A Noble Beast

I was out visiting with Osric and Nora Owls (the owlets pretty much ignored me) when I saw two coyotes on the top of the levee and six or more on the lower part of the levee on the other side of the ditches running at top speed. I was trying to catch the action through the trees when this coyote stopped like, “Whoa! Paparazzo on the prowl. I better look my best!” She stopped and gave me her best noble beast look. Then I saw a couple on the top of the levee and yelled over to them and asked if they had seen the coyotes. They said one coyote ran out of the clearwater ditch, and then eight coyotes started chasing it like they were trying to kill it. I thought the coyote that was in the ditch might have caught something, and the others wanted to take it from him. Ms. Noble Beast doesn’t look like she’s been missing many meals.

Osric Owl snoozed behind a tangle and then enjoyed the sunset.

Nora Owl gave me a squint like Clint! “Is that Bazooka going to make me look fat?”

Eye of Owlet

Psst! Don’t look now, but there’s that stupid paparazzo on the ditch bank again.

As I was heading home, I heard my name being called. One of the Alpacas had its head stuck in the fence. I walked back, and sure enough, there was one of the Alpacas with its head through one of the wire squares in the fence, looking very stuck and rather sad. We tried to help the Alpaca get his head back through the fence, and as we pushed back, he pushed forward. He was stubborn. Meanwhile, two coyotes were on the top of the levee watching our goings-on with great interest. After we stretched the wire apart as much as possible, we gave up, stood back on the ditch bank, and watched the Alpaca. After a few minutes of not getting any more attention, it pulled its head back through the wire. I think it was acting stuck to get attention.

While we were talking, Osric flew over into the bosque, and I grabbed this shot of him.

By the time I got back to our property after all the ditch bank drama, it was dark. I got a shot of Venus and The Pleiades with my 70-200mm zoom lens. Venus and The Pleiades are too far apart to get them in the frame with the Bazooka.

Merry Corrales Coyote Christmas!

Coyote posing for me in the early morning cold

Timku
Coyote stands proud
A Corrales Christmas Card
Merry Christmas, All!

Cats left to right: Sasha, Gwendolyn, Glenda, Marble, Silver, Spunk, and Loki.

Collabku
Cow cats Christmas Eve
Pigging down expensive treats
Happy for awhile

Spunk

Spunku
Christmas wrappers lie
Kitties rest, play, tell the truth
Cats love Christmastime

Marble and Spunk

I’m taking a break from my break to do a Christmas post. Merry Coyote Christmas! Happy Catmas! Merry Christmas!

Christmasku
Christmas contrail hangs
Reindeer emissions spreading
Supercharging sleigh

C&C

The sky was like this photo taken at dawn: cloudy and cold. We had light rain most of the day and the balloons did not fly.

It was as cold as hell inside on October 1st. It was colder than hell inside today, a week later.

Sasha thought we should have been running the heat on the deck today.

Wile E. Coyote: “I say, I say, there now. You’re bothering me, boy!”

The clouds were breaking up at sunset, but more storm clouds were moving in.

Crap

WTF? I can’t believe that you got photos of a coyote taking a crap! Whoa! Poopy Paparazzo!

Down by the river where we like to go
Walked a coyote wouldn’t you know
He stopped and he squatted and gave it a squeeze
Not a care in the world he was quite pleased

Coyote Convention

I stepped down onto the sandbar at Beaver Point last night and found myself in the middle of a coyote convention.

Click on a photo in the gallery to enlarge in a slide show.

This one took off on its own stepping over piles of trees and sticks left by the beavers.

He had to take a break to eat some grass and make silly faces while chomping on the grass. Click on the gallery for to enlarge the photos in a slide show.

Walk With Life

Vultures on their break
Skeptics no concern
Spirits dissolved in daylight
The dead can wait their turn
Nighthawks played in streaming sunlight
Teasing out blue moon
Thunder sounded unseen strikes
Branches broken fell asunder
Fractured limbs will never heal
Distant sirens temptress sighs
Coyotes mournful cries
Hummers feed on orange blossoms
Hairstreaks purple feed on yellow
Rubbing flanges one up one down
Attached to shades of blue
A Predator took the bait

¡No Me Gustan Los Whirlybirds!

Whirlybird with a game warden looking for a coyote that attacked a runner.

Daddy Owl: “¡No me gustan los whirlybirds! ¡A mí tampoco me gustan los coyotes!“

Flicker: “Whirlybird? Is that what that thing is called?”

Mama Owl: “Stupid coyotes! Stupid whirlybird!”

I thought the doves flew up out of the cottonwood because of the helicopter.

But a second look revealed a Cooper’s Hawk had flown up in the tree where the doves were perched.

“It’s a bird! It’s a plane! IT’S a WHIRLYBIRD! Stupid coyotes!”

Blow up of Mr. Cooper.

Whirlybird hovering before flying south. A crane flying north.

Mr. Cooper flew north to another tree.

Mama Owl: “That’s better now that the whirlybird has flown south!”

Clouds at dawn looking north.

Daddy Owl: “Mucho mejor sin el whirlybird.”

Like a sunset at sunrise looking southwest.