Here’s wishing everyone a very safe and Blessed Christmas!
I recently attended the annual River of Lights held at the Albuquerque Botanical Gardens. Each year they make it bigger and better! I hadn’t been for awhile so it was a real treat.
A New Mexico Christmas!
I went with my friend Dia and we had so much fun. This year they offered a “magic hour” from 5-6. You could purchase tickets for this time and they limited the number of participants so you could get some great photos without the crowds. We loved having the place practically to ourselves. The gardens are big enough that we really didn’t see many people.
Only in New Mexico!
We took a few photos of each other in the beautiful lights. It felt very festive!
Here’s a slideshow of all the fabulous lights we saw. If you are viewing this post on a cell phone, click on the photo below and you can scroll through the images.
While in San Antonio last June, I visited the Japanese Tea Garden. It’s not a very big place, but it’s very unique. This site was initially a limestone quarry that opened in 1840. Many of the buildings in San Antonio during that time were built with the stone from this quarry.
Entrance to the gardens
In 1880 it was changed to a cement quarry. At this time a kiln was added to the site, which still stands today.
Old kiln door
Kiln stack and buildings
Such unique craftsmanship
Living quarters for the laborers
More openings for the kiln
By 1917 the cement plant had shut down. The City Parks department of San Antonio launched a program to convert the old quarry into a Japanese Tea Garden. Prison labor was used to shape the quarry into a complex that included walkways, stone arch bridges, an island and a Japanese pagoda.
Restored pagoda, gardens and pond
What a wonderful idea for an old quarry.
Quiet beauty
In 1919, at the city’s invitation, Kimi Elzo Jingu, a local Japanese-American artist, moved to the garden. Him and his wife maintained the garden, lived in the garden and raised 8 children. Kimi died in 1938 and in 1941 the family was evicted from the garden due to the rise of anti-Japanese sentiment of World War II.
Arched path built by prison labor
Such beautiful landscaping
Beautiful!
Bridge to the kiln stack.
The Japanese Tea House up above.
For years the garden sat in neglect and disrepair, becoming a target of graffiti and vandalism. In 2005 the city started restoration on the pagoda-like pavilion.
The roof was rebuilt in 2005.
In 2007 restoration began to restore the ponds and waterfall.
So beautiful!
View from the pagoda
Path to the waterfall.
I loved the waterfall!
All work was completed by 2011. The Jingu family members still alive returned for the public re-opening. In recognition of the garden’s history, it has been designated as a Texas Civil Engineering Landmark, a registered Texas Historic Landmark, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Wonderful paths
Hidden paths
So peaceful
Walkway from the gardens to the zoo nearby
I am so glad this precious gem of history has been saved and has been restored to its previous glory. It was a wonderful place to visit. So peaceful and beautiful.
I loved walking these paths
If I lived here, I would visit often!
Scarlett enjoyed touring the walkways as well. She was curious of the Koi fish and they looked like they were just as curious.
Scarlett was fascinated by the curious koi 🙂
I love the colorful koi fish
I’m so glad I decided to visit the gardens. I would have been sad if I had never taken the time to see such beauty that has been restored to its former glory.
Over the past few weeks I’ve had a chance to get out and bird a time or two. I mostly went out to see some rare sightings that have shown up around town. I missed several, but managed to see a couple to add to my life list.
I visited Valle de Oro a couple times. I had heard there were a number of warblers there. It’s always fun to go find warblers, though my neck complains by the end of the day LOL!
When I arrived at Valle de Oro I saw a pair of coyotes out hunting. One disappeared right away, but the other stayed out long enough to let me get a few good pics.
Coyote
As always, I saw several Western Meadowlarks out singing. I love their beautiful voice.
Western Meadowlark
I walked along the main drainage ditch hoping to see some good birds. A scrub jay announced his presence.
