Posts in Category: New Mexico
Cedar Waxwings at Arroyo Hondo
Cedar Waxwings, Arroyo Hondo Open Space, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
We went walking at Arroyo Hondo Open Space on the southeastern edge of Santa Fe yesterday morning. While the more vigorous hikers did the loop down toward the stream, I took the trail that stops gently up to the top of the hill, and was rewarded by a flock of 30-40 Cedar Waxwings. They circled around the hill several times, just close enough to see what they were, and then settled in interior of a large bushy pine. They remained there, buried in the foliage, but I was able to walk up relatively closely and catch them through the branches when they perched in slightly more open spots. There are 4 in this shot.
Sony RX10iii. 600MM equivalent field of view. In-camera HDR. Processed in PhotoShop Express on my Android tablet.
Carol and Anna at Taos Pueblo. Happy Sunday!
Carol and Anna, Taos Pueblo, New Mexico
“If your eye is generous, your whole being is full of light!” Jesus
My wife Carol and I are in Santa Fe, New Mexico visiting our daughter Anna, who is finishing up her masters in Art Therapy / Counseling here. Yesterday we took a drive to Taos and Taos Pueblo, taking the National Scenic Byway called the Taos High Road, which winds up through the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, offering a series of memorable views of the upland landscape…as well as passing through some interesting mountain towns. It is off the beaten path in the truest sense of the word, but a certainly a wonderful drive. Then we spent the afternoon at Taos Pueblo. This is Carol and Anna in the main plaza of the Pueblo, where they hold religious ceremonies (fiesta) and dances several times a year…some of them as old as the buildings behind my wife and daughter…going back 1000 years. Unlike most remaining Pueblos, Taos has large communal dwellings that are more like the architecture of the Anasazi ruins in the area, than they are like the more southern Pueblos, which feature more individual family homes. Taos is still a living community. Though only 4 or 5 families still live year round in the Pueblo, every home and apartment is full around the fiesta days and celebrations, and the Pueblo is still the heart of the community, even if members have a home in the one of the newer areas where they have access to electricity and indoor plumbing, not to mention wifi and the internet.
As with all the Pueblos, the history of Taos since the Spanish Invasion and the American Conquest is bittersweet to say the least. Taos was the leader in two Revolts, one against the Spanish which actually drove the invaders back down into Mexico for 12 years, and another, this time allied with the Hispanic settlers in the area, against the American forces, which resulted in the death of 150 women and children who had taken shelter in the church, when the Americans turned canons on it and destroyed it. But Taos is still a strong community. Taos was the first tribe to force (or convince) the US Government to return native lands, and now holds over 100,000 areas of sacred land above the Pueblo in the mountains, which includes Blue Lake, the source of Willow Creek that is the heart of the community (Taos means “place of the willows”.) They have a strong sovereign government and have their affairs well in hand. They welcome visitors to the Pueblo and many of the Pueblo homes have been turned into cafés (fry bread and chili) or shops that feature a wide range of Pueblo arts and crafts.
It is always a challenge for me, as a descendent of the invaders and conquerors, to visit a living community like Taos. It is a reminder of the pain that has been inflicted by my people in the name of religion and manifest destiny. But it is also a testimony to the best in human nature…to the strength of the spirit that lives in us all…that not only survives but thrives in this world. It is a testimony to the light that lives in us all. It is a testimony that peace, even if tentative and tainted by the past, is possible among us. And I need that reminder this week…after we appear to have elected a old style manifest destiny Conqueror as our president. The last few days have certainly been a challenge to my generosity. I can only hope that our community is strong enough to reign him, and his forces, in for the next 4 years, and that we can emerge, as the community of Taos has, stronger and more alive for the experience. Happy Sunday!
Redwings in the Cattails
Young male Red-winged Blackbirds, Bosque del Apache NWR, Socorro NM
This is a rather odd photo…but I like it. There were 30 or more young male Red-winged Backbirds in the stand of cattails along the boardwalk over the diving duck pond at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, just before dawn, making a total racket. They were well hidden, so this is the best I could do for a shot. Still, I think it is effective, capturing the situation pretty well…and a graphics…as an image…it has a lot of visual interest, between the colors, textures, and shapes. Or that is what I think 🙂
Nikon P610 at 600mm equivalent field of view. 1/80th @ ISO 400 @ f5.6. Processed in Lightroom.
Cloud peppered with Snow Geese
Snow Geese, Bosque del Apache NWR, Socorro NM
Our first day at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge for the Festival of the Cranes, there were very few Snow Geese. I saw a few hundred during the day. The next morning it was no better, but as I arrived back at the Visitor Center to begin my day’s work, at about 8:45 am, I heard geese coming in from the north and looked up to see the sky literally full of Snow (and undoubtedly many Ross’) Geese. And I mean full. Thousands. Maybe 10,000 Geese coming in a huge flock. At first it looked like they might overshoot the Refuge, but they did spiral down and settle on the ponds inside the tour loop. I grabbed the closest camera and took some stills and video from the parking lot. This relatively wide angle shot catches a bit of the feeling.
Nikon P610 at 30mm equivalent field of view. 1/1600th @ ISO 100 @ f5. Processed in Lightroom.
