It’s been a few years since I hiked the Hondo Canyon trail. It’s one of the few places you can see water year round in the Sandia Mountains.
I got up early to beat the summer heat. Scarlett was thrilled to be out during the cool morning. I was enjoying the morning as well.
The first part of the hike is fairly easy and I think pretty with the rock wall and trees.
After a short while I could see the caves next to the waterfall.
Caves at the Travertine falls
Soon we arrived at the small travertine waterfall. This time of year the spring flow is very low. This created just a trickle for the falls.
Travertine Falls
I was surprised to see dozens of hummingbirds swarming around the falls. They were drinking and bathing. I was fascinated that they would actually cling to the wall of the waterfall to bathe. I stayed here at the waterfall for a good 30 minutes watching and photographing all the beautiful hummingbirds.
Enjoying the light showerLooks like an emerald jewelThis one really got in there for a good bath
Sometimes I was lucky enough to have one perch nearby for a few moments.
Black-Chinned HummingbirdBroad-Tailed HummingbirdOne hummingbird enjoying the last flowers of this shooting star bloom
People often ask me how I bird with Scarlett. Doesn’t she scare the birds away??? She’s so good. She just lays down and sits quietly. And sometimes she point out birds to me by staring at them.
Scarlett patiently waiting for me to photograph the hummingbirds
After an enjoyable 30 minutes, I climbed above the waterfall to where the spring starts. It’s a beautiful, lush area.
Looking down onto the fallsOld juniper tree with wild mustang grapes in the foregroundJust a small trickle right nowA little “house” of sticks
After the spring, the trail really starts to climb. I had forgotten how steep this trail is. Scarlett didn’t seem to notice. She would run ahead and then wait, wondering what was taking me so long.
Scarlett had no trouble with the trailShe’s wants me to hurry up!
After the short but steep climb, the views start to open up. But difficult to see with all the vegetation.
The views started opening up with the climbLooking south toward I40
One of the parts of the trail I like is climbing up to a small Ponderosa Pine grove. Ponderosa Pine forests are my favorite because of the openness below the canopy. This area is always good for sighting the pygmy nuthatch. I love their piping voices. I heard lots of them today, but sadly couldn’t get a photo.
A young Ponderosa Pine grove
After reaching this point, I decided to turn around. The morning was really starting to warm up fast. When we reached the spring on the way back, Scarlett stretched out in it to cool off. Smart girl! Of course, she loves water and looks for any excuse to get in it.
Scarlett cooling off in the spring water
Back at the waterfall, the hummingbirds had gone quiet but other birds were out and about.
A Hairy Woodpecker way up in the canopyVery difficult getting a photo of a Virginia’s Warbler feeding in the canopy
It was interesting to see a Lesser Goldfinch land on the wall of the falls and peck a the surface. I figured she must be getting important minerals from the travertine wall.
Lesser Goldfinch
Before leaving the trail, I made Scarlett pose for me on the pretty rock wall. She loves to climb on things and pose for me. I guess she knows it makes me happy.
My pretty girl!I liked the perspective of this composition
It was fun to get out again and seeing nature’s beauty and forget about all the stressful things in my life right now.
Yesterday I had to drive almost to Grants to meet a client. It was a cold, dreary day. On my way home I decided to stop in at Piedras Marcadas Petroglyphs so Scarlett and I could stretch our legs.
There weren’t any birds about, but there was an adorable, curious squirrel.
Antelope Squirrel
I crept closer hoping to get a better pic.
And closer still….. He let me take several photos before diving behind the rocks.
Just too darn adorable!
There were some hot air balloons up while I was hiking. One of them was landing behind the mesa. I took this pic just before it disappeared.
After working most of the day today, I managed to take a couple hours to hike and bird before sundown. I wasn’t sure what I would see being so late in the day. But surprisingly I saw few nice goodies.
Over the last few days we’ve had some cold, snowy weather. A couple days ago while in town, I took a photo of the Sandia Mountains. I love it when they are covered in clouds and snow.
Stormy Sandia Mountains
Thankfully today was more sunny and warmer. I first stopped in at a small park in Albuquerque to find a Western Screech Owl that has been seen there snoozing in a tree. Considering 90% of the trees in the park were too small for an owl, it was pretty easy to find him.
