Crops & Clips: Flashback to September, 2017

Reviewing the photo archives from three years back excites memories of our former home in the mountains of New Mexico. As usual, I will search for images which reflect favorite memes: critters of all kinds (especially birds), skies and clouds, reflections, flowers and fences, as well as scenes which speak for themselves. 

In our local south Florida wetlands I photographed this Female Northern Cardinal, on September 4th:



Prairie Warblers had returned from their nesting areas in coastal Mangroves:

  



September, 2017 opened as Hurricane Irma, an extremely powerful Cape Verde hurricane, was building up strength to Category 3. South Florida remained firmly in its projected path as it moved slowly towards us. At first we thought it would be safe to ride out the storm. On September 4 Irma was approaching the eastern Carribbean and had reached Category 5 with winds of 180 mph (285 km/h). It was expected to strike Florida on or about September 7th. 

The view before sunrise on September 1:



Walking home under an unsettled sky:



Ahead, a Raccoon crossed the path:



Queen Butterfly on Bidens alba:



We then decided to shutter our home and find higher ground, but could not book a flight to our condo in Illinois. Alternatively, we decided to fly to Albuquerque, New Mexico via a 2-stop itinerary, reaching there on September 6th. 

The hurricane almost stalled before reaching Cuba on September 9 and the next day made landfall along the west coast of Florida. It spared our home a direct hit but we were in its huge wind field with hurricane-force winds extending out 80 mi (130 km) and gale-force winds spanning an area 220 mi (350 km) in diameter.

In Albuquerque we stayed in Kirtland Air Force Base lodging with the Sandia Mountains as a backdrop:



We wasted no time and drove up to Sandia Crest (elevation 10,678 ft / 3,255 m), birding along the 12 mile road which winds its way to the top. About halfway up, we stopped at Capulin Spring with its famous water feature which is very attractive to birds in the dry habitat. When we lived in New Mexico, MaryLou and I spent several years as volunteer interpreters with the US Forest Service and this was a  prime objective on our nature walks. 

Our retreat from Hurricane Irma to "high and dry" New Mexico provided me with great memories of when we lived here. In the early 1990s I worked with other USFS volunteers to rehabilitate an old hollow log which had served as a wildlife watering trough. It was rotted at one end and the pipes which fed water into it from Capulin Spring had shattered after the rock wall which enclosed it deteriorated into rubble. 

We replaced the pipe and reconstructed the wall, restoring the flow of water, and we covered the hole in the log with a rubber plate. This worked well for over a dozen years but the log had to be finally replaced by one hewn out painstakingly by a new generation of US Forest Service volunteers. It had now been flowing for about two years and this was the first time I visited the (now new) "Bird Log at Capulin Spring" in more than seven years. It lives up to its reputation, attracting nearly every local and migratory bird and mammal species to this only source of water over an expanse of mountainous forest in the Sandia Mountains east of Albuquerque.

The "Bird Log" at Capulin Spring:



Traveling light, I carried only my new mirrorless camera and still had not mastered all of its adjustments, so my photographic record is poor. Among the avian visitors to the log, a Townsend's Warbler...

 

...a Mountain Chickadee...



...a Dark-eyed (Gray-headed) Junco...



...Wilson's Warbler...



...Plumbeous Vireo...



...Spotted Towhee...



...Cassin's Finch...



...and, among many other species, a Green-tailed Towhee...



...and a Chipmunk:



Nearby Balsam Glade Picnic Area provided a panoramic view to the northeast:



At the top of Sandia Crest was the Gift Shop and Restaurant where I instituted the Rosy-Finch feeding program which has grown into an important research site for these threatened species. They would not be visiting here until the snows of November, but the sugar water feeders attracted Black-chinned Hummingbirds:







The Crest House deck overlooks Albuquerque and the Rio Grande Valley:



We returned to Florida on September 12 to find that we had suffered no wind damage and only had a  few hours' lapse in electric service. We then took our previously planned flight to Illinois only 4 days later. The view of Port Everglades as we took off from Fort Lauderdale early on September 16:



Lovable Tibetan Mastiff Agramonte, our daughter's family pet, greeted us:



Fall migration was underway. A rainwater impoundment in St. Charles attracted a Buff-breasted Sandpiper...



...and Wilson's Snipe...



...as an immature Red-tailed Hawk kept watch:



We visited Jones Meadow Park near our condo:

 

The bridge over Blackberry Creek in Bliss Woods:



I  love this barn scene at Hannaford woods, which I reproduced as a simulated oil painting (click to enlarge):



Along the trail in Hannaford, there were Red-headed Woodpeckers... 



...and a Magnolia Warbler was surrounded by a bokeh glow:



On September 30, MaryLou was dwarfed by the lone oak at Hawk's Bluff Park, a few doors from our daughter's home in Batavia:



A White-breasted Nuthatch explored its spreading limbs:



Hurricane Irma caused at least 134 deaths, 92 in the contiguous United States. Florida's estimated economic agricultural damages alone totaled over $2.5 Billion, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. There was massive loss of flowering and fruiting plants in the wild lands as well. It took over two years for several species of butterflies to rebound from the loss of adults, eggs, larvae and nectar sources.

