Nature Photographer and Music Producer
Explore my adventures capturing Pacific Northwest wildlife through photography and videography. From stunning nature photos to music videos, interactive bird quizzes, and comprehensive field guides - join me on this journey through the natural world.
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
Continue readingWhat I’ve Been Working On — Bird App, OMSI Exhibit, and a New Venture
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
Continue readingBuilding the Portland Bird ID App — Progress Update
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.
Some of my most popular Bald Eagle Photos....
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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
Continue readingSpring is Around the Corner
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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
Continue readingWebsite Improvements: Faster, More Reliable, and Better Than Ever
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
Continue readingA Quiet Lesson from the Water: When Birds Teach Us to Live Together
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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
Continue readingA Winter Wildlife Spectacal in OaksBottom
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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
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
Continue readingA Perfect Birthday at Oaks Bottom
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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
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On a recent visit to Oaks Bottom, I had the good fortune to photograph four striking woodpecker species: the pileated woodpecker, the Downy woodpecker, the northern flicker, and the red‑breasted
Continue reading– Drummers of the Oaks: Woodpeckers at Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge
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My neighbors call it “magical,” and I think they’re right. In a small urban space I’ve created a thriving, wildlife-friendly garden that’s as beautiful as it is productive. With organic
Continue readingSmall Space, Big Harvest: A Magical Garden That Feeds People and Pollinators
For nearly ten years I’ve come to Oaks Bottom hoping to catch sight of a pileated woodpecker. I had heard rumors of people seeing a Pileated Woodpecker in the forest
Continue reading– Wood Chips kept falling on My Head — A Long Hunt Ends at Oaks Bottom
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Yesterday I had one of those wildlife moments that makes you forget to breathe. While standing on the viewing deck at Oak Bottom Wildlife Refuge, a river otter slipped quietly
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That afternoon in Sellwood was a beautiful fall day with perfect golden hour lighting. I was wandering through Sellwood Park and I noticed a high-pitched chatter. A busy, bouncing cloud
Continue readingFluff and Fury: A Flock of Bushtits in Sellwood Oregon
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The garden still hums with life as spring winds down. Cosmos sway in the soft late-afternoon light, butterflies flit from petal to petal, and the neighborhood cat takes long, sunny
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Capture the essence of Portland, Oregon with this 2025 calendar featuring stunning photographs by Jonathan Swanson. Hang it in your office or home to add a touch of Pacific Northwest
Continue readingNew Portland Scenes 2026 Calendar is now available to order.
I love birds in my backyard: chickadees, finches, and a Downy woodpecker that brightens my mornings. Lately I’ve also noticed my neighbor’s cat prowling around the feeders and caught it
This fall noisy visitors showed up at my feeder and made my backyard a little wilder — Downy woodpeckers They are small, bold, and surprisingly photogenic. After making a few
Continue reading Friendly Downy Woodpeckers Visit My Backyard
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I had the pleasure of volunteering at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) Science Fair on September 13–14, 2025, where I ran an arcade-style, multiple-choice bird quiz designed
Continue readingBringing Birds to Life at OMSI — My Volunteer Project (Sept 13–14, 2025)
On a peaceful late afternoon at the Oak Bottom Wildlife Refuge I had an unforgettable close encounter with a great blue heron (Ardea herodias). The bird landed in a tree
Continue reading Up Close with a Great Blue Heron — Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge
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River otters (Lontra canadensis) are sleek, energetic mammals often seen sliding, diving and hunting in rivers, lakes and marshes. Famous for their playful behavior and acrobatic swimming, these charismatic carnivores
Continue reading River Otters — Playful Water Hunters of North America
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This morning’s walk through Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge I had a close encounter with a Red Tailed Hawk that was clearly used to human presence. Perched high on a telephone
Continue readingA Red-Tailed Hawk close encounter
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The other day a tiny gray butterfly landed on a cosmos bloom in my garden, and I was lucky enough to get a macro shot of the moment. Up close,
Continue readingA Tiny Visitor: Gray Hairstreak on My Cosmos
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Here is a beautiful yellow rose next to my fountain. Portland is the city of roses. What does a Yellow Rose traditionally symbolize? I plant flowers to attract butterflies. Here
Continue readingScenes from my Garden
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After putting up a feeder and a small fountain, I never expected the tiny, steel‑blue-and-russet birds that began darting around my fig tree after I installed a feeder and a
Continue readingHow a Feeder and a Fountain Brought Red‑breasted Nuthatches to My Backyard
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Last week I spend some time in Neskowin doing some repairs on a beach house. I found some time to get some photos of the local wildlife. Here are some
Continue readingMy Recent Neskowin Adventure
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A Heartwarming Encounter with Nature: Junco Nesting on My Deck This summer, I had the incredible opportunity to witness the beauty of nature right on my own deck. A pair
Continue readingThe Dark Eyed Junco
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