We did get rain, snow, and high winds last night and most of the day. We got rain in the valley, but the Sandias and foothills got snow with really high winds.
The afternoon light from the sun peeking through the clouds was intense on the cottonwoods.
Looking SE to SW after sunset.
The Sandias with clouds at sunset.
Cottonwoods, dry irrigation ditch, and gate.
Looking west.
Dramatic light on the Sandias.
I moved our 48 port switch to the new building today. I got 3-foot long patch cables because I didn’t know where in the rack I was going to put it. The screws that were left in the rack are slightly too small, so they pulled out of the holes under the weight of the switch. So the switch is on top of the rack for the time being with a mess of spaghetti-like patch cables all over it. We also got Internet installed today and the alarm techs were installing new alarm equipment since the old alarm was old and the person who installed it is long gone. The old alarm system didn’t call out to anyone, so if it got set off, then only people who would know about it are the tenants on the west side of the building. We will be able to monitor and control the new alarm system from our phones. I got Bruce’s desk built between working on wiring, answering questions for the alarm, and tracking down the wiring for the WiFi.
A wider view of the wries, surveillance monitor, the new alarm controller on the right, the old telephone system punch blocks, and the electronic access box.
Bruce’s desk that I was using to test the Internet.
The Internet we installed is 50MBps up and down highspeed wireless. The test is showing faster speeds.
Loki is a bit dazed by all the tech talk.
Guess who?
Daddy owl looking like a king with a royal robe wrapped around him.
Mama Owl was peeking over the edge tonight.
The forecast is for snow tonight. I believe it.
A storm rolled in this afternoon whiting out the Sandias.
The Sandias are somewhere in the whiteout.
Daddy Owl found a nice triangle in the cottonwood that offered a little protection from the wind and sleet.
I called to Mama Owl and she put up an ear tuft for me.
There were about a hundred Robins hopping, lying around, and foraging on the levee.
A pair of Robins.
I could only get about a dozen in the telephoto frame. They were tiny dots with wider angles under the drab light under the clouds.
Squadron of fighter ducks.
The pTeradactyl in the clear water ditch.
He decided I was too close and flew a few hundred feet down the ditch.
He felt he was at a safe distance obviously not wanting to leave the Clearwater ditch and the cover of the trees.
Dawn on daylight savings time
A pair of Wood Ducks in water.
Crazy clouds just before sunset on daylight savings time.
Daddy Owl looking jolly on his new perch overlooking Mama Owl.
Crazy clouds just before sunset with various faces and critters.
Another beautiful dawn
Spunk took the Duluth catalog ad literally
Wild clouds at sunset behind Christine’s tree on the right.
Morning clouds at dawn
Sandhill Crane doing a swan dive @ 5:00. “Banzai!”
Sunset
Flaming clouds left by the ghost mousies flying by.
Put on your headphones, turn up your sound. Enjoy!
Parody lyrics: Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene. Vocals: Timothy Price. Music: Johnny Cash.
Spunk facing off with a mortal mousie.
Clouds blowing over the Sandias before sunset.
The sun’s last attempt to shine through the clouds before slipping below the horizon.
Mama Owl and Daddy Owl looking gray back to their favorite spot.
“I’m Silver, not Gray” You’re really quite gray Silver.
We got about an inch of snow last night, and while the sun tried to peek through the clouds, the temperature never got about 25ºF (-3.9ºC). A couple of walks in the bosque and out on the beaches along the Rio Grande resulted in new birds and some exciting owl news.
Sandias and the Rio Grande from North Beach.
Canadian Geese.
Five Thrushes.
These Thrushes looked really iridescent in the snow on the riverbank under the cold, filtered sun.
Red-Tailed Hawk way off in the distance.
Sparrow up north scavaging in the snow and pebbles.
Red-Tailed Hawk in profile.
This poor calf has lost its herd. It’s all alone and has been sadly mooing for someone to keep it company.
Can you spot the northern mama owl sitting on her eggs?
She didn’t use this nest last year because the raccoons had ransacked it. She is in it again this year. The year before, 2018, she had Virginia in this nest: https://wp.me/p1yQyy-4dG
Thrush
Blondy the blonde porcupine sleeping way up in a cottonwood.
Thrush getting a drink.
The acequia madre
Robin
Snowy Bosque
Mama Owl and Daddy Owl in their usual spot with snow all around.
The 11th is the new moon, but this is the last moonrise of the first moon of 2021 that I will see.
5% waning crescent moon 6:15 am February 9, 2021.
Pensive owl
