from this morning, at 1/2000th of a second, still not fast enough to freeze their wingbeat.
Indian paintbrush...
in full resplendent glory near Dewey Bridge, Utah.
Milky Way above Parriott Mesa...
around 4:30 am MDT near Castle Valley, Utah. That’s me in the image, with my headlamp pointed straight up and held stationary during the 20 second exposure.
Tripod-mounted Canon 6D with Rokinon 14 mm lens at f/4, ISO 5000, 20 secs.
The heronry on the Colorado River...
is now open for residents this breeding season despite the COVID-19 lockdown in Grand County, visited this morning near milepost 9 on SR 128 between Moab and Castle Valley, Utah. There are about a half-dozen stick nests built by Great Blue Herons (Ardea herodias) over the decades right across the river from a small pullout.
This is likely the female on the stick nest in a grove of Gambel oak trees.
This is likely the male, caught fishing on a gravel bar, just a short distance downstream below the nest.
First hummingbird arrives...
at my feeder for spring! I’m a huge fan of these little guys, and was ready with my camera.
Black-Chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri).
International Space Station...
pierces the Milky Way in its orbit early this morning above Castle Valley as seen here in this 15 sec exposure captured shortly after 5 am MDT. The ISS entered the frame near Antares and continued on its trajectory across the view for about four minutes duration. There’s even a faint meteor trace in the image!
Shot during early morning twilight with tripod-mounted Canon 6D with Rokinon 14mm lens at f/4, ISO 5000.
The time and trajectory of the transit of the ISS was predicted using Heavens-Above Pro and SkySafari apps.
Claret cup cacti...
are a reliable early bloomer in canyon country and a personal favorite.
Close-up of large, waxy blossoms of Echinocereus triglochidiatus.
Never waste a new moon...
to shoot the Milky Way, seen here from the Rocky Rapid access to the Colorado River near Castle Valley, Utah. I caught this at around 3:00 am MDT. using a very dim LED panel to illuminate the foreground.
The bright object in the lower-center is Jupiter, with the core of the Milky Way silhouetting the northern tip of Parriott Mesa. (Click image to enlarge.)
Birds of Castle Valley, Utah...
as seen today, hiding in the awakening cottonwood trees.
Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus).
Common Raven (Corvus corax).
Intense sunrise...
in Castle Valley, Utah, on this lovely morning.
Early morning alignment of planets...
plus the Milky Way above Porcupine Rim, shot at 4:30 am MDT. I get up early so you don’t have to!
Shot with tripod-mounted Canon 6D with Rokinon 14 mm lens, ISO 3200, f/4.0, 15 secs. (Click image to enlarge.)
Textbook angular unconformity...
along the Colorado River, upstream from Moab, Utah.
The prominent cliff-former is the Lower Jurassic Wingate Sandstone with the underlying Upper Triassic Chinle Formation that contains the angular unconformity.
The costliest mass wasting event...
in US history occurred at Thistle, Utah in April, 1983. Read more about this interesting geologic event at GeoSights: Thistle Landslide Revisited.
Thistle landslide site seen here from the overlook on US Highway 6 near Spanish Fork, Utah.
Sunset on the alpine skyline...
near Monida Pass, shot Friday evening, specifically near Lima, Montana.
(Click image to enlarge.)
There's an anatomy lesson...
inside every bird pellet. Challenge: Identify the rodent.
Great Horned Owl pellet, about two centimeters wide.
Meet my neighbor...
Hopper, the llama. It’s quite difficult to get her to sit still for a proper portrait.
Spring has sprung...
in eastern Washington and provides an opportunity for get-down-on-your-knees macrophotography.
Flower of sagebrush buttercup (Ranunculus glaberrimus).
History of pandemics...
in an interesting infographic. Go wash your hands after viewing this!
Image courtesy of VisualCapitalist.com. (Click image to enlarge.)
We interrupt the current crisis...
to highlight a significant 6.5 magnitude earthquake that occurred yesterday near Stanley, Idaho, widely felt from Spokane, Washington to Salt Lake City, Utah. This was the strongest earthquake in the region since the 1983 M6.9 Borah Peak earthquake (October 28, 1983), the epicenter of which is located 100 km east of this event on the Lost River fault zone.
More information about the temblor: M 6.5 - 72km W of Challis, Idaho
Graphic courtesy U.S. Geological Survey.
Apropos of these interesting times...
“There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen.”
― Vladimir Ilyich Lenin