Woodhouse’s Scrub Jay
Then almost right away I heard a lot of birds singing. I just started taking pics of everything that moved. As you know, songbirds are small and fast!!! When I looked at the pics I was surprised to see a several birds I don’t see often. Mainly my nemesis, the Lazuli Bunting. Try my hardest, I can’t get a good pic of this bird.
Lazuli Bunting
Black-Throated Gray Warbler
Cedar Waxwing
I heard several Summer Tanagers singing. It’s amazing how a bright red bird can hide among green leaves. But they can just disappear! I only got a few pics and they weren’t very good. But I did see a Western Tanager female closer to me.
Western Tanager Female
I had been told where a Common Black Hawk’s nest was near the Valle de Oro. So I went on a 2-mile hike to find this beautiful bird. Once I was in the general location, I looked for the nest. I found it way up high in a cottonwood tree. There was no seeing if anything was in the nest. I waited around for a while and eventually heard the hawk calling from a distance. Then to my delight the bird flew in and landed near the nest. A lifer for me! At first I barely saw him as he was deep in the leaves.
Common Black Hawk
Eventually he moved to a better location for photos. This is a magnificent bird. From what I understand there are only about 250 breeding pairs in the US. They are easily disturbed by humans and are known to abandon nests if bothered too much. So after getting a few pics, I quietly left the area to let them raise their young undisturbed.
Common Black Hawk
On my way back I saw a flycatcher along the ditch. I believe it’s a Hammond’s Flycatcher.
Hammond’s Flycatcher
Then I heard another bird calling that I only rarely hear – a Gray Catbird. Always a treat to see and hear! I only managed one pic and that was from behind.
Gray Catbird
While hiking along he ditch, I enjoyed the wild irises blooming.
Wild irises
While hiking at Valle de Oro I came across this interesting insect. I tried looking it up, but I can’t figure out what it is.
Not sure what this cute guy is….
I had heard about a very rare sighting in the East Mountain area that I just had to go find. There was a Golden-Winged Warbler sighted and it was practically in my back yard. After much searching I was rewarded with a short view of this bird. I took several photos before he disappeared into the deep brush. I managed to get a few decent pics. Another lifer!
Golden-Winged Warbler
Golden-Winged Warbler
While hiking there I was treated to some beautiful wild apple blossoms.
Wild apple tree blossoms
I visited the Rio Grande Nature Center. I hadn’t been there in a while, so it was a treat to see it in the springtime. Right away I heard a Yellow-Breasted Chat singing. I managed to find it in a tree on the island in the pond. So it was quite a distance away.
Yellow-Breasted Chat
I also saw the resident roadrunners in the parking lot. Always fun to photograph!
Greater Roadrunner
While walking the paths, I heard some Summer Tanagers talking back and forth amongst each other. This time I had more success getting photos of the pair.
Summer Tanager male
Summer Tanager female
There were several Black-Chinned Hummingbirds visiting the feeders. Whenever there are several hummingbirds at a feeder, there’s always fights defending their food. For a tiny bird, they are fierce!
Black-Chinned Hummingbird
Uh oh! He sees another hummer coming for him!
Defending the feeder!
Here are some of the other birds I saw on my visit.
Canada Goose
Western-Wood Pewee
Lesser Goldfinch
Ash-Throated Flycatcher
The gardens were beginning to bloom. The bees were happily gathering pollen.
Poppies
Shooting stars
Giant black bee
I was entertained by a resident White-Winged Dove that has become very tame. The gardeners told me his name was Lonesome Larry. He was so tame, he would take see from your hand. He stayed so close to me, that I barely got photos because my zoom lens had a hard time focusing on such a close subject. 🙂
White-Winged Dove
Lonesome Larry
Such beautiful coloring
I’ve been keeping an eye on a Red-Tailed Hawk’s nest not far from my house. When I visited recently, I saw the eggs have finally hatched. When I first looked, I thought there was only one baby. But the mother flew off the nest and I saw two babies!
