Daddy Owl was animated tonight, flying to different trees, and hooting as I walked along the levee.
Spunk giving me owl eyes.
Animated
Category: Owls
Evening Blue
For the first evening that we are trying to save the daylight, which, by the way, is not endangered out here, the Painter went a little wild jamming with the clouds.
Venus and Mars showed up at 6:30 am, the time formerly known as 5:30 am.
Daddy Owl enjoying the colors
Calling All Colors
Resa’s tree kissed colorful Dawn
Cracked clouds strangled sun
Cracked clouds covered Corrales
The Rio Grande eats bank crumbles
Clouds collided
Cranes look north anticipation
A final gasp glowing color
Daddy perches tangled arches
Tangle Heart pinches purple
Dusty
The forecast was for rain between 2:00 am and 5:00 am, clearing after sunrise with winds in the afternoon. They got the clearing after sunrise and winds right. We didn’t get a drop of rain that I could tell. On my way home at 4:15 pm, the dust made clouds that obscured the sun.
Daddy Owl And The Moon
At dusk tonight, Daddy Owl was sitting under the moon. The moon is almost full at 93.9%. The full moon is on Wednesday. He was very patient with me getting very close, kneeling under him on the levee to get the moon circled around his head. At first, I was inside the minimum focus range of 11 feet for the Bazooka, so I have to scoot back a little.
Crows & Sparrows
Crows and Sparrows sound like it could be a game, but they were hanging out in Susan’s cottonwood just before sundown.
Sparrows taking flight
another group of sparrows
Mama Owl was doing some routine maintenance on her nest tonight.
Venus at Dawn
Crow highway at dusk
Owl Moon Sky
Daddy Owl going “Aak! Aak! Aak!”
Daddy owl let me get close again tonight, and he paused from posing to puke up a pellet. I felt honored to be part of his pellet puking circle.
Back to posing.
The moon is a little over half full tonight at 64.3%.
Since we had cloud cover for the first two days I would have seen the sliver moon, I only have the seven moonshots so far in February.
Catching air
From the Ministry of Silly Walks on Water.
Sunset looking to the southeast over the Rio Grande.
Trees and clouds at dusk looking northwest from the levee.
Gone To The Dogs
Meet Buddy. He’s a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and he’s our newest staff member. We have not been able to find sufficient staff, so we’ve gone to the dogs for new hires. Buddy is young and impressionable, therefore, we can train him in his office doggie duties.
Being so young, he’s not quite up to full-time work and fell asleep on the job. Buddy is Ailene’s dog. Her husband died last month after battling cancer for a year. She got a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel because they are easygoing, people-oriented dogs. Buddy spent the morning in my office while Ailene was at a meeting.
I took a walk around the long block (about a mile to get all the way around) at the office today. The clouds were excellent from the east and the west.
Daddy Owl at dusk.
Purple Dawn
Dusk
Free
Icy wind picks up
Pulls leaf free from snowbound hold
Underfoot no more
Today’s wind was favorable for the leaf that was snowbound last night. The leaf was blown free of its icy hold, left lying peacefully off to the side of the trail no longer underfoot. Below is The Who’s “I’m Free” live in 1977 to celebrate the leaf’s luck of the draw.
Daddy owl eyeing me through a tangle of twigs.
This American Coot was foraging on the sandbar. Then it started to take flight and decided against it.
pTerodactyl trying to hide behind a tumbleweed.
Venus at dawn under clear skies.
After having cloud cover for most of the day, these were the last few clouds hanging around at sunset.
Snow
We had our first snowstorm of the year. We have about four inches of snow so far and it’s down to 20ºF (-6.7ºC) as I write. It’s supposed to get into the single digits by morning.
Off Center & Not Even 