West Texas Musings

With the dead of winter upon us here in north central New Mexico, I didn't venture out this weekend (I do detest cold weather, yet I live in the mountains).  So instead of hitting the road, I spent some time in the studio processing a few photos taken last fall.

Over Thanksgiving weekend last year, I drove down to the Big Bend area of West Texas, about an 500 mile trip one way.  While there, I visited some friends in Alpine where I lived for several years.  We had so much fun visiting, eating and reminiscing that I was loathe to leave when Sunday finally rolled around.

I do love the Big Bend area and its spare desert beauty, so on Saturday traveled down to Big Bend National Park to see what I could see.   For photography, I much prefer this area in spring and early summer when yucca, agave, ocotillo, cacti and sage bloom as it's quite spare in winter when these beauties are dormant. But there I was, and so I set out with camera.

Departing from Alpine, I headed east on US 90 towards the tiny village of Marathon.  Stopping in town to stroll, I spotted a leather-and-rope bridle hanging on an adobe wall next to a wooden gate.  Drawn by its rustic patina, I snapped the photo below.

Back in the truck and heading south on US 385, I saw "miles and miles of Texas" (with apologies to Asleep at the Wheel).  Here's a photo of a bit of the road within Big Bend National Park.

After a brief stop at the Panther Junction Visitor Center, I headed southeast to Rio Grande Village.  There I bought a Lunchable, then sat at a picnic table outside the little store to eat.  What a glorious day - warm sunshine and light breezes, made even more delightful when I recalled the snow-and-ice storm I battled through Albuquerque on my way down.

Next on to Boquillas Canyon, where I explored the Rio Grande and Boquillas Canyon overlooks.  Below is a snapshot of the placid Rio Grande flowing through Boquillas Canyon.  The canyon wall seen here is in Mexico, and the trees on the left are on the US side.

After a bit of hiking, I drove up to the Chisos Basin. Emory Peak in the Chisos Mountains is the second highest peak in Texas at 7,825 feet. A bronze sculpture of a Peregrine Falcon greets folks at the visitors center. Here's a snapshot.

I didn't see any Peregrine Falcons on this trip, but I did see Golden Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Greater Roadrunner, Northern Mockingbird, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Lesser Goldfinch, White-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco and lots of little brown birds too quick and too far away to identify.

It's beautiful up in the Chisos Mountains, with many hiking trails winding up through pine and fir, and lots of broad vistas offering panoramic views of the desert below.  Here is a look at a small section of the mountains from the Chisos Basin Visitors Center.

Big Bend National Park encompasses more than 800,000 acres of the Chihuahuan Desert and is bordered to the west, south and east by 118 miles of the Rio Grande.  One could spend many days driving the roads within the park, rafting the river and hiking its trails through the desert and mountains.  Unfortunately, I had just a few hours.  

Due to both the time of year and time of day, I didn't have a great photo trip.  I'd like to get back to the Big Bend in March or April when the desert is in bloom and birds and wildlife are more active and visible.  With my busy schedule, it's hard to get away - perhaps next year. But I did enjoy spending time in one of my favorite places - the Chihuahuan Desert. Yeah, I'm a desert rat at heart (yet I live in the mountains).

So with a dinner engagement back in Alpine, I headed west out of the park and picked up Hwy 118 in Study Butte.  No time to explore Santa Elena Canyon or Terlingua.  I'm saving those for next time.  Here's a parting shot I took on my way out.

For more information about Big Bend National Park, try clicking on www.visitbigbend.com.

Cheers 'til next time....Gail.

www.gailyovanphotos.com
All images and text ©2014 Gail Diane Yovanovich

More Winter Birds

Winter in New Mexico is the time of year when Sandhill Cranes and geese grace our portion of the Rio Grande with their presence.  So for nature photograhers, it's also the time of year when we get out in the field to capture them in images before they head back north in spring.

This weekend I visited Bernardo Wildlife Management Area near San Acacia.  I had never stopped there before although I drive past it each time I visit Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge.  Thousands of cranes were feeding on the corn planted for them at Bernardo, but, from a photographer's standpoint, the areas is not as scenic as Bosque del Apache.  Photo backdrops for the cranes consist mostly of standing dried corn - not the prettiest in my opinion.  Also, at Bosque del Apache, one can often capture cranes standing in water which makes for some nice reflection images. I did not observe this situation at Bernardo, but there are still plenty of photo opportunities.

Here is a photo I made of Sandhill Cranes in flight over the cornfields at Bernardo with our brilliant blue New Mexico sky as background.

Also at Bernardo, this lovely Say's Phoebe perched cooperatively on a corn stalk so I could snap its picture.

While walking a short hiking path at Bernardo, dozens of White-crowned Sparrows flitted in the brush, along with five or six Spotted Towhees.  The Spotted Towhees are such skulkers that they are difficult to see, but a little pishing brought one out in the open for a good look and a nice photo.

Bernardo has several canals along which grow cattails.  I photographed these cattails in color with the Canon 70-200mm lens and 2.0 II teleconverter on the Canon 5D Mark II body.  I later converted the photo to black-and-white in Photoshop.

If you're headed to Bosque del Apache NWR on I-25 from Albuquerque or points north, Bernardo is worth a stop on your way.  Take the US 60 exit and follow the sign.  You can see cranes at very close range - they sometimes walk right along the road.  Yesterday, there were hundreds of cranes in the air almost constantly, and their calls filled the air throughout the refuge.  Restrooms, picnic tables and observation blinds make it a civilized experience.

Cheers 'til next time...Gail.
www.gailyovanphotos.com
All images and text ©2014 Gail Diane Yovanovich

Changes for the New Year

I've got some changes to Gail Diane Yovanovich Photography coming up for 2011, one of which is this blog. Keeping things pristinely up-to-date is not one of my strong points, but I'll be trying to post at least once a week.

Also, within the next few weeks, I'll have a new website up. I'll be streamlining the site to make navigation faster and easier for you, and to make the overall appearance sleeker. I'll let you know when it's online, and hope you'll send me your comments - both positive and negative.

In early December, I began an overhaul of my photo equipment. I traded in my Canon 300mm f/2.8 lens for the Canon 500mm f/4 big gun. With this, I'll be turning more attention to photographing birds and wildlife. Here's one of the first photos I took with the new lens. This is a Sandhill Crane at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge.

Of course, landscapes will always remain a priority. Below is an image of Shiprock in northwestern New Mexico near Farmington taken in late 2010.  This ancient volcanic plug dominates the landscape throughout the area. To the left of the photo, you can see remains of its lava field angled upward. At one point in geologic time, there were more than 100 active volcanoes in New Mexico. Although these volcanic plugs are visible throughout the northern two-thirds of the state, Shiprock is surely the most dramatic.

I captured the image from Bosque del Apache shown at the upper right of this post on New Year's Eve 2010.  You can get a better look at Evening Glow on my website at www.gailyovanphotos.com.

Cheers til later....Gail.
www.gailyovanphotos.com
All images and text ©2014 Gail Diane Yovanovich