Red-Tailed Hawk with babies
It’s been great getting out birding. It was nice to see all the summer birds returning to Albuquerque.
In early April I flew to Atlanta to surprise one of my best friends, Kelly, on her 40th birthday. She had no idea I was coming, so it was a wonderful surprise for her.
Her local friends put on a fabulous party for her. It was first class! They even got her an ice sculpture!!! I also stayed up the longest I ever had. I got up at 3:30 am to catch my flight and when I landed I immediately went to the party. Things didn’t wrap up there until 3:30 am and then we had an hour’s drive to Kelly’s house. I don’t think I went to be until after 5 am!
Kelly & Kelly
Me with Bob Dylan – one of Kelly’s favorite artists
Another friend named Angie also flew in to surprise Kelly. The three of us used to work together here in Albuquerque, but eventually Angie and Kelly moved away. Thankfully we have kept in touch and manage to see each other periodically.
The day after the party, the three of us wanted to do something together. But nothing too adventurous since we were slightly hungover and short on sleep. It was a pretty nice day so we decided to visit the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. I’m so glad we went. We strolled and visited and enjoyed beautiful scenery.
The day we were there was the last day of an orchid show. They had over 400 variety of orchids on display. Stunning! I had no idea there were so many varieties!
Angie, Kelly & Kelly
Kelly & Kelly
The show was held in the Conservatory. A very large building that had several types of climates.
Conservatory
Conservatory
Here’s some of the stunning orchids we saw. I could have posted so many more than this! 🙂
I never would have guessed these were orchids.
This one looks like the head of a cobra snake.
Stunning colors and patterns
Gorgeous!
Interesting pattern
Touring the conservatory was just amazing. Everywhere you looked, there was something unique. No niche was left without some kind of plant. You wanted to walk through slowly so as not to miss some little treasure.
These strands are roots of plants planted 30 feet above in the ceiling. I loved this!
All of these colors are on one plant.
I thought this looked like the mouth of the Kraken! Arrrgh!!! 🙂
There were many varieties of pitcher plants. Fascinating!
These stripes looked painted on.
Outside, we walked along an elevated footpath that offered stunning views of the gardens and you felt like you were walking in the tree tops.
Elevated path.
There were wonderful statues throughout the gardens. One of my favorites was of a bust of a woman. It will be a living statue in the warmer months. But for now, she’s bare but still beautiful.
Fat, lazy frog!
Adorable statue of a boy catching frogs.
Creative fountain.
I really liked this deer statue.
The living statue. I hope to see this woman transformed with living, blooming plants.
We visited the children’s garden. Kelly hates snakes, she didn’t want to walk on this path. LOL!
A little gnome was trying to get my attention 😉
psssst!
The grounds were just beautiful. I can only imagine this place in the warmer months. It must be spectacular!
The pink tree is dead. They painted it to give it a second life.
So creative!
I liked the perfect pine tree
One of my favorite photos was of the English garden area. Just beautiful!
English Garden
I think we only saw maybe a 1/3rd of the gardens that day. It’s a huge place. It was still pretty cold in Atlanta. But there were a few blooming plants and trees outside.
One of my favorite blooming trees – the Dogwood
Azaleas!
Not sure what this flower was, but this is exactly what it looked like. Seriously!!
Stunning Japanese Maple
We came across these vivid azaleas. Such striking colors!
Can you believe these colors!?!
The trees in Atlanta are so tall. I’m not used to trees that big. Things are more stunted out here in the desert.
I have a confession to make about this post. Can you believe I didn’t bring my camera with me to Atlanta?!? I was only going for 3 days and the forecast said rain the whole time. I just figured we wouldn’t get out so didn’t want to keep up with my camera. I was grieving for it!!!
My purse I used looks like a camera. So Kelly took a picture of me acting like I’m taking a photo with my camera purse. That’s how desperately I was wanting my camera!