Western Screech Owl
Snoozin’ the day away
I love seeing owls in the wild. It’s always a real treat. After taking a few pics, I moved so as not to disturb him or draw attention to him from the other folks playing in the little park.
I then headed over to Willow Creek. I hadn’t been there in a while so it sounded like fun to go see what was about. On my way in to the park, I spied this Western Bluebird hunting for dinner.
Western Bluebird
As I was taking photos, he saw something on the ground and I managed to get a few shots of him getting a grub.
yummy….
It was a good find, so he took off with it to enjoy at his leisure. Beautiful!
My favorite photo of the day
Along the trail I saw Lesser Goldfinches, White-Crowned Sparrows, House Finches and Spotted Towhees. All of these birds were too shy to have their photo taken. But there were a lot of American Robins about. They were much more cooperative.
American Robin
There’s one point on the trail that affords a great view of the Sandias. I took this pic there. You can see there’s still snow about half way up the mountain.
To my delight I spied a Red-Tailed Hawk that was looking for a meal. Such a beautiful bird! And look at those claws!
Just before leaving I saw a Say’s Phoebe looking for dinner.
Say’s Phoebe
He too found something to eat and quickly took off with it.
That’s about it for my short afternoon walks. But any time hiking, birding and doing photography is a time well spent.
The weather here in New Mexico has been very mild for wintertime. So I took advantage of the nice day and went birding yesterday. I haven’t had much chance to bird lately, so it was a real treat to have a whole day to visit several places and get some fun bird sightings.
My first stop was to visit the Rio Grande Nature Center for their Saturday morning bird walk. When you go on their guided tours, you get taken into places of the park you normally can’t visit. So it’s always a treat to go behind the scenes.
The early morning temperatures were in the mid 20s, so it was definitely a cold start. The ducks didn’t seem very happy about standing on the ice instead of swimming in the water.
Mallards and Wood Ducks
A Black-Crowned Night Heron was hiding in the bushes nearby.
Black-Crowned Night Heron
On the main pond there were a few ducks enjoying the area that hadn’t frozen over. It was a treat to see a Hooded Merganser male. Even though they are common in our area during the winter, you just don’t see them that often.
Hooded Merganser
Along with the Hooded Merganser there were a few other visitors.
Ruddy Ducks in the Foreground and a Canvasback female in the back
American Coot on the left and a Pied-Billed Grebe on the right
Pied-Billed Grebe
Mallard
Canada Geese
We saw a few other birds along our walk, but for the most part it was quiet.
A variety of blackbirds
Sandhill Crane
Sandhill Crane
Western Bluebird
After the guided tour, I walked around the park a little more to see what might be visiting the feeders. There was a nice variety of birds enjoying the free meal.
Spotted Towhee
Red-Winged Blackbird female
White-Crowned Sparrow
White-Crowned Sparrow
Downy Woodpecker
Bewick’s Wren
White-Throated Sparrow
Black-Capped Chickadee
I walked down to the Rio Grande to see what might be hanging out at the river. Over the past few years Albuquerque has had a flock of Ring-Billed Seagulls hanging out on the sand bars of the Rio Grande near Alameda Street. This year those sand bars got flooded over by the river. I had wondered where the seagulls had moved to since their usual spot was too deep for them. I was excited to see they had found a new area behind the nature center. I scanned the flock to see if there were any other breeds visiting the flock, but I didn’t see any this time.
Ring-Billed Gulls
While photographing the flock, a fly fisherman came down to fish the area. I managed to get a decent pic of him casting his line. It’s hard to see, but I still liked the photo.
Before leaving the nature center, I was lucky enough to see 3 Greater Roadrunners around the parking area. They are so used to people, that I swear they pose for the camera. Of course, I took about 500 pics of just the roadrunners. 🙂
Greater Roadrunner
Posing so nicely for me
Got a peek of those gorgeous purple feathers of the crest
From there I visited Los Poblanos Open Space. I had hoped to see the Western Screech Owls occupying the nesting boxes. But sadly none of them poked their heads out while I was there. But I found a few other treasures while hiking around the fields.
Say’s Phoebe
Western Meadowlark
Black Phoebe that managed to find a bug in the cold weather
Song Sparrow
A leucistic American Goldfinch
My favorite sightings of that visit was seeing both a male and female American Kestral. Such beautiful, small birds of prey.
