Category: Cottonwoods

Western Skies with Neowise

Timothy Price64 Comments

Tristan texted Laurie last night that she could see Neowise in the western sky. We went out to look, but we could not see it. I got the binoculars, and Laurie finally found it. It showed up very well in the binoculars. Tristan said it was directly below the bottom star in the big dipper. The comet makes up the apex on an equilateral triangle with two stars from Ursula Major, I believe. You can read more about how to see Neowise at https://www.nasa.gov/feature/how-to-see-comet-neowise/

I dragged out a tripod, got focused on the Big Dipper, turned off autofocus, pointed my leans in the general direction of the comet, and check shots until I saw it on the screen. There were clouds in the eastern skies that were reflecting the city’s light making it so we could not see the comet with our naked eyes. After we found where the comet was, focusing on it was a real challenge. I can’t simply set the lens on infinity and shoot like I could with the old manual focus lenses. These photos give you a decent idea of what it looked like.

Red Sky at Night…

Timothy Price58 Comments

A thunderstorm rolled through around round 8:00 pm. We didn’t think there was going to be much of a sunset, but the skies began to clear as the sun slipped behind the horizon which produced a wonderfully red sky as darkness crept in all around us.

Greetings From Little Owl

Timothy Price46 Comments

One the branch staring me down.

We haven’t seen the little owls for a couple of weeks. When the smoke descended upon us the owls seemed to say “¡Hasta la vista! Babies!” and disappeared. Over the past week, we had heard them eeping, but we couldn’t find them in the trees. Various people mentioned hearing the owlets and seeing them fly into the bosque, but sightings, where the owlets are perched on a branch eeping and watching people, had become scarce.

Last night when I was walking to 4th of July Point at sunset, I heard eeping, and I found this little owl on a branch behind the Tangle Heart Tree. Laurie walked up and we could hear the other owlet eeping deeper in the bosque south of the Tangle Heart Tree, but I couldn’t find it.

Taking a closer look at the pesky paparazzo.

Half-moon in the Tangle Heart Tree

The owlet flew back behind other branches.

¡Hola!

Purple Haze

Timothy Price44 Comments

Tiny hummingbird in the tangle heart tree
Chokes on smoke from a distant fire
Purple haze on Sandia’s gray
Pink snuffed out while beaver plays
Owls fall silent have they taken their leave?
A dove coos atop Mia’s tree
Nighthawk flies erratically
Bat cuts through the air
Hangs thick

Purple Collar

Timothy Price55 Comments

A hummingbird landed in my path as I was walking down the side of the levee into the bosque. He said: “Who is that parading past my perch”? I said, “It is only I a lowly paparazzo out for a walk to find wild willing subjects like you!” The hummer responded “Well here I am, get in your shots. I can’t wait all day.”

Note: I saved the images larger, so you can get a good view of the images by clicking on them.

“Hows this side? Do you like my purple collar?” he asked. “You are quite a handsome hombre! Your collar is lovely.” I answered.

Intermission: Here’s a Downy Woodpecker chick in a cottonwood waiting for Mama to bring him breakfast.

“How’s my profile?”

A closer view

Thirty-Eight Years

Timothy Price83 Comments

We celebrated our 38th wedding anniversary today. We went for a walk in the bosque, Laurie barbequed ribs and we sat out on the deck and ate dinner while the owls serenaded us with their hooting back and forth in the bosque. After dinner, we walked out to see the owlets. They had flown about 100 yards south of the Tangle Heart Tree. They are starting to fly really well. The moon was popping in and out of the clouds, and the skies were dramatic. Click on the photos to see a larger view.