So what did I use to take these photos? My phone!!! Our phone’s cameras have improved tremendously over the last few years. I was real pleased with what I captured. I hope you agree!
I’m planning on visiting again in August. I will definitely be bringing my good camera then!!!
I have long wanted to go birding in Southeastern Arizona. They have a wonderful variety of birds that can’t be found anywhere else in the US. Many birds are residents of Mexico. So when my husband suggested we plan a long weekend trip to SE Arizona, I was thrilled!
It takes over 7 hours to get there from our house. The day we left, a front was blowing through and we were driving with a headwind that was 50 mph+. Terrible conditions for traveling. At one point, we lost quite a bit of visibility.
Dust storm we traveled through on I10.
By the time we got to Tucson, the sun was starting to set. Thankfully the wind had died down considerably. We had just enough time to stop in at a beautiful historic mission located just south of Tucson. It’s called the Mission San Xavier Del Bac and was completed in 1797. When we arrived, it had just closed for the day. Too bad….I would have loved to see the inside. But the outside is just stunning!
The mission is undergoing restoration. You can see the left side is all new and white. The right side is now being restored. They have removed the dome and will restore it at a later time.
Mission San Xavier Del Bac
Kelly at the entrance.
I loved all the many details of the mission. It was fun to explore.
Several statues adorn the mission.
Very detailed flourishes.
Rustic window decor.
Rattlesnake door handle
The desert gardens around the building were very nice.
Beautiful desert gardens
There were a few birds around the mission. I managed to get a few pics in the low light.
Northern Cardinal
Gila Woodpecker
Cactus Wren
There’s a hill next to the mission with a shrine to Virgin Mary. It had a gate with interesting lion statues.
Lion statue on the hill. The clouds look like lion’s breath.
Grotto of Lourdes
Virgin Mary
As we hiked to the top of the hill, the views got more expansive.
View of the mission
View looking north toward Tucson
As we were leaving I took this last shot of the property. I thought it looked like God shining from the heavens.
From blogging about my 20th Anniversary trip. 🙂 Don’t worry, I will get it finished here this coming week. I’m sure you’re looking forward to seeing my photos from Zion National Park.
Fall is in full swing here in New Mexico. I managed to get out for a few short hikes.
Fall colors along Sandia Crest
One day Scarlett and I went to Corrales and walked the irrigation ditch. Birding was pretty quiet that day. But I managed to get a few decent pics.
American Robin
Western Tanager
Blue Grosbeak juvenile
Lesser Goldfinch
But the highlight of the day was seeing a porcupine that had come out of the brush to get a drink. He took his sweet time getting a drink and then he started walking towards Scarlett and I. I kept a tight hold on Scarlett’s leash in case she felt the need to go inspect him closer. He came within a few feet of us. He then stopped and shook himself several times. Scarlett had her nose stretched out getting good sniffs in. That guy was stinky!
Porcupine
Getting in a good shake
You can see his orange teeth and big claws
Walking in the area around my home I came across a few good birds. They are enjoying the various wildflowers that have started turning to seed.
Mountain Chickadee
Hammond’s Flycatcher
Lesser Goldfinch
Broad-Tailed Hummingbird
You can see pollen on its beak
Lovely!
On one afternoon I was able to stop in at the Rio Grande Nature Center. It was pretty quiet there except for an inquisitive Greater Roadrunner. He cooperated nicely for a few pics.
Greater Roadrunner
I love the colors on these birds
Watching me closely
I love these birds!
I babysat Valerie’s dog Mya for 10 days. We went on several short walks. Scarlett was thrilled to have her best friend along. Scarlett taught Mya how to pose for photos. 🙂
Mya and Scarlett
Scarlett started her heat. I have a small Chihuahua named Henry. He normally snubs Scarlett whenever she tries to socialize with him. But during her heat he’s been in love with her!
Henry flirting with Scarlett
She was loving the attention!
When Henry wasn’t flirting with Scarlett, he was hunting lizards in the yard. I caught him watching a lizard on the side of the house.
