Kate had made it through the surgery, and I was recovering too. I had anesthesia-caused sleep issues and of course stress. I changed timing of meds and used music to get back to my former excellent sleep. 3,960 images per day was becoming the norm and I still enjoyed all of them.

It’s always jarring when nature reminds us who’s in charge. Losing a tree—or anything familiar—can feel like losing part of your story. No matter how strong you are, moments like these can knock the wind out of you. And still, somehow, we stand. Because courage is contagious.

On Monday, based on what we knew from past years, we were amazed by the thousands of cranes that had stayed until the end of the month. Not quite as many as a month earlier, but still the sky was full of them, and we'd never before seen them in the barley field by the thousands.

When I was trying to understand our 3 kinds of bunnies, I spilled to the AI bot that we'd been a National Backyard Wildlife Habitat for a long time. It meant a lot to me, that they made an embroidered version with our official number as well as a wooden badge to use on my pages. When I asked...

The neighbor Savannah cat took a handsome selfie. so I learned all about this fascinating cat who likes to hunt. Caught up on a few things, I decided it was time to understand which of eastern, desert, and mountain cottontails we've seen. I suspected a mix: more study needed.

That was a mid-Spring Wednesday, sunny, then partly cloudy in the afternoon. A typical pattern for us in the foothills of the Rockies. So the lighting changed throughout the day. Remember the oranges and jelly we tried but had no takers, except squirrels and ants for the jelly.

The Canada geese were paired and it was nice to see them again. It was very different than at home, where we had a background of city life. Our happy place was in the sunshine with plenty of open space and quiet. I also loved to see the blackbirds finally feasting on last year's cattails.

I wasn't crazy about giving up my sprinkler system, but for more than 30 years it has kept you healthy, to haul the heavy duty 50-foot hose all over our property every few days each summer. Suddenly in April the grass was turning green again and you were out getting your exercise.

I'm partial to bunnies and to Ukraine—but sometimes I think Russia is a bit like the squirrels. They're just being who they are. First, a squirrel harasses a bunny. Then he chases the grackle, shoving his way in at the feeder. I wish we could all get along, but nature doesn’t work that way.

Primarily known for his sculptures in cast bronze and forged steel, Bernie Brenner was a dedicated educator. He influenced a generation of students. He emphasized the importance of understanding diverse cultural perspectives & the therapeutic potential of artistic expression.

We're used to it, one day 67 and the next day snow. It's springtime in the rockies. At the beginning of the week, our feeders weren't popular but the critters all showed up when they knew a storm was coming. We planted the Corsican violet, and I even saw a tiny white butterfly.

I sorely missed the photos when I was too tired to set up the camera, and we started into the second week of April with it on again. There were lots of spring stories to note, especially about the broken glass, the check engine light, and the flowering crab sending out red leaves.

The camera was pointed more towards the sky than normal, so I captured a lot of bunny ears and squirrel tails, but hey! It doesn’t normally do well for the selfie shots. • The truck wouldn’t start. • Day #2 w my steps at the grocery store • You locked your keys in the truck • We...

On Thursday, our last day of the trip, it was snowing hard and there was black ice. We remembered how dangerous our trip home last year in this weather was, as a car went off the road. We waited for daylight. There was no snow at the refuge, and by afternoon there was sunshine.

We saw quite a variety of ducks but were more excited at the time about the cranes, and it was only 15 degrees, so we didn't spend much time watching them. They were all swimming in pairs and I saw it as a reminder that it's their mating season. Some just huddled by the shore.

Most of them were gone as soon as we got within the range of our lens, but sometimes we'd get lucky. My window was down and we weren't too close, but he heard me talking to him. And he just sang his heart out for me. At first it wasn't clear, but later I was sure he was showing off.

Mountain lions had visited us before, but I gasped when I saw the images from overnight. Right away I thought it was a mountain lion, but spent an hour making sure. I asked my AI engine to make me an image in the same pose. Our was a younger one, still in his tawny coat.

As temperatures allowed, we started putting out water again in March. And I'm not sure, but I think some squirrels were very aware of the camera and did a bit of stylin' for me, showing us how very much they appreciated the water. Everybody used it, but the squirrel was so funny.

During their migration stopover at Monte Vista, cranes typically leave in waves rather than one coordinated flock. Unlike geese or ducks that often fly in tight V-formations, sandhill cranes tend to travel in looser groups. They have broad wings and use soaring flight when possible.

I would look at that bird, and think I should know it. I'd seen it many times and looked it up each time, but still couldn't remember it. The female red-winged blackbird seems to be quite happy to be off by herself, away from the boys.