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Paul Cory

@paulcory.bsky.social

744 Followers 236 Following

Photographer, sci-fi and fantasy geek.

American Bittern in flight, Ridgefield NWR, Washington. The bittern is flying left-to-right across the frame, gliding over a row of cattails as it searches for a place to land in the marsh beyond.
Great Blue Heron and Leftover Snow, Lake Betz, NC, Jan 2025. The heron is flying over a brown grassy area at the edge of the rock field that lines Lake Betz. in the background is a lightly snow-covered hill that leads into dark forest.
Male Bufflehead duck in flight, Lake Betz, NC, Jan 2025. The bird is flying low over the water, backlit by the rising sun. Its wings are outstretched and down, and there's a cut in the water's surface behind the near wing where it just dipped into the water for a split second.
An American Coot engaged in battle with breakfast at the Ridgefield NWR in Washington. Coots eat aquatic plants - this plant was surprisingly defiant.
Ochre Sea Stars feeding on mussels at Ecola State Park in Oregon. The centerpiece of the image is a huge Ochre Sea Start wrapped partially around a large mussel that has goo - scientific term - pouring out of it onto the sea star. More sea stars are visible in front of and behind the main event, as are aggregating anemones.
A rabbit pauses to smell the flowers in a patch of grass and clover at the Ridgefield NWR in Washington. The rabbit appears to be making eye contact with the camera. The sky, trees, and the photographer's RAV4 are visible in the reflection in the eye.
Barn Swallow hunting bugs over the marshes of the Ridgefield NWR. These little guys are a huge challenge to track and photograph as they swerve and dart about at high speed to snatch insects out of the air. The bird's wings are fully outstretch as it flies in front of blurred background of yellow and green foliage.
A Red-Winged Blackbird announces its morning at the Ridgefield NWR. The bird is perched atop a plant, beak open wide as it sings.
Great Blue Heron stalking along the canal edge, early morning, Ridgefield NWR. The bird is captured mid-stride, with one leg up out of the water as part of a slow forward step, with its head craned off to its left.
Great Blue Heron, early morning, Ridgefield NWR. The heron is standing in a sunbeam int he water at the edge of a canal with tall grass behind it in shadow.
A Great Egret snags a tadpole or minnow from the seasonal wetlands in Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge in Portland, Oregon. Look closely at the end of the beak to see the little snack.
It's early morning in the Ridgefield NWR, and a great blue hero is stalking the marsh for breakfast. The heron is about 1/3 or the way up from the bottom of the frame and just left of center. Layers of water and marsh plants in the background eventually resolve to a grassy field in the far distance.
A doe and her reflection hit the breakfast buffet in the marshes of the Ridgefield NWR.
While mama scans the marsh to make sure it's safe, her fawn gambols happily about. Ridgefield NWR, Washington State.
A Great Blue Heron doing the toss and catch part of the toss-catch-swallow act with a minnow it snatched out of a marsh in the RIdgefield NWR in Washington State.
A barn swallow grabs some break time perched on a branch in the Ridgefield NWR in Washington state.
A fawn pauses in the tall marsh grass at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge in Washington.
An American Bittern hunting the marshes of the Richfield NWR. It was early morning, which might explain its uncharacteristic boldness.
Wood Duck Squad, Roll Out! A group of male and female Wood Ducks cruising the waters of Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge in Portland, Oregon.
Roosevelt Elk on the beach at Ecola State Park in Oregon.
Mama (I presume) pie-billed grebe feeding her surprisingly colorful babies in the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. Click through and zoom in to see the little minnow she's giving her offspring.
American Bittern amidst the marsh grass in the Ridgefield NWR in Western Washington. These medium-sized herons tend to be shy and can be hard to spot.
Bullfrogs a Trois 3 bullfrogs in a marshy canal, facing the camera, stacked on top of each other with the smallest frog on the bottom and largest frog on top. I'm pretty sure bullfrogs don't do conga lines, so cue the bow chikka wow wow music for this trio in the Ridgefield NWR in western Washington State. Bullfrogs are not native to the western US, and are considered an invasive species in Washington.
