Month: December 2021

Categories
Astrophotography Birding Photography

Some Ajo Birds

It has finally turned more winter-like. After the last rain, there is enough moisture for dew and now it is cold enough for frost, so I have a frosty windshield most mornings. The cold further north has moved birds this way. A nice flock of Horned Larks showed up at the golf course along with a Mountain Bluebird. More ducks at the ponds and an occasional Ring-billed Gull, but nothing very exciting, except for a Canada Goose that appeared one day. Some birders from Tucson were going to drive out for that but it was gone the next morning.

I got very close to this Red-naped Sapsucker that was feeding on palm fruits.
This ranks right up there with my best ever Crissal Thrasher photos.
Gilded Flicker in nice light. This time of the year the sun is low enough all day so I can avoid the harsh light that is present most of the year by mid-day.
Another photo of the Ruddy Ground Dove, I think this is my best yet.
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher in winter plumage.
I reworked this image and cropped some of the surroundings out to put more emphasis on “the hand”. The Helping Hand Nebula.
Categories
Astrophotography Birding Photography

Ruddy Ground Dove and some Astro

A Ruddy Ground Dove had been reported at the Ajo plaza about a week ago, but yesterday was the first time I saw it. This is the second Ruddy Ground Dove I’ve ever seen and the only female. This morning I went back and got some pretty good photos of it. I’ve been doing quite a bit of astrophotography with the 500 f4. I quit working on the really faint ones for a while and back to some bright and easy ones. I am looking forward to the galaxy season coming up when I can go back to using the C8.

Female Ruddy Ground Dove at the Ajo plaza.
The Soul Nebula, I think this is the first time I’ve done this nebula by itself, usually it is paired with the Heart Nebula at lower focal length. At 500mm focal length, this is a nearly full frame image.
M45, the Pleiades. I’ve done this many times but the seeing on this night was very good and I think it helps to preserve detail in the dust clouds.
Yes, once again, the Horsehead Nebula. At least once a year, I have to do it. It is amazing to me how easy this nebula is to image, but it is completely invisible in the scope or with binoculars.
California Nebula. This large nebula is also a full frame image at 500mm focal length.
A very striking sundog I saw late afternoon over Child’s Mountain.