Henry watching a lizard who’s watching a grasshopper
While digging in the garden I dug up a juicy grub. To reward the lizard for putting up with Henry, I tossed the grub where he could get it. He quickly grabbed it up and ran behind the garden fence under a drain spout. It took some doing, but I was able to get a photo of him trying to eat that fat grub.
Happy lizard!
Scarlett and Mya were hanging out in the garden with me too.
My sweet Miss Scarlett
Beautiful Mya
I love fall but it never seems to last long enough….
I was able to get out a couple times this week for walks with Scarlett. And one morning I got up really early to bird in Moriarty.
On one morning I stopped in at the duck ponds at Tingley Beach. I hadn’t been there in a while. I only had about 30 minutes to walk around. There were quite a few birds, but most we too camera shy. I did manage to get a Blue Grosbeak photo though he was deep in the shadows.
Blue Grosbeak
I was surprised to see a snail on the trail. Now those of you that live in humid areas probably don’t get too excited about snails. But here in the desert, they are a real treat to see. All the monsoon rains must have brought it out of hiding.
One of my favorite things to see every summer is the Japanese Beetle. I think they are so beautiful. I can always count on seeing them on these blossoms.
Japanese Beetles
But the biggest surprise of the short walk, was getting very close to a Green Heron. They are usually so shy at the duck ponds. As soon as you see them they will fly to the far side of the pond or out to the island in the middle. This particular heron let me get within 5 feet of him. I had to lean over and peer through cattails, but I did get a pretty nice photo before he decided he had enough of me.
Green Heron
A few days ago I drove out to my favorite spot in Moriarty – Valley Irrigation Road. I hadn’t been out there in months. I only stayed out about an hour. Work has still been so busy. But even in that short time, I saw quite a few nice birds.
First I saw a Western Kingbird and House Sparrow enjoying the morning sun.
Western Kingbird
House Sparrow
Soon after I saw a Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher. I love these tiny little birds.
Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher
In this same area I also saw a House Wren and a very elusive and fast Wilson’s Warbler.
House Wren
Wilson’s Warbler
Further down the road, I saw several Swainson’s Hawks. Most flew before I got anywhere near them. But I did get closer to one for a photo before it flew away.
Swainson’s Hawk
At Otto Pond I saw lots of sparrows and finches enjoying all the sunflowers and corn plants.
Otto Pond area on Valley Irrigation Road
I had a very cooperative House Finch.
House Finch
And saw lots of sparrows.
Brewer’s Sparrow
Clay-Colored Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
I even saw a hummingbird enjoying all those beautiful sunflowers.
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Around home I’ve encountered a few interesting things. I have a lot of lizards around my home. This particular guy was enjoying the warm sun in my backyard. It’s not often you get to see that gorgeous blue throat.
Striped Plateau Lizard
A new batch of Two-Tailed Swallowtail butterflies must have hatched. Because I’ve seen quite a few of them in my yard these last few days. A few lingered long enough for photos.
Two-Tailed Swallowtail
Pretty on my petunias!
While walking Scarlett in the neighborhood, we came across a 5-foot long bull snake snoozing behind the back tires of my car. It had recently eaten, as you can tell by the thick middle.
Bull Snake
It was determined to stay by my car. So I picked it up to move it safely off the road. It needed to get hidden so no one would kill it. Bull snakes are great for rodent control. But some people think they need to kill all snakes. When I picked it up, I soon realized it was a long as I was tall which made it over 5 feet long!
This snake was very tame. I’ve found most bull snakes are.
Once safely off the road, I tried to take some more photos, but it wasn’t interested in that. I managed to get a couple before it quickly disappeared.
Bull Snake
I took a photo of Scarlett while walking this morning. She’s modeling her new blue sparkly collar with a pretty flower. 🙂
Scarlett modeling her new collar.