American Kestral male
American Kestral female
My third stop was to find the American Dipper that has been spotted in the drainage ditch along the Rio Grande. Though they are a common bird in our state, they are rarely seen in Albuquerque. They prefer fast flowing streams where they can dip and dive in the rapids looking for food. The Rio Grande in the Albuquerque area is mostly a wide, placid river. But there are a few spots in the year-round flowing drainage ditches that have man-made rapids coming out of culverts.
After walking a little ways along the ditch, I was thrilled to see the dipper bobbing along the water’s edge. He didn’t seem concerned to have an audience. It was a real treat watching him feeding in and around the water’s edge. Needless to say, I took another 500 photos of this bird. LOL!
American Dipper
American Dipper swimming
There were a few other visitors there along the ditch that I enjoyed watching as well.
Black Phoebe
Yellow-Rumped Warbler
Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
Overall, I had a great day going from one birding spot to another. Scarlett had a great time walking all the trails with me.
With my several trips this year and busy work, I haven’t had time to blog as often as I would have liked to. So I thought I would combine several sightings over the summer into one post. Now that fall is officially here, many of these birds are gone or will be gone soon.
During the summer I went on several day hikes within a couple hours of Albuquerque. Partly to see something new in scenery and partly to see some birds I don’t normally see around home.
One hike that was new for me was the Cave Creek hike in the Pecos Wilderness. It’s about a 5-mile round trip hike to some caves that were created by water eroding through limestone. It was a beautiful hike in thick forest along a creek. Of course, Scarlett enjoyed the water immensely!
So much fun at the water crossings!
Lovely stream to hike along.
The caves were very interesting. There were several that were big enough to walk inside of. I didn’t go very far in as it got dark quickly and I wasn’t sure how deep the water got. But lots of fun to explore. Scarlett was curious about the caves as well.
Unique caves created by water erosion.
Scarlett exploring a smaller cave.
On this hike I saw a flock of Dusky Grouse. This is pretty much the only grouse specie New Mexico has. I’ve only seen this bird a few times of the past 20 years and never very close. But I was lucky on this hike. When I startled them, they flew into a nearby pine and sat very still – which was perfect for a great photo.
Dusky Grouse
Another day I ventured to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains next to Santa Fe. It was a very cloudy day and the birds were few, but I managed to get a few nice sightings. A favorite – Green Tailed Towhee – came close to check me out so I was able to see his colors nicely.
Green Tailed Towhee
Williamson’s Sapsucker – Juvenile
Dark-Eyed Junco
One of the highlights of this hike was seeing lots of mushrooms. I’ve seen photos of the red and white polka dot mushrooms, but never have seen one in person. It was a real treat seeing and photographing them. 🙂
Poisonous mushroom – but so pretty!
Aspen Vista is a beautiful hike at about 8,000 feet above sea level. As you know Scarlett loves water. But she also loves culverts. She’s always looking inside them to see what might be hiding. On this hike, she found a culvert that was big enough to run through and it had water flowing through it. Bonus!
Scarlett having a blast!
I walked along the Rio Grande several times. Most of the colorful summer birds love the Bosque. It’s so much fun looking for and photographing these beauties!
Blue Grosbeak
Summer Tanager
Neotropic Cormorant
Downy Woodpecker
Great Blue Heron
Say’s Phoebe
Broad-Tailed Hummingbird enjoying the summer mimosa blooms!
House Sparrow
House Finch – partial orange morph
Orange-Crowned Warbler
One day while hiking along the river, I came across a Cooper’s Hawk enjoying breakfast. You could tell it had caught a songbird by the foot hanging out of it’s beak. Poor thing….
Songbird for breakfast anyone???
While reviewing my photos, I realized I had captured a lifer bird on one of my outings along the river. I love it when that happens! In this case, I had mistaken it for a Summer Tanager. But when I reviewed the photo more closely, I realized it was a Hepatic Tanager. Yay!!!
Hepatic Tanager
Of course, Scarlett always enjoys a visit to the river!
Look at that big grin on Scarlett’s face!
