Tag: clearwater ditch

Déjà Foo

Timothy Price37 Comments

Moon rising behind clouds

The persistence of “the same as it ever was” is alive and well. Photos of night-time, the moon, planets, dawn, sunset, and dusk prevail. It’s déjà foo† all over again. And again. And again. And again…

Venus at dawn

Moon at dawn

Silver-lined clouds near sunset

Water backed up behind a beaver dam in the Cleatwater ditch

Gigi’s tree with clouds at sunset.

Cranes flying to roost at dusk

†Foo is a metasyntactic variable used to represent an unspecified entity (how I currently identify). It can be used to name entities such as variables, functions, and commands whose exact identity is unimportant and serves only to demonstrate a concept…

Then It Rained

Timothy Price42 Comments

There was not a cloud in the sky at dawn.

By 9:30 AM, clouds had rolled in and covered the sky.

Since an owl was showing interest in the nest last night, I decided it was time to add insulation to the bottom of the nest. I started gathering up everything I needed at 10:00 AM.

Insulation, a board for the bottom, and tools. The bottom of the nest without insulation.

Insulation in the bottom of the nest. The nest with the bottom board to cover the insulation.

There are 8 to 10 inches of mulch and leaves for bedding inside the nest. I got the bottom screwed on at 11:20 AM, just as it started raining. I gathered up my tools and headed inside. The rain was steady until around 3:00 PM. We got 0.22 inches of rain during that time. Enough to get everything wet and muddy.

The sun lit the clouds when I started my ride heading south on the levee this afternoon.

The afterglow at dusk on my way back home, riding south again.†

†On a typical afternoon ride, after I cross the Clearwater ditch, I ride south 2 to 3.5 miles on the levee, turn around, ride 5 to 6.5 miles north on the levee to the flood control channel, turn around, and ride 3 miles south to where I cross the Clearwater ditch to go home.

Owlets Banking

Timothy Price41 Comments

After totally clear skies all day yesterday, a few clouds gathered at dusk for the painter to paint.

Peter with a moon halo last night.

I walked outside to photograph the moon and got clouds covering the moon. Maybe it will clear up later so I can get the moon.

The owlets were banking on the top of the levee and down on the bank along the clearwater ditch last night. Paul flew up into a tree on the other side of the Clearwater ditch and Mama Owl brought him something to eat and then flew off to go back to Wowlmart as quickly as she flew in. When it was almost dark Mama Owl came back with either a bat or a mouse. She perched close to me just long enough for me to get a photo of her, then she took off at warp speed.

Bottoms Up!

Timothy Price63 Comments

The Mallards are happy to have water in the clearwater ditch again.

Taking flight.

Jake was having a ball running and shaking on the beach.

The Sandias from the beach. Clouds over the Rio Grande. Beaver Dam in the clearwater ditch

Cranes grazing in the orchard.

On the Water’s Edge

Timothy Price48 Comments

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A Cooper’s Hawk standing on the edge of the water in the clear ditch. I don’t know whether he was meditating, fishing, our thinking about taking a bath. After we spotted him, he looked like he was trying to decide whether to carry on with what he was doing or fly away. He finally few.

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Beaver Dam Breaker

Timothy Price40 Comments

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The beaver dam breaker lurking around the corner.

The Conservancy has been at it again, breaking up and pulling the beaver dams out of the clearwater ditch with their evil Beaver Dam Breaker.

Below is a short video a did last night of a beaver sliding into the Rio Grande after cutting some willows to snack on along the river bank. We saw four beavers last night and six beavers the night before last.

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Not a pretty sight.