My Canyon Towhee’s had a late batch of babies. I noticed this one was hanging out in the seed dish. He sat very still, I’m sure hoping I didn’t see him.
Baby Canyon Towhee
And there are still lots of Lesser Goldfinches hanging out in my yard.
Lesser Goldfinch
In my garden, I’ve been seeing a lot of praying mantis. I think they are my most favorite insect. This one was enjoying my squash plant.
Praying Mantis
That’s about it for the past week or so. I hope you’re enjoying your summer!
Last Monday I had to deliver something to the north end of Albuquerque. So I took advantage of the drive and decided to walk along the irrigation ditch behind Corrales. It was a hot day, and I didn’t get on the trail until 11 am. I figured there wouldn’t be any birds about at that hour, but I was surprised. There were quite a number of them out.
Right away I saw a Blue Grosbeak singing. Such a beautiful bird. And he posed briefly for me too!
Blue Grosbeak
Soon after I saw a pair of Summer Tanagers. Both of them were very busy flying about. I never could get a good shot of the female. But I did manage a decent shot of the male. It’s difficult to photograph birds in the trees when the sun is straight overhead!
Summer Tanager male – you can tell he’s hot!
The cottonwood trees are busy making cotton to spread their seeds. A Chipping Sparrow was collecting some of this cotton to line its nest.
Chipping Sparrow gathering nesting material
Chipping Sparrow
I saw a family of crows. The baby was begging and begging for food. They were deep in the shade. I guess I would be too if I was a black bird living in the desert!
American Crows
An Ash-Throated Flycatcher made a brief appearance for me. Then he was q1uickly gone again.
Ash-Throated Flycatcher
Then to my surprise, a Mississippi Kite flew over me and landed in a tree nearby. He sat there a few minutes and groomed his feathers. That was such a nice surprise! I have only seen this bird once before in Texas a few years ago.
Mississippi Kite
Fortunately the trail was fairly shady, or Scarlett and I would have roasted in the heat and sun!
Corrales Irrigation Ditch trail – you can see Scarlett in the lower right looking for a lizard.
After the long walk, I was driving out of the neighborhood where I had parked. I couldn’t help but notice the giant Century Plant blooming. I had never seen one actively blooming before. I’ve only seen the dead flower standing tall. These are a type of agave plant. And they only bloom once in their 25-30 year life. Once they bloom, they die. So it’s bittersweet to see one blooming.
Blooming Century Plant
After admiring this beautiful blooming plant, I couldn’t help but notice that this home had gorgeous gardens. It was stunning! I took a few photos of the blooming gardens, but they just didn’t do it justice. What I had really wanted to do was go in their back yard. That looked amazing!
Desert garden in Corrales
Beautiful gladiolas
While photographing the gardens, I noticed a Lesser Goldfinch feeding on some flower seeds just a few feet away from me.
Lesser Goldfinch
I couldn’t resist photographing the bees enjoying the beautiful gladiola flowers. There were so many buzzing about.
There were other insects enjoying the blooming garden as well.
Weird bug!
This grasshopper has cool looking eyes!
I saw a hummingbird briefly, but I never could get a good photo of him as he was deep in the flowers.
Can you see the hummingbird?
And the sunflowers were absolutely stunning!
I love sunflowers!
An American Robin was enjoying the shade and deep grasses under a tree. Smart bird!
American Robin
It was a great hike. And such wonderful subjects to photograph on a summer afternoon.
At home my Cooper’s Hawk has a hatchling! I can only see one chick right now. Not sure if there will be any more. I could tell it must have hatched in the just last couple days because it was very wobbly on its feet. I only got a couple of terrible photos today. Hopefully I will get some better ones as it gets a little older and stronger.
