Sidetracked Charley

Evening Grosbeak   It has been a bad year for birds. Even with most of the humans out of their way there seems to have been a huge die off in populations. For me, however, there seems to have been an abundance of some species. The Evening Grosbeaks normally in the high pines were in my meadow (with large spruce tree) partaking of the bird seeds I normally reserve for harsh winter days. They were joined by a bevy of Redwing Black Birds normally in the marsh areas. But barely represented were the hummingbirds.  We all put up our feeders and watched patiently for them and carefully monitored the level in our feeders but they didn't come in swarms and the feeders did not need refilled. We refilled them only because we worried about the freshness. Nobody mentioned it on Facebook. When Cheryl mentioned it, just above a whisper, as we sat on my deck and noticed a solitary hummer approach one of my four feeders. Where are they? I mentioned a Wendy's hamburger and was set upon by numer...

The late season humming birds are in full flight. According to most bird books the vast majority of humming birds I feed on a regular basis are only flying through on a long migration. And some bird books maintain that New Mexico is not their major flyway but Arizona. I think that has been wrong for a decade but never more wrong than this year when the Arizona fires pushed them west. Now, whether it is two species or twenty, is when they head south. I will be filling up my quart feeder at least once a day until almost as suddenly as they came they are gone. The cliff swallows are gone. Again as suddenly as they came. They hatched out a brood and got them all flying and for about a week hung around on insect catching lessons or some such. I got to watch them with their just above the ground aerial antics and then silence. I remember my dad and his love for Purple Martins. They always arrived to set up house keeping in the elaborate Martin houses he built on my mother's birthday...

Door of Cimarron Jail I stepped on this scale this morning and realized I had gained four pounds in the last week. How that happened I am not quite sure as I certainly did not enjoy myself that much. Nothing noteworthy stands out in my menu. But then I admit to not paying much attention. This last week seemed mostly about taking photographs and then sitting on the computer downloading and reviewing them. And there were some noteworthy photos. Inside Jail Cell Where Antelope Play And it is not like I have been totally inactive. Having camera, will travel does take some traveling. I drove to Raton and of course stopped in Cimarron. And then I walked with the fur kids and camera. Barbed Wire And did deep squats to get up close and personal with flowers and twigs. Thistle blossom And sometimes just wondered restlessly about the studio trying out various settings on my D90 to capture the flowers and plants drafted into posing as subjects. Crown of Thorns buds ...