Wolves return to Oregon in packs
It seems like just yesterday I went to eastern ORegon to report on the “potential” for wolves to return to Oregon. That was in 2006 (episode 1607). Well, there have been reports all throughout the last year of wolves showing up, with a few videos offered as proof, followed by a wolf attack on livestock in Wallowa County last Spring. Now comes this…a video showing a pack of 10 wolves east of Joseph Oregon . After 60+years of silence in the woods, they’re back. Check out the video:
Hunting the Devil and his stairway to…..
The most evil stairway in Oregon? The Devil’s staircase. It gave me blisters, made me bleed and… well…. you can get the full story about where the infamous “staircase” leads when our show premieres on Thursday November 19, but we thought we’d give you a quick taste of what we endured to get there first :
Hardest shoot I’ve done so far…
I’ve swum past the ocean breakers before; but not with a large camera and underwater housing strapped to my ankle—this is a unique experience. Every time I’d duck a wave and crawl forward, the wave would catch the camera, pulling me backward—3 feet gained would be matched by 2 feet lost. I couldn’t cut the ball and chain at my ankle, because that ball and chain (my camera) was worth thousands of dollars. Once I inched out to where the surfers were, I’d have to predict where I should situate myself so I could get close enough to the surfer’s ride, yet be able to duck back into the wave so I wouldn’t get hit. At times, the surfer would be inches from my camera’s lens (watch the 2nd video clip for an example, look closely for the curly-haired camera man floating and ducking back into the wave).
In this story, we want to bring the audience as close as they can get to the surfer’s experience. We’d like the audience to feel the first peak of a wave, popping up on the board, and working with the wave’s energy as you complete the ride. The ocean landscape is one of unrelenting change and unpredictability. In short, it’s a challenge to film. But, by doing this production, we were able to meet a group of surfers who commit a lot to this sport and lifestyle. The first clip below is a quick teaser of the story.
Tune in to watch the complete story on OPB, November 19th 8:30PM and re-aired on Sunday at 6:30PM.
Also, after the air date, you can watch it on the Field Guide Web site.
Avian Artistry
Sometimes there’s not much to add when nature puts on amazing displays like this.
Enjoy 300,000 starlings in Denmark.
Invasive species- good news, bad news
This season, Oregon Field Guide viewers saw several more stories on invasive species. It’s part of our continuing campaign to Stop the Invasion, a campaign we kicked off with our one-hour documentary special on invasive species “The Silent Invasion.”
The Silent Invasion first aired over a year and a half ago, and a lot has happened since. Some good. Some bad. On the bad front, I’ve been getting a troubling number of updates about new invaders spotted around the country, including in Oregon. The Rusty Crawfish is a recent one found along the John Day river that could threaten the native crayfish that belong there. And nationally, Lake Michigan is bracing for what looks like the inevitable invasion of asian silver carp, a really, nasty fish that somewhat comically flies through the air .
In other news, though, Oregon legislators took action against invasive species in the last session. 11 of 12 invasive species-related bills passed, most with funding. That’s never happened before. You can find out more about those bills here.
Because I’ve become something of a nerd about invasive species, you can follow my occassional tweets on the subject on Twitter. My Twitter name OFGProducerEd. And if you see or hear news about invasives you think we might be interested in, feel free to let us know, on Twitter, or right here on our blog.
When Turkey Vultures Go to Dinner
For a week OPB cameraman Nick and I staked out a prime turkey vulture feeding area in the Oregon High Desert. We really wanted the shot for our story about turkey vultures in Oregon. No luck, but we did get a fun story about being stalked, taunted even, by a bird that expert Jim Anderson told us was among the smartest birds in the world. After that story, and after being utterly skunked in our attempt to get video of vultures feeding on a carcass, we believed him. These animals do not like to hang around people and don’t want to be watched while they eat. Fair enough. We did our story even without the feeding segment. Of course, as soon as the story was put to bed, in comes Oregon Field Guide photographer Todd Sonflieth, fresh from his trip to the coast. “Guess what?” he says smartly. “On this tape you’ll find video of a turkey vulture feeding on a seal at the beach!” And he wasn’t even looking for it. Todd was on another story and just happened to be out at the beach when he saw the one thing that eluded Nick and I for a week. So here it is….. vultures eating seal. And now our story is complete.
Thanks Todd!
And thanks Jim Anderson for being incredibly patient and good humored with us as we trekked together all over central Oregon looking for vultures.
Craig and Liza Jane Nichols
As one of the photographers for OFG, people always ask me “where’s your favorite place in Oregon”. There is never a great answer because I have so many favorites. Overall, I always love going to the ranches of eastern Oregon. The ranchers are always so friendly and hospitable. At the top of that list has to be Craig and Liza Jane Nichols of the “Six Ranch” on the Wallowa River. They are featured in an upcoming segment about a restoration project on the Wallowa River where it runs through their ranch. From the moment we met them to the moment we left, they were both incredibly hospitable people, and as genuine as they come. Their story is scheduled to air Thursday November 12th, 2009, repeating Sunday November 15th 2009.
Boy catches shark
Cosmo Miller had a big fish tale to tell at school after summer vacation. In his case, it was true too.
The 9-year-old caught not just a big fish, but one people almost never encounter.
He pulled up a sixgill shark with his fishing rod from the waters of Puget Sound. He didn’t keep it. He turned it loose - after family caught a photo.
Read more and see the picture in a Seattle Times story.
It’s incredibly rare for this kind of shark to come to shallow enough waters to be caught. Sixgills are a deep water shark. In fact, encounters are so rare there are no reports of any human ever being attacked by a sixgill.
What many people don’t realize is there are plenty of these sharks right in Puget Sound. Watch our story this week to learn more about why scientists think they’re here, just feet away from Seattle.
Eric Cheng was surprised how dark many of them are. Some of them are almost black. He’s a professional underwater photographer who graciously allowed Oregon Field Guide to join him and two friends on a dive in Puget Sound to see sharks from the safety of a dive cage. Team Hydrus set up the exotic ‘tour’ with safety and photos in mind.
If you ever see a sixgill shark, the Seattle Aquarium would like to hear from you. Fill out their Sixgill Shark Tracking Form. They’ve got long term research(PDF) going on about these mysterious animals.
Andy Letourneau 1963-2009
Avid diver Andy Letourneau of Portland was a tremendous help to Oregon Field Guide in the pursuit of our story on sixgill sharks. Andy died recently in a diving accident. He stayed mostly behind the scenes but you can play this video to see him in his two most natural elements: diving and in the kitchen. The story he helped us on airs this Thursday on Oregon Field Guide at 8:30pm.
Bluebirds in her pockets
For 33 years Elsie Eltzroth has had bluebirds in her pockets.
She sewed big, warm, cushy pockets onto the outside of a light jacket just to provide a cozy warm setting for the birds she cares for so much.
Read More…