Baby Cooper’s Hawk
The baby tried standing up and fell over. 🙂
And then I noticed I caught a squirrel! I have declared war on the squirrels at my house. They have multiplied and are causing a lot of damage to my house, gardens and chickens. They steal my chicken eggs. They’ve been eating plants out of my garden. And they’ve been pulling the stuffing out of the cushions on my swing. So I’ve been actively trapping them and transporting them a few miles away. This little girl was squirrel #7 that I’ve trapped in just the past few weeks.
Squirrel #7 in my car ready to be taken to a new location. I have to admit it is adorable…
There have been a lot of butterflies flying around my home lately. I managed to get a couple of nice shots last weekend. I think the Two-Tailed Swallowtail is State Fair worthy. Yet another photo to have to consider in my long list of potential State Fair entries.
Juniper Hairstreak
Two-Tailed Swallowtail
Lastly, I’ve had a lot of female hummingbirds building nests. They come and get nesting material from a ball I’ve hung in a tree. As of yet, I haven’t found any of their nests this year. They can hide them well!
Recently I took Scarlett for an early morning walk along the Rio Grande near Alameda Open Space. There were lots of birds singing, enjoying the early summer weather. I managed to get what is probably my best photo yet of a Summer Tanager. For some reason I have a hard time getting a great photo of these birds.
Summer Tanager
A Black Phoebe was feeding along the irrigation ditch next to the river.
Black Phoebe
Then to my surprise, a whole flock of Cedar Waxwing flew in and started catching flying bugs along this ditch. I didn’t know they did this. They would fly out and snag a bug and fly back. Not as graceful as the Black Phoebe, but still fun to watch. I took several photos of them. Who can resist photographing the beautiful Cedar Waxwings?!
Cedar Waxwing
Cedar Waxwing
Cedar Waxwing
The day was so nice, so I decided to pop into the Botanical Gardens.
Main path of the gardens
I figured the summer flowers should be blooming great by now. And I was right! The roses were especially nice. Here’s a few of the best photos I took.
There were quite a number of butterflies out, but most of them wouldn’t land long enough for a photo. This Cabbage White was the most cooperative.
Cabbage White
The Japanese Garden is always my favorite to visit. I love the water features there. I found this smaller waterfall that I never notice before.
Black Phoebe
While photographing the waterfall, I realized there were several dragonflies buzzing by. I can never resist photographing dragonflies. But they are such a challenge to get a crisp photo. But I still try!
I have wanted to get a photo of the red dragonflies for a long time. I think the red color is so striking. I finally had a cooperative subject!
I also found a lot of dragonflies at the main pond of the Gardens. The blue ones were very busy chasing each other.
There were a lot of bullfrogs singing at the pond. And they have been busy reproducing! I couldn’t believe how many tadpoles were in the water.
This frog has a lot of Cottonwood Tree fluff stuck to him.
Bullfrog tadpoles
On the main pond, there were a large number of young male Wood Ducks. They look pretty scrappy changing into their adult plumage.
Young male Wood Duck
The water lilies were blooming nicely in the pond.
In the Memorial Garden area I saw this American Robin fly down and start basking in the warm sun. He looked like he was really enjoying that sun bath.
American Robin
Lots of House Finches were singing. One of them was an Orange-Morph. I don’t see this coloration very often.
Orange-Morph House Finch
I need to visit the gardens more often. They are very relaxing and provide lots of opportunities for photography.
Last time I wrote, I had just ended the 2016 Birdathon. Since the event ended at 10 am and I was only about 15 miles from Carlsbad Caverns, I decided to stop in and tour the cave before heading home. I hadn’t been there since the 80s.
I understood there are cave swallows that live at the entrance of the cave. These birds can only be seen in New Mexico way down south along the Texas border. So, of course, I just had to go see this bird as it would be a lifer for me.
Luckily I had my tripod with me as they were nesting deep under the cave roof. This made for very low lighting. But I managed to get a few decent shots. My biggest disappointment in my camera is that it performs poorly in low light conditions. Otherwise, I love my camera. It’s small, lightweight and can zoom way out there.