One day I took a drive out to Stanley. I hadn’t been there for quite some time. I saw a lot of the usual residents there. I never tire seeing a Western Meadowlark or the many hawks that live there. 🙂
Cliff Swallow
Red-Tailed Hawk (juvenile) – I love the coloring of this particular bird
Western Meadowlark
Around home I’ve had several new birds visit my yard this summer. It’s so exciting to see something new show up. I hope they find me again next year! Some were easy to photograph, while others were very elusive. The birds I was unable to photograph but saw were Yellow-Headed Blackbird, Brown-Headed Blackbird, Northern Saw-Whet Owl, and Green-Tailed Towhee.
Pygmy Nuthatch
Curve-Billed Thrasher
I love their orange eyes.
Along with the new birds I’ve seen this year, I’ve had plenty of the resident birds stopping by the feeders and bird baths.
Western Bluebird
Yellow-Rumped Warbler
A very shy Ladderback Woodpecker (hence the blurry photo)
Wilson’s Warbler – coming to enjoy my bird bath
Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay
Hairy Woodpecker
Mountain Chickadee
Holding down a sunflower seed to extract its goodness.
Bushtit
Lesser Goldfinch
Black-Headed Grosbeak
Juniper Titmouse
Virginia’s Warbler
Rufous Hummingbird
Bewick’s Wren
This summer New Mexico saw several forest fires in the Jemez Mountains. Because of this, a lot of the bird life has migrated south to new habitats. This summer we saw a large number of Lewis’s Woodpeckers in the greater Albuquerque area. We normally don’t see them here, so it was a real treat to see one only a couple miles from my house. It seemed to prefer this telephone pole as it was sighted there often. And it didn’t like the squirrel using its pole.
Lewis’s Woodpecker
Get off my pole!!!
I drove down to the Monzano Mountains a couple weeks ago hoping to see the fall colors starting in 4th of July Canyon. Though the colors still haven’t begun, I did get to see several birds.
Steller’s Jay – so beautiful!
Red-Tailed Hawks
I saw a Brown Creeper – always a delight. They are very difficult to see against the bark and they move quickly.
Brown Creeper
Plus I got a lifer! A Golden-Crowned Kinglet. I’ve been looking for this bird for several years and just happened upon it on this trail. Yay! This guy was way up in the canopy shadows and moving so fast!
Golden-Crowned Kinglet
Among the many bird sightings I had over the summer, I came across some other interesting things. I thought you might enjoy seeing them. 🙂
Cool bee on a beautiful summer sunflower
Ahhhhhhhh……
Southwestern Fence Lizard
Hoary Comma
Aphrodite Fritillary
Police Car Moth
Western Tailed-Blue
I love the colors on this dragonfly
This beetle “hisses” when you touch it. A unique defense!
Great Plains Skink (juvenile). This guy was so cool!!! I love the markings on the face. This skink will turn plain brown all over as an adult.
Yesterday I got up early so I could visit Capulin Spring in the Sandia Mountains. This is a great time to visit the spring because we get some fall migrating warblers. The most sought after warbler this time of year is the Townsend’s Warbler. We only get them here for a few weeks in September, then we have to wait another year to see them again.
So I had high hopes of seeing this warbler. I had my new camera after all! I was hoping to get a better photo of one than I have in the past.
When I first arrived there were the usual Dark-Eyed Juncos about. They are always here in great numbers. We get several variety of Juncos in New Mexico, but the most common is the “gray headed”.
Dark-Eyed Junco – Gray Headed
Then a group of Yellow-Rumped Warblers came in for a drink and a bath. We have these birds here year round. Now that it’s officially fall, their plumage is less vibrant than in the spring. But they are still a pretty warbler.
Yellow-Rumped Warbler
After sitting quietly for awhile I was rewarded with the Townsend’s Warbler. Two of them in fact! Beautiful! They were very cautious to come get a drink. As with all warblers, they were quick too! But I managed to get a few good pics. Here are a couple of my favorites.
Townsend’s Warbler
Townsend’s Warbler
Then a couple of fellow birders showed up – Sharon and Vicki. We had a great time birding together. With three pairs of eyes, we were able see more sightings. One of which was a new bird for me!
Sharon pointed out a soaring bird way up high overhead. I zoomed way in and was able to get one photo before it soared away. Not a great photo but I got it! A Northern Goshawk!
Northern Goshawk
For awhile we had been seeing Steller’s Jays. They were acting very shy. But once us girls started visiting, they seem to relax and start coming in. Funny! You’d think sitting still and quiet would make them more brave. Instead, they were happier when they were ignored. LOL!
