mountain bike trail near Castle Creek, where a seasonal unravelling of matrix-supported gravels had failed from the edge of a high fluvial terrace. May have to modify a short section of the trail this coming spring.
A technicolor sunset...
is underway, painting the eastern skyline in a spectrum of colors.
First tracks on freshly fallen flurries...
in the backyard mountain bike park below Adobe Mesa, after a brief overnight snow squall. Wonderful.
Laying the ground work...
in the brush for a breakfast morsel. This is a smart and determined bird.
Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus).
November's Beaver Moon...
rises behind, and nearly silhouettes, Castleton Tower at dusk this evening.
Click on image to embiggenate.
Twelve hours later, early the following morning, the full Beaver Moon sets behind Porcupine Rim.
The first frosting of Castle Valley...
the morning after the Thanksgiving holiday storm. Nine to 20 inches of snow is reported in the high La Sal Mountains.
A handsome buck...
visits the watering hole early last evening, artfully captured by the infrared trail camera.
Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus).
Leafy greens are important...
in your diet. I’m glad to see that Bugs Buddy is getting his vitamins, minerals and fiber during his foraging around the house.
Desert cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii).
This annoying woodpecker...
likes to hammer on stucco and I hope it gets a splitting headache as it does so. It’s an attractive bird, though.
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus). More than 100 informal common names are known for this bird, including yellowhammer, clape, gaffer woodpecker, harry-wicket, heigh-ho, wake-up, walk-up, wick-up, yarrup, and gawker bird.
Excitement guaranteed for the second flight test...
of the largest rocket ever launched, brought to humanity by SpaceX early this morning from south Texas. (Images below from the SpaceX webcast on X.)
Propellant loading underway of the Super Heavy Booster and Starship 25 with super-chilled liquid oxygen and liquid methane.
Successful liftoff! All 33 Raptor engines ignited with the capability of lifting 150 tons into Earth orbit.
Excellent slow-motion high resolution video of the launch: NASASpaceflight.
Midnight at the oasis...
around the birdbath, caught by the ever-seeing trail camera. I’ve suspected as much since I have to refill the birdbath every morning with several gallons of water now that the irrigation system is turned off for the season.
Kit fox (Vulpes macrotis).
Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus).
There’s also a heating element in the bath to keep it from freezing through the winter, so it’s a reliable water source for birds and other wildlife.
UPDATE 16 November 2023: They’ve become regular nocturnal visitors.
This tiny rusty thrush...
is one of my favorites, and here it is enjoying the birdbath this afternoon.
Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana).
Back again for breakfast...
where there are countless finches and sparrows available on the fly-through buffet.
Sharp-shinned hawk (Accipiter striatus).
My sharp-looking companion is back...
on patrol at my feeding stations this season. Here are the first shots I’ve managed to capture under horrible lighting conditions and through dirty glass, using my back door as a blind. I feel confident there will be many future sightings of this handsome bird through the winter ahead.
Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus).
Nearly an hour of hang time...
was enjoyed by this skilled paraglider on this calm and lovely afternoon in Castle Valley. I was out cranking on my eMTB and caught these with my smartyphone.
Note the silhouetted climber rappelling the standard descent route on Castleton Tower, left of center.
Glorious conditions exist...
on the trails and jeep roads in and around Castle Valley.
My neighbor on his eMTB can be spied near the center of this image.
A significant dusting of snow...
dresses the high country in the La Sal Mountains in the wake of the first real winter storm of the season, with thee to six inches of accumulation being reported at the SNOTEL sites. It will be interesting to see what this winter brings after last year’s record breaker.
Click on image to enlarginate.
A sky on fire...
at sunrise this morning heralds big changes in the weather ahead. Time to batten down.
The first muleys...
are beginning to aggregate in small herds in Castle Valley for the winter, and here’s a juvenile bedding down in the luminous brush.
Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus).
Stacking firewood on a warmish day...
ensures that a little extra heat will be released when burned in the woodstove later this winter, or so I’ve been led to believe.
