Category: Birding

Birds, Bats and Galaxies

Post author By Doug Backlund
Post date March 26, 2022

It is that time of year again, where there is so much to do I can’t decide what to do next. One result is I don’t get much sleep. I finally caught up on sleep last night.

A couple of nights ago, I captured about 2 hours of the Sombrero Galaxy, M104, and added it to what I captured last winter. I’d like to get even more, weather permitting.

Same with M106, I added more to what I captured last winter. It is starting to look very nice. Even though these galaxies are tens of millions of light years out there, it is a sissy skip in distance compared to the quasars I posted earlier. Hardly even worth mentioning anymore.

And M65, one of the Leo Triplets, more data added to what I had from last winter. The frustrating thing about astrophotography is the amount of time it takes to get a good image. At least the nighttime temperatures aren’t as cold now and it makes it more enjoyable to be outside.

Last night I went to Valentine Well again and got this shot of a Pallid Bat in the act of getting a drink.

A female Gila Woodpecker showing its underside. There were four of them having some kind of dispute and they all liked to hang on the fence while doing it.

Bats Birding

An Evening at Valentine Well

Post author By Doug Backlund
Post date March 20, 2022
2 Comments on An Evening at Valentine Well

Friday afternoon I drove back out to Valentine Well. The weather wasn’t as warm as I had hoped but I still thought I could get some decent bat activity. About a mile before the well, I saw a sight that one does not often see here in the heart of the Sonoran Desert, an Osprey.

A rare sight around the Ajo area, an Osprey, and even rarer to see one perched on a Saguaro. I think I’ve seen Osprey maybe twice before. There is no water with fish for at least 60 miles, but the birds are common along the Sea of Cortez and of course will migrate through. But landing on a Saguaro?

The main reason I keep trying for bats at Valentine Well is to get a really good photo of this species, Townsend’s Big-eared Bat. It is always close but so far I have none that are really sharp and contain the entire bat. This one is not sharp but otherwise it would be perfect! My big hope is for a Spotted Bat to start using the tank.

Yuma Myotis are the most common bat out there and most of my shots are of this species. Therefore, I get more good ones. What I need is good photos of different species.

This Yuma Myotis is coming in for a drink.

They are very fast, and they don’t slow down much for a drink. As always, right click on an image and open in new window for a larger image.

Birding Photography

Birding Report

Bird migration is picking up nicely. I’m seeing first of spring Bell’s Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Lucy’s Warbler, Wilson’s Warbler, Bullock’s Oriole, and many more. I went out to Valentine Well a couple of nights ago to try some bat photography. That didn’t work out but I did see a Poorwill. Nights are warming up, no longer do I need four blankets! The lack of rain results in very few wildflowers, unfortunately. It is very dry.

I’ve been hearing about a Lewis’s Woodpecker around town, it has apparently been here all winter. I finally caught up to it.

There are lots of Lawrence’s Goldfinches moving through the area. Some days I can see over 30 at the golf course. Here is a flock watering with a Gila Woodpecker.

These Lawrence’s Goldfinches were bathing at a pretty close range.

My first of spring Lucy’s Warbler, at Highway Tank.

FOS Cassin’s Kingbird at the golf course.

Astrophotography Birding Photography

At the Kit Fox Den Again and a Visit to Another Galaxy

Post author By Doug Backlund
Post date March 2, 2022
2 Comments on At the Kit Fox Den Again and a Visit to Another Galaxy

Here it is, March 2, the day of the new moon and all I get is clouds. I’ve only had two good nights for astrophotography so far. At least the area got a little rain, 1/4 to 1/2 inch around the area. The biggest bird excitement was a Laughing Gull at Lake Ajo. Some birders came over from Tucson and for at least one it was an Arizona life bird. I’ve never seen one in Arizona myself. This afternoon I was passing by the Kit Fox den and saw two of the foxes outside taking a nap.

Both of the Kit Fox were pretty much sound asleep when I first got there. I just sat in the truck and watched.

I don’t think they ever sleep too long before getting up and looking around.

One spent quite a bit of time grooming the other.

Time for a good scratch too. One of the foxes then went to the den and appeared to be listening for something down in the hole. Could be pups in there!

This is NGC 4725 in the constellation of Coma Berenices. It is the brightest member of the Coma group of galaxies. NGC 4725 is about 40 million light years from Earth, the smaller galaxy above is NGC 4712 and it is over 200 million light years distant. That’s a lot of miles!

The Laughing Gull at Lake Ajo (the sewage ponds). First one I’ve ever seen in Arizona.

Astrophotography Birding

Mid-February Report

Post author By Doug Backlund
Post date February 14, 2022

As the title of this page may indicate, not much is going on. Some bird movement, mostly an increase in Sage Thrashers, is noted. The moon is approaching full phase now and of course it has been clear and calm every night. The weather has been warm, above 80 F. for the last few days. There is a group called the Boondockers that shows up here every winter. The campground was getting a bit crowded with them for the last couple of weeks but now most have left. It appears that Covid-19 has peaked in this area, according to the local weekly paper. Reported cases peaked at 74 the week before last, now it is dropping fast. I still remain Covid free.