Steller’s Jay
Steller’s Jay
There were several Ruby Crowned Kinglets about but they were quick! I got a lot of bad photos and one decent one.
Ruby Crowned Kinglet
Vicki pointed out a different Junco – a “pink sided”. A pretty little bird.
Dark-Eyed Junco – Pink Sided
Happily another warbler showed up for a drink and bath – an Orange-Crowned Warbler.
Orange-Crowned Warbler
A couple nuthatches showed up. I usually see more when I visit, but this day they were kinda scarce.
Red-Breasted Nuthatch
White-Breasted Nuthatch
Here are picks of the other more common visitors to the spring.
Chipping Sparrow
Northern Flicker
Mountain Chickadee
Lesser Goldfinch
Then to my great delight a Plumbeous Vireo showed up. He was very nervous and darted all about. Though not a great pic – it was the best of the bunch. Soon he will be leaving us for the winter.
Plumbeous Vireo
Just before I was leaving I saw a Green-Tailed Towhee – always a delight to see and hear.
First off, let me just say, I LOVE my new camera! I’m definitely still in the learning phase, but it’s performance is superior to my old setup. It’s a joy to use, and I’m very happy with my images.
Not too long ago, we had a spring storm blow through and it dumped 12 inches of snow at my house. The birds were not very happy about this event, and neither were my plants.
Bleeding Hearts
A Cooper’s Hawk was hanging out at my bird feeder hoping for a meal.
Cooper’s Hawk
The hummingbirds were happy I had feeders out for them.
Broad-Tailed Hummingbird
I think the only one happy with the snow was Scarlett 🙂
My sweet Miss Scarlett
Thankfully the snow melted the very next day, and the temperatures returned to the mid to high 70s right away. I got to go out hiking several times this week. I visited Tingley Beach a couple days after the spring storm. The Rio Grande was raging and flooded most of the bosque trails. But it was worth trudging through it to see some new spring birds.
Ash-Throated Flycatcher
Green Heron
Baby Mallard
Summer Tanager
I have lived in the Albuquerque area for over 20 years. And during that time, I have never visited Sandia Lakes or Shady Lakes (they are next door to each other). So one day I decided to check out the lakes.
Sandia Lakes was very nice. Beautiful lawns and cottonwood trees and three separate lakes.
Sandia Lakes with the Sandia Mountains in the background
The first bird I saw was a Lark Sparrow (first one I’ve seen this year). He was singing way up high in a tree. Then I saw several Canada Geese with their babies.
Canada Geese
While watching the geese, I saw something that looked different. I quickly realized it was a Western Grebe. We don’t see them often in our area, so it was a real treat.
Western Grebe
I saw a pair of Say’s Phoebes busily hunting for bugs. I soon saw why they were so frantic to find bugs. They had three babies squeezed into a tiny nest.
Say’s Phoebes
I saw lots of Black Phoebes as well. They are such beautiful birds
Black Phoebe
While walking around the lake, an Osprey flew overhead. I thought to myself that he might be part of a nesting pair. This was confirmed recently by my friend Joe. I’m definitely going to have to check out their nesting progress.
Osprey
I came across a pair of Black-Capped Chickadees that were acting very agitated. I never did figure out what they were so upset about.
Black-Capped Chickadee
As I was walking through the grass between lakes, I saw a Killdeer doing its “I’m injured, follow me” routine. So I knew there must be a baby nearby. It was acting pretty desperate, so I thought it must be very close.
Killdeer trying to lure me away from its baby
When I looked down, I realized it was only a foot away. I almost stepped on it! Yikes! It never did move. I took a quick pic and then quickly moved away. Soon I heard the baby calling for its parents. It was nice to see them all reunite and be assured all was fine.
baby Killdeer
I then headed over to Shady Lakes. What a beautiful place! It has several ponds all covered in beautiful lily pads and lined with irises. The ponds are stocked with different varieties of fish. But I was there for the birds.
Shady Lakes
As soon as I stepped out of the car, I saw a Black-Crowned Night Heron sitting beautifully on an old log. I then realized there were several of them gathered there. Fabulous! They are used to people so they let me get pretty close.
Black-Crowned Night Heron
I walked around the ponds and admired all the beautiful blooming lilies and irises.