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Linking to:

Fences Around the World

Skywatch Friday

Weekend Reflections

Saturday's Critters

BirdD'Pot

Camera Critters

All Seasons

Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday)

Natasha Musing

Our World Tuesday

Wild Bird Wednesday

My Corner of the World

Timeless Thursday

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Please visit the links to all these posts to see some excellent photos on display
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Rocky Mountains reunion

For several months Mary Lou and I made plans for a family reunion on the occasion of our 56th Wedding anniversary. We chose to locate it at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colorado. This was also the site of our 50th anniversary gathering. We had stayed there in past years with our children, where we enjoyed a great variety of activities for visitors of all ages. 

We reserved five cabins for five nights to house us as well as the anticipated 19 guests-- our three children, eight grandchildren and two great-grandsons, along with their loved ones and Mary Lou's brother Ray. We held our breath up to the last minute, hoping that all would be willing and able to endure the hardship and stress of flying and driving. It all worked out beautifully. 

The weather was fine, with cool nights and warm days. Four of the cabins were clustered together along a ridge with beautiful views of snow-capped peaks and verdant valleys:



As luck would have it, a scheduling glitch caused the facility to relocate our own cabin about a quarter mile away from the others, down-slope in a woodland. Note the bear-proof waste container at the door of our "Aspen" cabin:



This turned out to not be bad at all, as we enjoyed a measure of solitude and we also were spared the duty of hosting the evening gatherings which the younger crowd kept going until well after our bedtime. I was out exploring very early every morning, enjoying the sights, sounds and smells of the wilderness. Just outside our door, two bird houses were attached to tree trunks. One was quaint and rustic:



It was occupied by a pair of Mountain Chickadees with at least one nestling as well as a fledgling:

 



In the other bird house, aptly-named Violet-green Swallows were busy bringing in nesting materials:







Another pair of swallows nested in an abandoned woodpecker hole in an old Aspen:



Mule Deer roamed near the cabin. The bucks were in velvet:



A small doe eyed me cautiously from a grassy opening, her generous "mule" ears outlined by back-light:



Pygmy Nuthatches were abundant in the Ponderosa Pines:





Slate-colored Juncos (Gray-headed subspecies) sang vigorously from treetops. Like this one, a fair percentage of the small birds were banded, thanks to the active research which is conducted at the YMCA:

 



A Ruby-crowned Kinglet appeared briefly and displayed its namesake headdress:



A Hairy Woodpecker foraged on an Aspen which showed distinct scars from a bear's claws:



Colorful Cassin's Finches were busy finding food among the Aspen leaves:




An American Crow spied on me from a high perch...



...while another ventured into the shadows, where my murky photo needed tuning which brought out some vivid background colors:

 

Our daughter's "Byenbye" cabin became the center for gathering and entertainment. We returned there after a a nature walk with some of the younger crowd:



One of the granddaughters sighted a Mountain Bluebird atop one of the cabins along the way:



This is the "Byenbye" Cabin. Its deck proved to be a great spot for nature photographers:



Granddaughter Mary (and younger granddaughter Cari) captured some excellent shots of wildlife and scenery. I am encouraging them to start their own photo blogs:



These are my photos from the deck. I must admit that several taken by the youngsters are better than mine! A Green-tailed Towhee put on quite a show:







The YMCA prohibits hummingbird feeders because they attract bears. The Broad-tailed Hummingbirds found many inconspicuous tubular flowers to provide them with nectar:





We drove up above the treeline on Trail Ridge Road. Among the furry residents of the alpine tundra were a chipmunk which appeared to be blowing "bokeh bubbles"...



...and a Hoary Marmot:





In the distance, a small herd of North American Elk browsed near an ice field:



Nearer, two elk walked along a ridge:



A Clark's Nutcracker was almost out of camera range:



Of course I must show off more of our grandkids. Here, our granddaughter Cari leads a pony carrying great-grandson Jayce:



Graci takes aim at the archery range while her sister Cari nocks her arrow:



Granddaughter Rachel displays her beautiful smile:



Her sister Elizabeth was afraid of heights but conquered her fear by riding a full-sized horse for the first time:



Grandchildren Mary and Glen return from a trail ride:



Now that I have bored you with "grandpa talk" I will let you see all four generations of the Schneider Clan (with Mary Lou's brother Ray also in the photo)...



...and, of course, a special vintage rendition with our eight grandchildren:




My only "reflection" this week is that from a rainbow, which also refracts and disperses light. This was the first earthbound rainbow I have ever seen, at 5:00 PM on June 13, 2016. It is an  iPhone 6 photo enhanced by layering 3 different exposures for HDR effect. This rainbow appeared suddenly during a brief local downpour. We were above it looking down into the valley:





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Linking to Misty's  CAMERA CRITTERS,

Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,

Linking to GOOD FENCES by Tex (Theresa). 

Linking to SKYWATCH FRIDAY by Yogi, Sylvia and Sandy

Linking to WEEKEND REFLECTIONS by James

Linking to BirdD'Pot by Anni

Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday by Stewart

Linking to Today's Flowers Friday by Denise

Linking to Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) by NC Sue
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Please visit the links to all these memes to see some excellent photos on display
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