Crane in Millet
Sandhill Crane, Bosque del Apache NWR, Socorro NM
Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge is managed for wildlife. The Refuge has enough area to grow crops to feed the thousands of birds that winter there. Along the backside of the tour loop, they plant millet, and then flood the fields so that Sandhill Cranes, Snow Geese, and dabbling ducks of all kinds can feed on the seeds. This year, the corn crop failed, so the Cranes are depending more on the millet. Generally the millet is knocked down so it will be more accessible to the birds, but a small stand was left standing along the edge of the field, and it was interesting to watch the big cranes delicately picking millet seed above their heads. They seemed to have most success coming in from underneath. It has to take a lot of millet to feed a Sandhill Crane. 🙂 (The corn crops both north and south of the Refuge did not fail, so the Cranes are spending more time off the refuge, feeding in the fields where the NWS has contracted a portion of the crop.)
I love the light of early morning here, picking out all the details.
Nikon 900 at 1400mm equivalent field of view. 1/640th @ ISO 100 @ f6.3. Processed in Lightroom.
Blue Goose on Top
Snow Geese (one Blue), Bosque del Apache NWR, Socorro NM
I spent a lot of time, relatively speaking, at Bosque del Apache attempting flight shots. It is a lot of fun…a bit of challenge…but with the proper settings on your camera, it is quite possible to have enough success to make it satisfying. I experimented all week with settings, and finally resorted to Target finding Auto Focus and Shutter Preferred Auto Exposure. That seemed to work best. This group of Snow Geese, with one Blue variety at the top of the frame, was taken when a large group of geese were in the process of moving down the refuge a few fields. There were geese in the air continuously for close to an hour. I got lots of practice. 🙂
Nikon P610 at 1440mm equivalent field of view. 1/800th @ ISO 100 @ f8.2. Processed in Lightroom.
Evoking Cranes in the Dawn
Sandhill Cranes before dawn. Bosque del Apache NWR, Socorro NM
This is, to my eye, an “evocative” image…it evokes the experience of watching the Sandhill Cranes taking flight in the pre-dawn light at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge more than it “portrays” it. High ISO, low shutter speed, and a rapid pan with the birds in flight leads to an impressionistic background…water (including the two cranes standing) and landscape suggested rather than detailed…stripped down to a basic layering of color and texture. The relatively sharp cranes are laid over the background, but even they have a bit of the motion blur. Overall it looks more like a painting than a photograph. Generally I do not like that…but here, I think, it works. This would stand up to a fairly large print…and viewed from normal viewing distance, it would be quite striking on the wall. Evocative!
Nikon P900 at 400mm equivalent field of view. 1/60th @ ISO 560 @ f5. Processed and cropped slightly at the bottom for composition in Lightroom.
Bosque Dawn
Snow Geese and Sandhill Cranes, Bosque del Apache NWR, Socorro NM
There is a somewhat famous photograph by another photographer called “Bosque Dawn”. If you go to Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge you will see it…far faded from its native glory these days…on a billboard on the way out of the refuge on the left a mile or so before you get to San Antonio. When it first went up, years ago, it was impressive! This shot is nothing like it actually…but it catches some of the unique atmosphere of Bosque del Apache at dawn in November when the Geese and the Cranes are in. As you can see this is just at dawn. The sun is already touching the tops of the mountains behind on the left, but it has not reached the birds on the water. There is a dawn glow in sky, reflected subtly in the water. And the Geese are on the wing. They had settled in this pond with the Cranes (who had been there all night) for a few moments on their way out of the refuge (or further down the refuge) for the day…and to give the gathered photographers a treat. I was there leading one of my Point and Shoot Nature Photography workshops, and enjoying every moment of it.
Nikon P900 at 135mm equivalent field of view. Shutter preferred. 1/250th @ ISO 140 @ f4. Processed in Lightroom.
Geese Away!
Snow Geese (and a few Ross’), Bosque del Apache NWR, Socorro NM
We return, this morning, to Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge and the Festival of the Cranes. Snow Geese (and a few Ross’ undoubtedly) taking off in mass for another field. It is hard to capture the effect without the sound of hundreds of wings beating and dozens of geese calling. 🙂
Nikon P900 at 800mm equivalent field of view. Shutter preferred. 1/640th @ ISO 100 @ f7.1. Processed in Lightroom.
Sandhill Cranes. Autumn Light.
Sandhill Cranes, Bosque del Apache NWR, Socorro NM
The Festival of the Cranes at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge is wonderful for many reasons. The numbers of Snow Geese and Sandhill Cranes, the possibility of many raptors and dabbling ducks, the song-birds still hanging in there, Mule Deer and Elk…the great variety of wildlife…but it is also wonderful for the light! Autumn in the high desert valley of the Rio Grande has to have some of the cleanest, most flattering light of anywhere, anytime. Especially morning and late afternoon. These three cranes over a field of grain, and in front of the foothills and autumn foliage, are ideally, and beautifully illuminated. Looking at it I am back there in the brisk morning air, hearing the calls of the cranes, feeling the sun warm by back. A wonderful place. A wonderful experience. Wonderful light!
Nikon P900 at 800mm equivalent field of view. Shutter preferred. 1/640th @ ISO 140 @ f5.6. Processed and cropped slightly to eliminate crane parts in Lightroom.