I noticed a moth feeding among the irises. These moths often get called hummingbirds by people when they don’t look too closely.
White-Lined Sphinx Moth
The turtles were enjoying those big lily pads!
My last hike was up to the Cienega picnic area. The forest service blocks the road for cars until mid-May. So you have to hike along the road to get to the upper picnic area. My goal was to try and find the Northern Pygmy Owl that has been seen nesting there. Now I have made this hike several times both last spring and this spring with no luck seeing that owl. Well, this time I was successful! This is a lifer bird for me!
He was calling repeatedly on a lower branch in the aspen tree where he’s been seen nesting. All the songbirds in the area were very agitated and were trying to scare him away. It was a wonderful sighting!
For those of you not familiar with this owl. He’s very small, only 6 inches from its head to the end of its tail. So you can see why he’s so difficult to find.
Northern Pygmy Owl
I decided to hike over to Bill Spring since I was in the area. A Hermit Thrush was enjoying a bath. And a baby was in a tree nearby.
Hermit Thrush
Hermit Thrush
A Western Tanager (my first of the year), briefly showed himself deep in the trees near the spring.
Western Tanager
I hadn’t been at the spring long when a Cooper’s Hawk flew in chasing a chickadee. After that, the birds were scarce. So I started hiking back to my car. I saw lots of Black-Headed Grosbeak singing and squabbling in the trees. I’m guessing they were vying for the attention of the females.
Black-Headed Grosbeak
I’m thrilled spring is here. I’m looking forward to getting out again and seeing what other beautiful spring birds have arrived. 🙂
For the past few years I was using a Nikon 1 V3 mirrorless camera for all of my birding photos. While I loved that camera when I had plenty of light, I was always let down with any photos I took that were in low-light conditions. The sensor in the camera just couldn’t handle low light, high ISO conditions.
So recentlly I purchased a new camera. An Olympus OMD EM1 Mark ii (could they have come up with any longer of a name??!!). This new camera is a micro 4/3 camera. It has a better sensor for low light and it has much better in-camera stabilization. I got a birding lens to go with it that has a reach of 800mm.
Of course, I just had to take it out right away to see how it performed birding. So I planned a whole day of birding in different locations and light conditions. When I shot with my Nikon, I mostly used shutter priority. So that’s what I set the new camera to. I was less than pleased with the first photos I took that day.
Western Meadowlark
I headed over to Owlville in Los Lunas. I had heard there were lots of Burrowing Owls nesting there this year. I wasn’t disappointed either – I saw lots of owls. They are located right next to the road, so you can get pretty close sitting in your car. I played with the settings in my camera and my results were better. It was a lot of fun watching these little owls. It was early in the morning and the owls were very sleepy still.
Burrowing Owl snoozing in the morning sun
They seemed to be having a hard time waking up. 🙂
Big yawn!
I just never seem to be able to get enough owl photos to satisfy me. They just make me smile.
Love this expression.
This one was a little more alert than the others.
Then I saw one on a bush. I think this made for wonderful photos. I really like the bokeh with my new setup.
I’m impressed with the details in the feathers with this new setup.
Burrowing Owl
I then headed to Belen to the Taco Bell marsh. When you shoot there, you are looking toward the sun – always a challenge to get good photos in those conditions. I was pretty pleased with how the camera performed though still disappointed in the end results. I just couldn’t figure out how to set this camera. It has a very complicated menu system that is not intuitive.
Killdeer
Black-Necked Stilt
As I was leaving the marsh, I saw someone had created a track that goes to the other side of the marsh. Seeing as I own a Jeep Wrangler, I was pretty confident I could drive on this sandy track and be ok. I knew if I got to the other side, the sun would be behind me making more perfect conditions for photos. And I wasn’t disappointed! I saw this Cinnamon Teal right away. Beautiful!
Cinnamon Teal
I then saw this Morning Dove fly in looking for nesting materials.
Mourning Dove
Getting some nesting material.
I then headed to a rookery I had recently heard about (thanks to my friend Joe!). Here the lighting was low due to all the shade trees.
As soon as I got there, I saw a Cattle Egret in the tree right above me trying to get just the right stick for its nest. I was amazed at how well this bird balanced itself on that skinny limb.
Cattle Egret
It took some skill to walk on that limb.
Of course it wanted the stick on the very end LOL!