Female Red-winged Blackbird in the marsh at Camano Island State Park in western Washington State.
A harbor seal gets splashed by a small wave while resting on a sandbar just off the beach at Camano Island State Park in western Washington State.
Catch O' The Day Bald Eagle flying off with what looks to be a ling cod that it just grabbed out of the waters off Camano Island State Park in western Washington State.
Close up shot of a great blue heron in the rain with reeds and marsh grass in the background.
A pair of bald eagles chilling out on Sauvie Island outside Portland, Oregon last winter. The birds are perched on a branch jutting diagonally upwards out of a dead tree.
A Red-Winged Blackbird launches into its solo atop a cattail in the Ridgefield NWR in western Washington State. The bird is facing right-to-left, with its chest puffed out, tail spread, wings partially flared out and a beak wide open as it sings.
A male Cinnamon Teal gliding in for a landing in the Ridgefield NWR in western Washington State. Its wings are outstretched, showing off the light and blue and iridescent green feathers on its shoulders.
A male Cinnamon Teal voices his opinion as he paddles about a pond in the Ridgefield NWR in western Washington State.
A yellow-headed blackbird singing in the morning light at the Ridgefield NWR in western Washington State. The bird is perched on a thin tree branch. Its body is facing away from the camera, but it has arched its neck and head back and towards the camera to open its beak and sing out loudly.
A Tree swallow takes a break from chasing bugs on a moss-covered tree branch at the Ridgefield NWR in Washington State.
A Black Phoebe - a small flycatcher with a brown head and white belly spotted with black, captured mid-flap as it fought to keep its position over a pond against the wind in the Ridgefield NWR in Washington State.
A Tufted Puffin launches off a cliff on Haystack Rock on Cannon Beach, to head out to the ocean in search of food.
A doe, a female deer, a white-tailed deer, stands in the middle of a grassy field in the early morning light. The grass reaches above her knees.
Left to right: a female California Quail hunts for food along the roadside while her male companion keeps an eye on the big human with the big camera.
A buck grazing in the tall grass checks me out in the Iwetemlaykin State Heritage Site at the edge of Joseph, Oregon. The deer's legs and belly are obscured by the grass. It's antlers are starting grow in anticipation of the fall rut.
A fox watches me from atop a hill covered in tall grass near the edge of a dense copse of trees. The fox is sitting, ears forward, eyes trained on me. It has mixed white and reddish-orange fur, with distinct reddish-orange mask around its eyes and down to its nose.
A Western Gull flies off from the tide pools of Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach with an Ochre Sea Star in its beak. The sheer, seaweed-covered face of lower Haystack Rock is visible in the background.
One tufted puffin looks out calmly from the long grass growing atop part of Haystack Rock on Cannon Beach, while another tufted puffin behind it seems to be yelling at the common murres flying by. In the background, a pair of common murres are tenderly touching beaks, while other common murres look on.
Tufted Puffin in flight. The bird's wings are outstretched on a downward flap as it heads off towards the ocean to hunt for food. It's set against an overcast sky, which rends as white.
Greater Yellowlegs working on finding breakfast in a pond in the Ridgefield NWR in western Washington State. The bird is pulling its long bill out of the water. Water is cascading off the bill, and a long bit of water plant is trailing from it. The bird is up to its chest in the water and it reflection is visible below it, albeit distorted by the ripples in the pond caused by its activity.
A barn swallow checking out the observation post along the auto tour route in the Ridgefield NWR in western Washington State. The small bird is walking along a window.
A small pie-billed grebe pokes its head out of a mat of Azolla in a marshy section of the Ridgefield NWR in western Washington State. Only the brown neck and head and white bill with black stripe of the bird are visible amidst the mass of red Azolla.
A yellow-headed blackbird perches on a cattail in the marshes of the Ridgefield NWR in western Washington State. The bird has brilliant yellow-orange head, with a black path just around the eye. The rest of the bird's feathers are black. It's set against the blue waters of the marsh in the background.