Cave Swallow
Cave Swallow
After taking a few minutes to photograph the birds, I descended into the cave. The cave descends 1.25 miles….and the elevator is broken……sigh…..
I really enjoyed touring the caves. It is truly spectacular to see in person. Photographs just cannot capture the real beauty of the formations. I took a lot of photos, but overall I am disappointed in them because my camera just struggles in low light. Here are a few of the more passable photos.
Overall, I walked 4 miles. The ascent out of the cave was tough as I was the last one out and the park rangers were wanting to close up. But I was proud of myself as I felt good climbing out. All the walking this year has paid off! But I have to say I was relieved to see the entrance of the cave after all that climbing.
I was a sweaty mess after that hike, but I had to take a selfie because I was proud of myself 🙂
Me after hiking the cavern.
The cactus garden at the entrance of the cavern was in full bloom. I love the vibrant colors of the the cacti flowers.
When I got home I saw my bleeding heart plants were in full bloom. I couldn’t resist photographing them. And I was pleased to get a nice photo of a Pine Siskin enjoying my garden.
Pine Siskin
This week I took several short excursions around home to look for more spring/summer birds.
I had heard there are Acorn Woodpeckers in a canyon near Los Alamos, NM. So on Tuesday I headed up there to find them. They have a very unique voice and that’s how I first found them. I was thrilled. This is a gorgeous bird and not very commonly seen in New Mexico.
Acorn Woodpecker
Around mid-week I went up to Cienega Canyon to see what might be about. Most of the birds were being shy that day so it was a challenge to get photographs.
Steller’s Jay
Hairy Woodpecker
American Robin
Broad-Tailed Hummimgbird
Warbling Vireo
Red-Naped Sapsucker
Mountain Chickadee
The highlight of that outing was seeing a whole flock of Grace’s Warblers. Beautiful birds. I managed to get quite a few nice photos as they foraged in the pines around me.
Grace’s Warbler
Miss Scarlett was being very patient waiting for me to photograph birds.
Miss Scarlett
Later in the week I stopped in at Valle de Oro. It was very quiet in the fields, but the bosque along the river was busy with birds. It was a beautiful day and Scarlett and I had a great time exploring.
Greater Roadrunner
Western Kingbird
Yellow-Breasted Chat
Summer Tanager
On Saturday I was heading to Valerie’s house for a fun day of scrapbooking. She lives in Placitas. I had heard there were Red-Headed Woodpeckers in Algodones, which is just up the road from Placitas. So I stopped there first to see if I could find this woodpecker.
As Scarlett and I were heading into the bosque to look for this bird, we both heard a rattlesnake!!!! It was about 3 feet in front of us hiding in the shade in front of a post!!
Now recently Scarlett attended a rattlesnake-proofing class to help prevent her from getting snake bites. As soon as she heard that rattle, she was 30 feet away at the car! I guess the training worked perfectly!!! I was thrilled!!!! Of course, my heart was pounding in fear as well as Scarlett’s. The sight and sound of a rattlesnake is most fearsome! But being the obsessed photographer, I had to take a few photos.
Western Diamondback
Western Diamondback
There were some people nearby that heard me cry out when I saw the rattlesnake. They came over to help get this snake to move off the trail. They had a canoe paddle and were trying to shoo it along. But it kept striking the paddle. I wish I had gotten a photo of that, but I was busy making sure Scarlett was safely away.
Since it didn’t want to move with the paddle poking at it, the guy started scooping up dirt and tossing it at the snake. That did the trick and it finally moved on. Whew!!!!!
Western Diamondback
After that initial heart-pounding excitement, I headed into the bosque to find that woodpecker. It took a little coaxing to get Scarlett to join me. 🙂
The directions for the location of the bird were spot on. I found it almost immediately. It didn’t want me to get too close, so I didn’t get very good photos. This is another beautiful woodpecker. I was thrilled to add another lifer to my list. I’m up to 358 lifer birds I have photographed!
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