While photographing this egret, the owner of the home came out. We visited for a while, and then he invited me into the yard to get a closer look. Wow! He was very kind and you could tell he enjoyed having the annual visitors.
Black-Crowned Night Heron
Snowy Egret
The owner leaves some of the fallen sticks on the ground for the birds to use. This Cattle Egret was taking advantage of this bounty.
This is just one small view of the trees in this yard. Look at all those nests!
The owner told me about a Sharp-Shinned Hawk next door. It was deep in the canopy and my camera was struggling to get a focus. So I put the camera in manual focus and was pleased with how easy it was to change the settings and focus on the bird.
I was still trying to shoot on Shutter Priority. While I like these images, I still think this camera could do much better. I know it’s all user error.
My next stop was in Santa Fe. I had to deliver some supplies to a job site there, so I visited the Randall Davey Audubon Center. I walked the trail behind the center that follows a steam in the woods. I immediately spotted warblers! I love warblers but they are a big challenge to photograph – especially with a new camera!
Black-Throated Gray Warbler
Grace’s Warbler
I spent a little time in the gardens of the center. I was really challenged trying to focus on my subjects. I just couldn’t figure out the settings for center focus.
Pine Siskin
Broad-Tailed Hummingbird
Mountain Chickadee
Broad-Tailed Hummingbird
I could see I still needed to practice and learn this camera.
My next outing I went to check on the owls at Academy School. I haven’t been there in weeks. I figured that baby might have left the nest by now. He had, but he was still hanging out in the same tree. I think he needs to grow into those feet!
Great Horned Owl
At my home I got more practice with my camera. Lots of good stuff showing up this spring!
Lesser Goldfinch
House Finch in gorgeous breeding plumage
Black-Throated Gray Warbler – the second year in a row it has come to my home
Plumbeous Vireo
Remember that Mountain Bluebird I saved last December? Well, he’s doing fine and is nesting with his lovely lady this spring. I love the photo I got of her, but I just couldn’t get a decent photo of him.
Mountain Bluebird – female
Mountain Bluebird – male
I made a brief stop at Kit Carson park to find the owls there. I had heard about them, but hadn’t had a chance to go by. I found one adult and one baby. The baby had left the nest and was way up high hiding well within the canopy. So well I couldn’t get a decent photo. But one of the parents was nicely out in the open.
Great Horned Owl
My last outing was to the Cienega Trail on the east side of the Sandias. It was a cold and cloudy morning. Very low light conditions. By this time I had switched to Aperture Priority. I was much happier with the results. I also learned I can set a maximum ISO when on Auto ISO. This is great because I know I can control the amount of noise in my low-light photos. I think these low-light photos are much better than what I would have gotten with my Nikon.
Mountain Chickadee
Hairy Woodpecker
Spotted Towhee
Orange-Crowned Warbler
Yellow-Rumped Warbler
Chipping Sparrow
Say’s Phoebe
So all in all I’m much happier with my new gear. I know I have lots to learn, but I think I’m off to a good start!
Not sure what this little guy is…but he’s darn cute! I saw him at the Cienega Trail parking area.
I’ve been waiting for the February 2017 edition of the New Mexico Magazine to hit the stands before I made my announcement. I’m so excited! I won 2nd Place in the Animals Category of the New Mexico Magazine’s Annual Photo Contest.
It’s very exciting to have been chosen. They received over 1500 entries and only 24 photos were chosen. So it’s a real honor to have been selected. This coming weekend they are holding a banquet for the winners at the Tularosa Basin Gallery in Carrizozo, New Mexico.
So I had heard that Thursday night we were supposed to have this terrible cold front blow through with blizzard conditions and road closures.
So Scarlett and I headed out to go on a long hike and enjoy the decent weather before we got snowed in.
We hiked a new trail in the Bosque along the Rio Grande at the northern end of Corrales. Not any birds of any note, but the scenery was beautiful. The Sandia Mountains were looking dark and moody.
Here’s Miss Scarlett posing for me with the gloomy mountains in the distance.
I came across this old ladder in a tree. I immediately thought of my fellow blogger Donna in TorC. She would have a witty title to go with the photo.
Hmmmmm….the best I could come up with was “fun pastimes” 🙂
Needless to say, but the huge storm was a bust. So lucky for me and Scarlett we will get to hit the trails again this weekend!
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….
