About Oregon Expat
Sometimes the best view is from the outside, and an American expatriate living in Portugal is, in many ways, outside of both nations. The views can be spectacular. I’m also a science nerd, Mac dweeb, grammar geek, and science fiction author, so the posts in this blog tend to be eclectic.
Click the “About” tab if that wasn’t quite enough detail — or go to my official author website.
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Recent Posts
- Hope, an unfamiliar emotion
- Pompeii takeout and American assumption
- Far Enough
- I have an issue with Netflix’s “Away”
- Now, about *that* topic
- The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
- Alsea Rising: The Seventh Star is in the wild
- Alsea Rising is out and #1!
- Coming soon: Alsea Rising
- On his terms
- Beyoncé: Homecoming
- UPRISING and balance
- The brain radio
- Alsea lovers: This is the one you’ve been waiting for
- The chicken church
Recent Comments
- Fletcher DeLancey on Porto’s most famous bookstore
- pablohaake on Porto’s most famous bookstore
- Alberto on Throwing flowers
- Rael on Portuguese idiom of the day: Lança perfume
- Rael on Portuguese idiom of the day: Lança perfume
- Fletcher DeLancey on Hope, an unfamiliar emotion
- Miriam English on Hope, an unfamiliar emotion
Categories
Category Archives: wildlife
Nat Geo moment
I miss my Oregon birds, some quite desperately (such as Anna’s and rufous hummingbirds, and Swainson’s thrushes), but there are compensations in the fabulous birds of Iberia. One of my favorites is the European bee-eater, which winters in Africa but … Continue reading
Posted in Portugal, wildlife
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Scarce swallowtail
On my walk the other day, I came across a gorgeous swallowtail butterfly perched on a summer-dead thistle. She had the kind of flawless, shining perfection that only comes from a newly-emerged butterfly. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my camera with … Continue reading
Posted in wildlife
4 Comments
Bee timelapse
When photographer Anand Varma was given an assignment on bees for National Geographic, he decided to work with a local beekeeper and keep a hive in his backyard. Familiarity bred fascination, and Varma fell in love with the intricate lives … Continue reading
Posted in biology, wildlife
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Wallpaper Wednesday
Today is a departure from the usual scenic photos, because I love praying mantids, and this photo by Hasan Baglar is gorgeous. Have you ever read instructions on what to do if you’re hiking in the mountains and run into … Continue reading
Posted in wallpaper, wildlife
2 Comments
National Geographic on the veranda
Last week I was watching the sunset from our veranda when I found this brilliant little lady in one of my railing pots: A gorgeous crab spider, waiting amongst the flowers for an unwary pollinating insect to come by. She’s … Continue reading
Posted in wildlife
6 Comments
Bits and pieces
Time for another “let’s start the weekend right” post, by clearing out some bits and pieces. First up, a video left by commenter Erik that could serve as a meditative aid: the life of a baby hummingbird, from hatching to … Continue reading
Posted in biology, science, wildlife
5 Comments
Here there be spiders
If you have a fear of spiders, you might want to skip this post. But you’ll be missing out, because these are videos of jumping spiders, which are the cutest spiders in existence. First up: an Ecuadorian jumping spider that … Continue reading
Posted in video, wildlife
3 Comments
A housing crunch
Guess who found the bookcases in our office? The mason bees. I first noticed when I went to the office to pull out a reference book, and found the telltale signs of excavation: little wood chips on the shelf. But … Continue reading
Posted in wildlife
7 Comments
Link dump (with pretty pictures)
It’s time to clear out a few saved links, which I haven’t found time to build entire blog posts around. So for your reading and viewing pleasure: Take an aerial tour of the world on this page featuring 46 aerial … Continue reading
Mason bee first aid
It’s April, and the air is warm, and that means…mason bee season! A female red mason bee (Osmia rufa) carrying a mud ball. I wrote about my mason bee colony last March, when the boys were popping out. We’re well … Continue reading
Posted in wildlife
7 Comments