Photographing Oregon Wildlife in Our Backyard
Created: September 24, 2026
Over time, I've had the opportunity to photograph some amazing wildlife in Oregon. And the best part is that most of the photos I've taken have been right in our backyard. I can't tell you how many times I went to grab a snack and found a butterfly floating around the bush outside our kitchen window, or had the back door open for fresh air and heard the croak of a frog in the garden. You don't need to visit a national park here to see incredible wildlife. We're very fortunate to live in a place where wildlife can be found year-round. It's one of the main reasons I love to call Oregon and the Willamette Valley home.
Sometimes, I had to run and grab my camera quickly to take a burst of shots. Other times, I had time to relax and be a bit more methodical with how I wanted the photos to turn out. Of course, I'm not a mind reader or animal whisperer, so it took a lot of patience to get the angle and composition I was going for.
All photos were taken on my Sony A6100 digital camera, a 55-210mm telephoto lens, and two extension tubes, a 10mm and a 16mm. This allowed me to stand far enough away without intruding on their space and still get photos with fine detail. Shooting at the longer end of the 55-210mm telephoto lens and using an aperture of f/5.6 helped separate the subjects from the background, while the extension tubes allowed me to focus more closely and capture finer details.
Pacific Tree Frog
An Oregon native and the official state amphibian, the Pacific tree frog, is always a nice surprise, but usually turns out to be a “Where's Waldo” situation. We typically hear them before we see them, and this particular frog wasn't easy to find at first. They're tiny, only an inch or two long, and love to hide out in cool, damp locations. With the telephoto lens and extension tubes, I was able to get a close shot that really brought out the details in this frog.
Western Tiger Swallowtail
The Western Tiger Swallowtail is another native to Oregon, and we get a ton of them in our backyard during the warmer seasons. One of those moments came when I walked into the kitchen and spotted one outside the window. I already had the camera ready on speed dial, so I grabbed it, ran outside, and followed the butterfly for a few moments at a short distance. The butterfly was attracted to the butterfly bush and hung on long enough for me to capture this photograph. The color contrast between the butterfly's wings and the purple flowers makes this photo one of my favorites.
Garter Snake
We have a huge family of garter snakes that like to hang out below the wood steps in our backyard. They love to come out when it warms up. I was taking a photo of a flower nearby, turned around, and noticed the snake sunbathing on the wood step. Surprised, and a bit apprehensive, I was able to grab a quick shot. The snake didn't seem to mind that I was there and only slithered away after I left.
Bumblebee
We'll see four or five bumblebees crowded into the same wisteria bush at a time when it's in full bloom around the beginning to middle of summer. They didn't stick around in the same spot for too long, and I didn't want to disturb them while they were minding their own business pollinating, so I put the camera in burst mode and took a bunch of photos at once. I was a bit nervous being around them all at once, so it was a quick shoot, but I was super happy with how it turned out.
Anna's Hummingbird
The hummingbird shots were probably the most challenging of them all. They didn't seem to mind that I was there as long as I didn't make any quick, sudden movements. The challenge came from capturing the movement of their wings without there being too much blur. I had to rely on a slower shutter speed as it was getting dark, which made keeping the camera steady even more difficult. They generally come and go quickly, so I didn't have time to set up the tripod. I had to do my best with taking the photos at the right time while keeping my hands as steady as possible. We set up a hummingbird feeder after this shot was taken, so I'll give it another go when they're perched and rested next time.
Final Thoughts
Some of my favorite wildlife photographs in Oregon have come from places I see every day. A butterfly outside our kitchen window, a tiny frog hiding in the bush, or a snake warming itself on the back steps can turn an ordinary afternoon into an unexpected opportunity to photograph something I might have otherwise overlooked. I'm looking forward to seeing what else shows up in the backyard. I couldn't be more grateful to have opportunities like this to take photos of amazing wildlife.