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Thursday, January 14, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM

 Vermilion Flycatcher, Percha Dam State Park, Arrey NM, January 12, 2010
Vermilion Flycatcher, Percha Dam State Park, Arrey NM, January 12, 2010

These colorful little Vermilion Flycatchers are quick to launch out from a perch to snatch an insect out of the air 40 or 50 feet away. This little guy let me snap away at him at work for the better part of an hour but my little Panasonic DMC-FZ28 at 18x wasn't really up to the task. One could easily lust after better equipment at times like these. I caught a few in flight shots that could have been spectacular with a better camera.

Night camp

Site 16 - Bosque Bird Watcher's RV Park, San Antonio NM

Absolute Silence

I remembered hearing of a backcountry Park Service ranger who was cleaning up after dinner one evening when he heard a chilling scream. He ran out of his cabin in time to see a mountain lion standing with a dead deer next to her. The lion saw the ranger and bounded off. The ranger realized this might be a rare opportunity to closely observe a mountain lion, so he stationed himself a short distance away from the deer carcase. He sat in absolute silence, and listened closely as night deepened. After sitting in darkness for well over an hour, he gave up hope of the lion's returning and stood up. In the powerful beam of his flashlight, he could clearly see that the dead deer was no longer there. ...

Caught in Fading Light: Mountain Lions, Zen Masters, and Wild Nature by Gary Thorp

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