There was heavy mist rolling over the Rio Grande this morning. At times the cranes looked like phantoms in the haze.
87.3% Waning Gibbous over treetops
In the shadow of the rising sun
The clouds over the Sandias this morning made beautiful cloudscapes, some with rainbow colors made by the rising sun reflecting off ice crystals in the thin clouds. Other clouds cast shadows as the sun rose above them.
Ice crystals reflecting colors in the clouds.
Moon in the western sky before sunrise.
Moon behind Mama Owl before sunrise
Daddy Owl watching the birds flit around below him at sunset.
Mama Owl hopped over to another branch so I could get a shot of her from the levee after sunset.
The clouds were still hanging low behind the Sandias when the first full moon of 2021 rose cost to 6:00 pm tonight. Between the brightness of the full moon and the clouds, my lenses had trouble finding a sharp edge to get a sharp focus. I miss the old days when I could dial a lens to infinity and the moon would be in focus. I didn’t have to deal with finding edges in bright objects to focus on.
Uncropped photo taken from the irrigation ditch bank right under the owls just before sunset.
Cropped photo of Owls taken after sunset from the levee near the Tangle Heart tree.
We got about an inch of snow last night. The sun came out and melted most of the snow even though the high temp was only around 35ºF. The clouds broke up for a very short time this evening, allowing me to get a shot of the moon through the lavender mist†.
†Number 1, 1950 (Lavender Mist) is a masterpiece by Jackson Pollock: https://www.nga.gov/collection/highlights/pollock-number-1-1950-lavender-mist.html
The morning started off mostly cloudy, and clouds blew around overhead all day long producing some interesting skies. In the late afternoon, we had dramatic pre-storm light. It’s overcast and raining this evening, so no moonshot tonight.
“¡Hola! Buenos DÃas. Me llamo Cara de Calavera (Skull Face).”
Blanca: “¿Qúe pasa? Cara de Calavera.” Cara de Calavera: “Hay un paparazzo en el dique.”
Blanca: “Oye paparazzo, ¿qué pasa?” Me: “¡Disparándote con mi Bazooka!”
Susan Hunter identified this bird as a Song Sparrow. It was foraging on the river’s edge.
Pre-storm dramatic light on the cottonwoods.
How many robins can you find in this tree?
The many faces of Tommee Towhee.
Mama Owl and Daddy Owl trying to get some rest after a night of really hooting it up.
Gwendolyn is more adventurous than Glenda, but not into modeling like Glenda. She doesn’t hold still for long unless she is napping in a cubby or lounging in some other difficult to photograph location. She is always playful, but when I get the camera out she skedaddles under the bed, behind the couch, under a chair, wherever she is out of camera range. This afternoon I got her to come out from under the bed and give me some cute poses. Thank you, Gwendolyn.
Intermission: The wild sky this afternoon.
Moon in the rough. January 23, 2021.
I didn’t have my new Bazooka when I drove by this gang doing a photoshoot with a 1960 Chevrolet Impala in Downtown Albuquerque on my way home tonight.