Some pics---

Al Hansen

Well-known member
While out very early in the morning, yesterday, I saw this female black-chinned hummer. By the time I was finished photographing her I decided to call her the "pollinator". Her head and beak was covered with pollen. In one of the pics you will see how she flat dove into one of the orange trumpet flowers----head first. It was fun to witness.

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Shortly after the hummer left, I had close to 30 quail come to the pond for their morning drinks. There were two coveys in this large group and from the looks of them about a week separated them in hatching time. We have had a good year in our area for the Gambel's quail. They seem to have done well.

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In most of these shots the only adult you will see is one of the males. The other male along with the two females saw me and took some of the youngsters with them into the brush.

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Later in the morning around 9:00, Bev and I loaded the Mule and headed west for 20 minutes. I decided to look for a spot to cut firewood. We ended up spotting a black bear, which in turn made us take another route. While out there the clouds came rolling in (it is our monsoon season) and we left post haste. At that altitude, 7,500 to 8,000 feet where we were, it is way too dangerous.

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When we got home I took this shot of the area we had just left. It had already started to rain---actually it was pouring in that region.

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Mt. Baldy is that peak on the left of the area where it is raining. Four scientists were driving down from the Magdalena Ridge Observatory when they encountered a mud slide that closed down the road. They said on the news last night that hopefully by Monday everything would be cleaned up.

In the evening I decided to try and take some shots of the Rufous hummingbird. The males leave first, just like bluewing teal, and head south. These little guys have been in the northern parts of our continent including southeastern Alaska and Canada. In the spring they migrate north along the Pacific Ocean. In the late summer they migrate south on the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains.
It has taken this male exactly one day to commandeer one of our feeders. He will allow no other hummer to drink from it. I guess we have about 50 hummers now and the three feeders are beginning to be used. For those of you who have only the Ruby-throated hummingbird, the Rufous is much like them. "VERY" territorial!
We will have these guys for about a month before they take off for Mexico and Central America. In about two weeks the females and youngsters will begin showing up.

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What a brilliant orange gorget it has.

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I have to admit that Bev and I sure had allot of fun yesterday. Glad I took a nap!
Al
 
Great pics. You're lucky to have so many different hummingbird species in the SW. Here in the East we have only one, as far as I'm aware.
 
Awesome pictures Al...I love the one with the storm moving through the mountains. And those are some awesom hummingbird and quail shots too!
 
Nice assortment of pics, I'm afraid everytime I see the quail pics I want to bring my dog out and hunt them. But at the same time I also think Bev would feel like I was shooting her pets...
 
Thanks for the beautiful photos. Last Saturday our son just sent us a photo of him & his fellow Scouters atop Mt Baldy. They left Philmont early this morning so they should've missed most of the rain.
 
Paul, we have two varieties that breed in our area which are the black-chinned and the broadtailed. Every late summer around now (this year it was July 18th) the Rufous and the Calliope come through our area on their southerly migration route.
Al
 
Awesome pictures Al...I love the one with the storm moving through the mountains. And those are some awesom hummingbird and quail shots too!

Glad you liked the pictures, Steve. This is our monsoon season and in the afternoons we will see quite a bit of storm activity. Of course we sit here and hope that the rains come to us. In the past four days our hummingbird population has exploded. We saw about a dozen locals all spring and that was it. Now that the rufous and calliope are in the area, last night there were at least a hundred hummers at the four feeders.
Al
 
Nice assortment of pics, I'm afraid everytime I see the quail pics I want to bring my dog out and hunt them. But at the same time I also think Bev would feel like I was shooting her pets...
Hey, Don,
I don't think Bev would mind at all. Hunters go after them all around us. Just remember if you come out, that your pup needs to be vaccinated for rattlesnake bite.
Al
 
Thanks for the beautiful photos. Last Saturday our son just sent us a photo of him & his fellow Scouters atop Mt Baldy. They left Philmont early this morning so they should've missed most of the rain.

Hi Tony,
I just wanted you to know that you didn't have to worry about this storm. We are about 300 miles to the south of where your son is on the Philmont Ranch. That is a totally different Mt. Baldy. The one we have here is where the new Magdalena Ridge Observatory sits.

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This is my duck hunting partner, Chili. She was sitting at the very top of Mt. Baldy on this shot. This picture was taken at 10,783 feet.

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I want to live where the Quail look like that.

Well, Rob, you can. Just move out here. This has been a pretty good year for the Gambel's quail. Please note that you most likely would want to leave your beautiful duck hunting boat with mud motor back in Oklahoma. Now if they ever make a "Sand Motor" for a jon boat, now we are talking. Miles and miles of places to travel then.
Al
 
HI Al,

Nice pics. those thunder storms remind me of southern Utah and northern AZ ..... Thou shall not dilly dally in a wash during the monsoon season, or you might end up in the mighty Colorado River...

Matt
 
HI Al,

Nice pics. those thunder storms remind me of southern Utah and northern AZ ..... Thou shall not dilly dally in a wash during the monsoon season, or you might end up in the mighty Colorado River...

Matt

Boy, were you close. Though shall not dilly dally in a wash during the monsoon season or you might end up in the Rio Grande! You should have seen the arroyos starting at our back yard---literally, on our property line and to the north for five miles. They all ran hard and heavy causing damage to the irrigation ditches and roads.
Al
 
Is this the makings of a good teal season at San Marcial?

Where did you used to live and when did you hunt down there? I drove down there last week to check it out and it still looks like the "dust bowl era" of the 1930's down there. No water. It has been four years since I have hunted there.
Al
 
Nice pics Al.
I will be on my way there in a month and a day.
I can't stop thinking about it.
 
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