Backyard, Street, Refuge: Portland in Bloom
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This year the garden is talking back. Last spring I planted about five new rose bushes along my street — the small, sun-loving variety that you see everywhere in Portland
Category: Jonathan’s Journal
Red-Breasted Nuthatches in My Back Yard
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Some mornings the backyard becomes the story. This week a red-breasted nuthatch family has been visiting the feeder — mother and babies, working the suet, calling back and forth from
After 54 Years, My First Western Skink
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This morning at Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge in Portland, I saw something I’d never seen before. A Western Skink, sunning itself on the stone steps along the trail. Brown body
A Male Anna’s Hummingbird on the banks of the Willamette River
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I wanted to share about the conditions on this shoot — the lighting was incredible. Around 5pm the sun hit the hummingbird perfectly, lighting up his rose-pink throat while the
Continue readingA Male Anna’s Hummingbird on the banks of the Willamette River
Wood Duck in Motion — Action Shots from Oaks Bottom
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Wood Ducks are one of the most stunning waterfowl in North America — the males practically glow with iridescent greens, purples, and chestnut browns. When one stretches its wings, all
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First Photos of a Black-throated Gray Warbler at Sellwood Park
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A lifer for me today at Sellwood Park, right along the Willamette River — my first ever photographs of a Black-throated Gray Warbler. These little songbirds are spring migrants that
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Golden Hour at Oaks Bottom — Eagles, Ospreys, and Spring in Full Bloom
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Perfect evening light at Oaks Bottom tonight. Seventy degrees, golden hour around 6pm, and the wildlife was out in force. The trails were full of people enjoying the spring weather,
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A Morning in the Cherry Blossoms —A variety of songbirds and woodpeckers
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Spring has arrived in Portland, and my backyard fig tree has become a stage for some of the Pacific Northwest’s most beautiful small birds. A suet feeder in the garden
Continue readingA Morning in the Cherry Blossoms —A variety of songbirds and woodpeckers
A Curious Visitor at Oaks Bottom
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I was out at Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge the other day when I noticed movement along the water’s edge. A North American river otter had pulled itself up onto a
What I’ve Been Working On — Bird App, OMSI Exhibit, and a New Venture
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It’s been a busy couple of months, and I wanted to share what I’ve been pouring my time into. I’m juggling three major projects right now, each one pushing me
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Building the Portland Bird ID App — Progress Update
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I’m excited to share a project I’ve been working on — a bird identification app built specifically for Portland, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. What It Does The Portland Bird
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Seahawks are Ospreys
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With Seattle Seahawks winnning the superbowl, I learned that the osprey is sometimes called a “seahawk.” I’ve attached a few of my photos of local ospreys.
Popular Bald Eagle Photos
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Some of my most popular Bald Eagle Photos.
Spring is Around the Corner
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I made a music video of my favorite photos and clips from Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge: lots of songbirds, waterfowl, and a few surprise visitors. The music is my version
Website Improvements: Faster, More Reliable, and Better Than Ever
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Hello everyone, I wanted to take a moment to share some exciting updates about jonswanproductions.com – and to apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced over the past few
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A Quiet Lesson from the Water: When Birds Teach Us to Live Together
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The morning I found myself beside the water, camera in hand, I expected the usual solitary moments — a single heron standing like a statue, a kingfisher’s brief flash of
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A Winter Wildlife Spectacal in OaksBottom
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In Oaks Bottom I had that rare, clear quality that makes the city seem to exhale: a low, golden sun, a thin, crisp air, and the marsh grasses catching light
Falcons, Fugues, and Fast Fingers
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The peregrine falcon — the fastest bird on the planet in its high‑speed stoop — has always felt like a mirror for my own chase for speed. I nearly reached
A Perfect Birthday at Oaks Bottom
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I spent my birthday exactly where I wanted to be—at Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge—surrounded by crisp fall air, dripping gold and copper leaves, and the calm of wetland life. It
A Quiet Moment with a Hermit Thrush at Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge
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This morning’s walk through Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge stopped me in my tracks. A small, unassuming bird — the Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus) — hopped through the leaf litter less
Continue reading A Quiet Moment with a Hermit Thrush at Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge