.

Even when the babies get a little too curious.

But she also has another job. It is our duty to keep a local college free of geese. Here is a little bit of information regarding hazing geese with border collies. The most effective way to humanely control the goose population is to introduce a ‘predator’ into the environment. Since it isn’t practical (or safe) to reintroduce wolves, coyotes, and foxes into commercial and residential areas, specially trained dogs are the natural answer. Geese that are harassed on a regular schedule by border collies will seek a safer place to live and raise their young. Geese are beautiful and I love watching them, but when each one of these guys…

is leaving 2-3 lbs. of waste a day, it gets nasty, pretty quick! They also eat 2-5 lbs. of grass in a day – leaving a muddy, poop covered landscape behind them.

Kate and I have been visiting the college for 3 years and the flock of geese that called this location home has decreased dramatically. Unfortunately, it is the perfect place for flocks that are flying through to stop and take a break. This gives Kate steady work and she loves it!

She is always looking, but we couldn’t find any geese on the ground today.

The sky was full of them.

and plenty in the pond, but nothing for my girl to focus her attention on.

That is, until these three flew in.

I love this goose and have been trying to get good pictures of it for quite a while.

It is some sort of cross – the colors and patterns are so fun.

As an extra bonus, we had geese to chase when we got home as well. I have been very careful to save our grass for my mammas and babies, there are plenty of empty fields in our area for these guys to get a free meal somewhere else!

Last of the swallow babies

Posted by kenleighacres on September 6, 2011

Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: barn swallow, swallow babies, wildlife photography. 4 Comments

With a 330′ barn, we have a LOT of spots for the swallows to nest. I really enjoy watching the parents feeding their babies and watching the babies grow and eventually leaving the nest.

The babies are a little ‘alien’ looking…

especially when they open their mouths and start screaming for their meal.

The parents are constantly flying in and out feeding the little ones. I like a lot of things about the swallows, but it is their bug catching abilities that I appreciate the most.

The swallow population is strong here. I counted almost 100 of them lined up on the telephone line the other day, but Fall is in the air and they will be leaving soon. I will look forward to their return next year.

Putting on a little show!

Posted by kenleighacres on March 16, 2011

Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: canada geese, wildlife photography. 8 Comments

This time of year we always have a few geese hanging out on our pond. The pair we have had recently have been very friendly, enjoying the leftover grain from our ducks. Unfortunately a big bully came and chased them away…