Our tan world got very white again yesterday morning! It was a snowfall of about an inch, and much of it melted during the day, that liquid goodness seeping into the soil – and into the catchment tanks. The last time I was at the first new catchment, water from the melting snow was gurgling noisily from the roof to the gutter and down the pipes into the tanks. What an absolutely MARVELOUS sound!
Tenaz may have been watching the clouds swirl around McKenna Peak and Temple Butte and the far eastern and southeastern ridges, but he was the star of the show to me.
The most positive identification I can give for the raptors pictured above is that they are eagles. I *think* the top one might be a juvenile bald eagle, and I *think* the bottom bird might be a juvenile golden eagle. Adults of both species were present but had flown away before I stopped to photograph these individuals. They were perched on branches of a cottonwood tree above Disappointment Creek in Disappointment Valley. A dead deer wasn’t far away, and in addition to the eagles, magpies and ravens were johnny on the spot to clean it up (which they did in a day or less).
The sharpness definitely leaves a lot to be desired, but I wasn’t too close, and this is a heavy crop of the original image. In my own defense, I never claimed to be a bird photographer. 🙂
We have golden eagles here year-round, but the bald eagles are winter visitors. In the last several years, seeing the balds has become less frequent. They’re more frequently seen along the Dolores River and in the Norwood area.
Doesn’t he look great? Hollywood is one of our elder stallions now – about 21 this year, if my original guess about his age when we first met was right. The last couple of years, he was looking a little lean. He doesn’t have a lieutenant, which probably contributes to his good condition. He and his band of lovely ladies do wander quite a lot. I may know relatively where to look for and find many of the other bands at any given time, but it’s always a wonder where Holls will be.
I’m really happy to see him looking so good. He may be the oldest band stallion in the basin now, but he also has one of the biggest bands!
Sweet Mariah is so lovely, but she’s with a new band now and eager to stay out of the spotlight. … Or at least, not so eager to be *seen* in the spotlight.
Fortunately for us, there’s no mistaking her loveliness.
While we wait for snow (that sticks), how about another pic of our lovely dun girls? While Aiyanna watches the pronghorns half a mile or so away, Dundee keeps her eyes on me. 🙂
Interesting how their dorsal stripes mimic some of the erosion ridges on far McKenna Peak, eh?
The mustangs make practical use of being surrounded by frozen water to “eat” it as casually as they graze. It’s very handy for them to graze and browse and nibble mouthfuls of snow along the way. They do seem to relish it – like ice cream, perhaps!?
Elder Aspen cuts a dashing figure against the rimrocks of Spring Creek canyon in the far western part of Spring Creek Basin.
He’s starting to show his age, and he moves slowly and deliberately through the snow (not much *dashing* for him, really), but for a mustang that I’d guess to be in at least his mid-20s, he’s looking pretty fine, indeed.
Interestingly, before I got out to Terra and her band, the mountains had been fully visible. Rather than clearing of snow clouds, the clouds were enveloping them (again). They look just about as fabulous as Terra in HER winter coat. 🙂
Spring Creek Basin Mustangs 