Since my last posting just after the Balloon Fiesta, things have been a little slow around here photo-wise. Butterflies have definitely been few and far between lately as the season winds down and the weather has cooled off. That’s had me looking around more for birds and realizing again how different that is from looking down and around for those much smaller butterflies. Apparently, it will take a bit more practice since lately I haven’t had much luck seeing many birds anywhere and not many decent photo opportunities. I managed to get a look at the American Bittern seen recently at the Rio Grande Nature Center, but haven’t seen it again after multiple visits. Quite a few visits to Los Poblanos Open Space looking for the Ring-necked Pheasant pair that everyone else has been seeing, and not too surprised on missing the Osprey, Bald Eagle (!), and Belted Kingfisher others had at Tingley. So there’s not too many photos this time, but here’s a few I thought might be interesting.
Made it up to the Sandias one day to catch a little of the aspens turning, but nothing like I’ve seen from Santa Fe from October for what must have been an excellent showing. Best I got is a closeup of some aspen leaves.
Closing in on the end of October, the cottonwoods along the Rio Grande have been going off showing some good Fall color. Here’s one from the North Diversion Channel looking toward the Sandias,
and another from Willow Creek Open Space.
A morning walk along the Corrales Drain turned up a number of grasshoppers in the grasses,
and a Black-capped Chickadee munching on sunflower seeds.
On some of those visits to Los Poblanos in search of the elusive pheasants, I would manage to see a few other birds including quite a few Greater Roadrunner,
Lesser Goldfinch going for those sunflower seeds,
and several of the newly-arrived Sandhill Cranes.
A morning at Embudito Canyon on October 21 yielded the one butterfly photo for October (although I have seen very small numbers of a few species occasionally since),
and likely my last hummingbird photo for the year.
The last few days I’ve managed to get at least one good photo on a generally daily outing somewhere, although there have also been more than a few days recently when nothing catches my eye worth photographing. Examples include this Black Phoebe from last Friday,
and then this morning, a Great Blue Heron high in a cottonwood.
Not the greatest photo, but several times in the last week it’s been fun to see a group of Mule Deer stopping by the yard to snack on the New Mexico Privet just outside my front door…here’s a picture of a few of them from my ‘office’ window.
Natural Moments 
I’d say you did very well with your photos, Joe! I especially like the view of that oldest part of the mountain from the North Diversion Channel.
Thanks!
Great photos Joe!
Thanks, Sven. Fun reading about your trip with Andrew, too.