A Sanderling (I think) making a hard right turn as it races along the water's edge in the Pea Island NWR along NC's Outer Banks. There are shells along the beach leading the eye from the bottom of the frame to the bird about 2/3 of the way up. The long pool of water comes in from the left side of the frame behind the bird, and curves at the right side of the photo come in again as it goes all the way to the bottom of the image. The bird is frozen mid-stride, weight on its let leg, as it raises its right leg to execute the turn to follow the water's edge. It has a white belly, brown white and orange back, white head with black streaks, and black legs and beak.
Brown Pelican diving for fish in the Pamlico Sound along the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The bird has its wings semi-outstretched, its neck still in an S-curve, and its bill is just entering the water with a small splash
This little shorebird was hard at work along the beach in the Pea Island NWR yesterday afternoon, despite having sand hurled at its face by the 25-30mph winds. It's a small shorebird, with black legs, white belly and white, orange, and black feathers on its back. It has a mid-length beak, which it's pulling out of the sand after probing for food. One leg is raised above the shallow water it's standing in. Sand particles are visible blowing around the bird.
Two Caspian Terns, arguing perhaps, as they fly over the Pamlico Sound in North Carolina. The birds are white with black feathers at the top of their heads down to just below their eyes. They have bright orange bills and long wings. They are flying extremely close together against a clear blue sky.
Promo image for my Patreon site: A sea gull takes advantage of the lack of people to chill out atop a post as the sun rises out of the ocean behind the Nags Head Pier in Nags Head, on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Another gull flies by on its daily sunrise commute down the beach. The pier and birds are rendered as silhouettes agains the orange sky and rising sun that is halfway out of the ocean.
An American White Pelican lands on the Lewis River in Western Washington State. 1 of 4
Male Wood Duck, Ridgefield NWR, Washington State. The duck is swimming amidst red water plants, with green marsh grass behind it. Its reflection is partially visible in gaps in the red plants on the water;s surface.
Take Hike Human - You're Cramping my Style! A male red-winged blackbird sings and displays perched among the cattails at Ridgefield NWR in Washington state. He's on the very top of a reed, looking straight in to the camera. His tail is flared out and and his bright red-orange shoulder patches are ruffled out and his wings are a little unfurled. His beak is open as he sings.
A Great Egret amidst marsh grass in the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge in western Washington State,. The big white wading bird is stalking through the tall grass, hunting for a mid-morning snack. In its sharp yellow beak, it has a small creature, perhaps a dragonfly or tadpole, that it has just snatched from the water. In another few seconds, it will swallow its tiny prey and resume the hunt.
A Wilson's Snipe hunting in muddy grass at the water's edge, Ridgefield NWR in Washington state. A medium-sized bird with a long bill, large black eyes, and and brown, black and white feathers, with distinctive white stripes down its back when its wings are folded.
A Long-billed Dowitcher, a first for me, catches a tasty worm in the shallows of a pond in the Ridgefield NWR in Washington state. The bird is a chunky, with brown and white feathers, greenish-yellow legs and a long bill. It's wading in a few inches of water at the pond's edge, one leg lifted up as it walks forward, right-to-left across the frame. A large worm dangles from its bill. After a brief wash off, it will be a fine mid-morning meal. Small clumps of mud and vegetation around the bird break up the still surface of the water.
A stunning cinnamon colored duck with red eyes and a black bill, foraging amidst the marsh grasses in the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge in Washington state. There's water dripping off its bill and ripples emanating out from the duck disturbing the reflections in the water. I believe this is a male Cinnamon Teal in breeding plumage.
Pie-billed Grebe, Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge, Portland, Oregon. The mostly brown bird, with black wings and shoulders, and a patch of white at its tail, if facing away from the camera. The grebe has turned its head to the left, in parallel to the camera, showing off its distinctive black striped yellow-brown bill. Dimpled circles in the still water radiate out from the bird, distorting its reflection.
American White Pelican cruising the Lewis River in Washington State. The bill adornment means it's mating season. Horizontal color photograph: the bird is swimming right-to-left across the frame, leaving a trail in the water behind him (not big enough to be wake). The pelican is pure white, with a yellow patch around its blue eye, and an orange bill. About 2/3 of the way down the bill is a small, sail-looking protrusion that indicates mating season.