I’m still here. It has been over two weeks since my last post. There hasn’t been much going on, until the last few days. Now there more signs of spring with some new birds migrating into the area. I am finally getting a few clear nights for astrophotography. By next week we will be seeing temperatures near 90 F. Still no rain and it does not look promising for the foreseeable future.
A Neotropic Cormorant appeared at Lake Ajo one day, this is the first one I’ve seen here, although they are common at Gillespie Dam and other places that have water with fish. This bird did not stay long, as soon as it realized there were no fish in Lake Ajo it took off. A female Mountain Bluebird that has been in the campground all winter. A few days ago, I got this shot of it in the soft late afternoon light. I made my first trip this winter to Alamo Canyon. There was actually a very small seep in the South Fork, in a bosque that usually is good birding. And it was good birding! Here is a Rufous-crowned Sparrow I photographed there. I also got my FOS Hooded Oriole, Cassin’s Vireo and a Gray Vireo. Here is a LINK to my eBird checklist. It as been several years since I’ve seen a Bell’s Sparrow. One has to search all of the much more common Sagebrush Sparrows for a bird with no stripes on the back and black malars. I found one (maybe 2) at Highway Tank. The back is not striped, there are black streaks on the scapulars, but that is normal. Here a frontal view showing a strong black breast spot and black malars. Hubble’s Variable Nebula, NGC 2261, in the constellation Monoceros. I have photographed this before but only as part of a wider view of the Cone Nebula. I’ve never tried it with the C8. It is a small target but very bright. This is one of the few space objects that exhibit rather rapid changes in shape and brightness. One can track changes over time with a sketch or photos each time. It’s not the nebula changing shape, but rather clouds of thick dust and gas near the illuminating star (R Monocerotis) that are casting shadows into the nebula. Discovered by William Herschel in 1783, Edwin Hubble was the first to describe this pulsating nebula. This is NGC 2467, with the common moniker of Skull and Crossbones Nebula. I have never tried this one before. It does not rise above 30 degrees in the south, so it stays in the murk of the atmosphere all the time. However, it is quite bright and large, so it worked out OK. Located in the constellation Puppis, it is a large star forming region, rich in ionizing hydrogen and even OII. I need a lot more exposure to bring out all the details and it may not even be possible at that low elevation.
One reply on “February Update”
Very nice photos. I especially like the Bell’s sparrow, that’s one I’ve not seen yet.
About Alamo Canyon, are there any cottonwood trees near the areas that have water? Alamo means poplar or cottonwood, so I’m curious. I looked Alamo Canyon up, it looks like an interesting place.
One reply on “February Update”
Very nice photos. I especially like the Bell’s sparrow, that’s one I’ve not seen yet.
About Alamo Canyon, are there any cottonwood trees near the areas that have water? Alamo means poplar or cottonwood, so I’m curious. I looked Alamo Canyon up, it looks like an interesting place.