Let There Be Critters

Gwendolyn: “Did you say critters? I see!”

Black-chinned Hummingbird

The Rio Grande is running high.

Canadian Geese on the fly

First Dragonfly photo of the season.

New Mexico Whiptail Lizard. “Whip it. Whip it good!”

A slightly battered butterfly

Fire in the sky

Owlets Banking

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.

Bugs & Bunnies

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Glazed bunny cakelet

Before Covid-19 set upon us, Laurie and I got “Backyard Bugs” and “Bunny Cakelet” baking molds for Spring. Laurie made really good carrot cake bunny and bug cakelets, and a glaze to cover them with. She gave a couple of bunnies to her parents, and the bugs and a bunny to Tristan.

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Dragonfly and bee cakelets

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Glazed dragonfly, bee and bunny cakelets

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Backyard bugs

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Laurie testing the glaze

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Bunny cakelets

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Another view of the dragonfly and bee

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Bunny Cakelet mold

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Drone view of bunny cakelets

Porcupine Promenade

We got out late last night for a walk under the stars after putting up our third sack of green chiles, making power bars, and doing various other chores that took up all of our daylight hours. A few hundred feet before the bridge that we use to cross the clearwater ditch, I saw what looked like a weed moving ahead of us. I shined my flashlight on it, and, as I suspected, it was Porky, a very large porcupine, waddling along on its way to cross the bridge ahead of us. I pulled out my phone to see if I could get a video, but by the time I got the phone convinced to take a video in the dark, Porky had crossed the bridged and headed down into the cottonwoods between the clearwater ditch and the irrigation ditch. I managed to get a short, 15 second video of Porky waddling into the undergrowth by a large cottonwood.  I assembled and arranged a short piece of music for Porky’s promenade.

The photos below are an assortment of critters and fall colors.