Williams Lake, Hummingbirds, Doves, Flycatcher. 06-12-2024.

Geraint June 12, 2024 6 Comments

Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. This week an iPhone panorama of my first view of Williams Lake in six years. I was watching the birds in the garden again when I wasn’t out walking this week. Black-chinned and Broad-tailed hummingbirds along with the same family of cowbirds, magpies, western flycatchers, and doves.

The trip yesterday to Williams Lake was spontaneous, I was heading somewhere else and decided to go in a different direction… up! It’s not a long hike and the trail was clear of most of the snow banks. Muddy and wet but the crossings were easier than I expected, an observation I made, I went up here on July 4, 1994, with my four-month-old son on my back, and the snow was so deep I had to turn around and go back down. It’s June 12 and for the most part, the trail is clear of almost all snow. Click on photos to enlarge.

Williams Lake, NM — Williams Lake with Wheeler Peak on the left, NM.

And on July 23, 2011…

Back to the garden…

The hummingbirds are enjoying the new feeder, the Eurasian-collared Doves are reconstructing last year’s nest in the ash tree and the feeders are attracting all sorts of others.

The Western Flycatcher the Ash-throated Warbler and a Juniper Titmouse are back. The Tufted Titmouse has returned after two years of absence only to find I bunged up the hole in the siding on our home where it had previously made a nest. It will have to nest somewhere else this year, perhaps in a tree!

Below is one of two Broad-tailed Hummingbirds . I love the little tongue. I believe that this is an immature female.

Broad-tailed Hummingbird San Cristobal, NM — Broad-tailed Hummingbird, San Cristobal, NM

And the Broad-tail…

And the Black-chinned Hummingbird…

These Eurasian-collared Doves built a nest in the ash tree late last summer. They are earlier this year. The female sits in the nest and the male brings twigs to reinforce it to sustain it against the winds.

Eurasian collared Dove in nest — Eurasian collared Dove in the nest.

Eurasian collared Dove with nest twigs — Eurasian collared Dove with elm twigs.

Lastly, the Western flycatcher tweeting its little heart out.

As always, thank you for looking, comments, and compliments. I hope it’s a good week where you are.

Best wishes. G

Bighorn, Birds, Ute Mountain, Gorge. 06-05-2024

Geraint June 5, 2024 8 Comments

Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. This week, sleepy bighorn sheep rams in the morning sun, birds in the garden, and the Rio Grande Gorge with Ute Mountain.

The Rams were shot on a photo tour at the gorge rim and weren’t inclined to do anything more than fall asleep or chew their cud!

There were eight rams in total, most were uncooperative regarding pictures. Still, I marveled at their primordial-looking selves. Those horns!

This week we’ve had Brown-headed Cowbirds return to the garden, male and female. See below for a full list of other species. And, the hummingbirds are back in numbers since we planted lots of colorful flowers and filled the feeders.

Brown-headed Cowbird, male — Male Brown-headed Cowbird, San Cristobal, NM.

Female, Brown-headed Cowbird San Cristobal — Female, Brown-headed Cowbird.

This beautiful House Finch showed up for a singsong yesterday evening.

Today the Merlin Bird App recorded and confirmed a Warbling Vireo on a Taos Ski Valley trail. Unfortunately, there is no picture.

It’s greening up everywhere, and the Rio Grande below appears more grand. The runoff in the mountains is building as temperatures warm up. Some stream crossings I’ve made in the last few weeks are beginning to spill over onto the trails.

Here’s the list of birds this week in the garden and neighborhood.

Brown-headed Cowbird
House Finch
Bullocks Oriole
Pine Siskin
Western Tanager
Violet Green Swallow
American Crow
Common Raven
Black-billed Magpie
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Black-headed Grosbeak
House Sparrow
Evening Grosbeak
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Spotted Towhee
Mountain Chickadee
Northern Flicker
House Wren
Berwicks Wren (according to the Merlin App)
Yellow-breasted Chat
Ash-throated Warbler
Canyon Towhee
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Mourning Dove
White-breasted Nuthatch
Song Sparrow.

As always, thank you for looking and all the support, comments, and compliments. Have a great week. G

Western Tanagers In The Garden. 05-29-2024.

Geraint May 28, 2024 12 Comments

Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. Western Tanagers are back in our garden and neck of the woods this week. I observed their antics, fights, and general behavior for a few days. They are fun, playful, and not always nice to one another. Nature in all ways, always makes my day. I didn’t include pictures of the many bickerings, you know what that looks like. The photos are in no particular order, I hope you enjoy them.

Western Tanagers, San Cristobal, NM — Western Tanager, San Cristobal, NM.

Birds of summer, northern New Mexico — Female.

Some of my favorites from 600 images I paired down to a couple of dozen.

Tanager — Adult male, as far as I can tell.

western tanager SC 6673 — Breeding male.

Sometimes the lineup in the trees looked like the planes stacked up over the San Gabriel Valley waiting their turn to land at LAX or Burbank.

Click here to read more about Western Tanagers.

As always, thank you for looking, comments, and compliments. Have a great week. G

In the Garden with Buddha, the Birds and a Moth

Geraint May 19, 2021 18 Comments

Not a lot of words are needed here. Suffice to say I’m playing around with my new Sony 100-400mm lens, and what better place than the garden. The birds are willing accomplices and help me put the lens through its paces. I really like this lens a lot.