A Sagebrush Sparrow. There are some around this winter but not in the numbers I’ve seen in past years.

NGC 3344, also known as the Sliced Onion Galaxy. 22.5 million light years away in the constellation Leo Minor. There are a couple of tiny background galaxies below the brightest star that are reported to be over 700 million light years distance. As always, right click on the image and open in a new window for a larger image.

Astrophotography Birding Photography

Fox Fur and Cone Nebula

The few nights I’ve had for astro I’ve been concentrating on two nebulas that are actually connected but too big for me to fit in the frame using the C8. Once I collect more light on the Fox Fur Nebula, I’m going to try to create a panorama with the two images. It has been frustratingly cloudy, windy, or very poor atmospheric seeing. Birding hasn’t been much better. As always, images can be opened in a new window or tab to see a larger image.

This is the Fox Fur Nebula, also known as the Christmas Tree Cluster, NGC 2264, Cone Nebula, and other designations. The parts make up the whole. It is located in the constellation Monoceros. I have about two hours of exposure so far.

The Cone Nebula. I have about 7 hours on it now. I don’t know what these are going to look like if I can combine them. There are two bright stars in the upper left, one yellow and one blue. The same stars can be seen in the Fox Fur Nebula image above, on the upper right.

I mostly did this just to see if I could. The Dusty Hand Galaxy is a very small and faint, only about 3 arc minutes in diameter. But I did manage to capture enough detail to see “the hand”. Designated NGC 2146, it is located in the constellation Camelopardalis close to Polaris, distance around 70 million light years.

One of two Long-eared Owls I’ve been seeing in The Thicket. They are very well concealed.

Astrophotography Birding Photography

A Fox in a Tree

This morning I was in The Thicket looking for owls. I found the two Long-eared Owls that I’ve been seeing. Then I saw something I’ve never seen before, a Gray Fox in a tree. I’ve read many times about Gray Fox climbing trees but this is my first experience at seeing it. I went back later in the day hoping it would still be there and in better light, but it was gone.

Gray Fox on a large, horizontal branch of a mesquite. I would guess it was about 15 feet above the ground.

A Mexican Duck that showed up at the ponds a few days ago. I’ve seen this species here before but only once or twice, I think.

This is my current astro project, the Cone Nebula. I’m doing this with the C8 and since it is a very faint nebula, it will take a lot of time. I think it is looking good so far. The cone is formed from cold molecular hydrogen and dust in front of a faint emission nebula containing hydrogen ionized by a bright star.

Astrophotography Birding Photography

Hints of Spring

I know it is only January but here in the Sonoran Desert, there are hints of spring already. Yesterday, I stopped at the ponds in the late afternoon and just after sunset I saw a Lesser Nighthawk foraging over the water. There are more flycatchers of every species now. Where there was one Black Phoebe, now there are two or three. I’m seeing more Ash-throated Flycatchers everywhere I go. The moon has been bright and the nights fairly cloudy but soon I will be able to do astro again, hopefully in the next few days.

M81, a large and bright galaxy near the Big Dipper. I have done this before, this time I added five hours of exposure to what I had taken last winter.

I’ve seen two Sage Thrashers in the last week. Here’s one of them, checking me out from the cover of a creosote bush.

This male Phainopepla cooperated for a nice photo out at Highway Tank.

A couple of nights ago I went out to the Barn Owl hole to see if I could get a photo when they emerged for the night. That didn’t work out, they just flew out and away. I was hoping they would land and look around for a while first. On my way back to town, I saw this Great Horned Owl perched on a El Paso natural gas line marker. I took this photo in the headlights with flash.

Astrophotography Birding

January in the Sonoran Desert

Post author By Doug Backlund
Post date January 5, 2022
4 Comments on January in the Sonoran Desert

Hard to believe it is already January and it sure feels like it. By Sonoran Desert standards, it has been cold. Temperature dropped well into the 20’s two nights in a row. To make matters worse for me, this is the period when I should be doing astrophotography, but it has been cloudy every night until just a few nights ago. Now I only have a couple more nights before the moon starts getting too bright. I hope next month is better! The Ajo Christmas Bird Count was yesterday and joined in on that. Otherwise, not much has been going on.

Here’s my annual Black-throated Sparrow photo.

Costa’s Hummingbird at the Cabeza Prieta NWR headquarters, someone has put out a hummingbird feeder there.

NGC 1300, a galaxy about 61 million light years away in the constellation Eridanus. I took a lot of exposure and added it to what I had from last year.

The Medusa Nebula. I have never tried this one before. It was once thought to be a supernova remnant, but recent research proved it to be a planetary nebula. It is a very faint nebula located in the constellation Gemini. This is about 5 hours of exposure with the C8.

Astrophotography Birding Photography

Some Ajo Birds

Post author By Doug Backlund
Post date December 19, 2021

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.