Willow Lake upper basin

 Upper Lake, just below the divide, around 11,800 ft.

 The upper basin.

 Willows along Creek in Upper Basin.

Twin Mule deer fawns. Their mother was nearby.

Willow Lake, Crestone, early August.

 Willow Lake, 8/7, I was surprised to find it brim full in this very dry year.

 Yellow-bellied marmot.

 Kit Carson Peak.

View from a cave.

North to Crestone, Colorado, early August.

 Mount Blanca on a smokeless day, 8/6.

 On the Willow Creek trail, Crestone, 8/7.

 Climbing...

First of many waterfalls.

A brief interlude in Taos, early August.

 One of my favorite views in Taos, "the notch", 8/1.

 The forest fires all around made a blue smokey atmosphere.

 A Blue grosbeak in Taos, 8/3.

 The very low Rio at Lee Trail, 8/6.

A small Prairie rattler by the river, 8/6.

Meanwhile back in Santa Fe, Cooper's hawks are fledged, 7/31.

 Two of 3-4 fledglings on their favorite perch, hoping to be fed.

I've never seen a lounging hawk before.

The long road home, July 28-29.

 A Zebra-tailed lizard on a a very warm roadside tire, 7/28.

 Granite Gap, NM.

 Ocotillos in full leaf.

 Striped skunk family at Bosque del Apache NWR.

The only active hummingbird nest I found this year, in a friend's front yard in Hillsboro, NM., 7/29. The latest nesting hummer I've ever seen I think. 2 eggs in it. Much later I heard that 2 young successfully fledged from this nest!

Bio Blitz, Portal, AZ. July 27-28. More species.

 Blue-throated hummingbird at Southwest Research Station, 7/27

Chiricahua fox squirrel, Sciurus nayaritensis chiricahuae, an endemic subspecies of the Chiricahua Mtns.

 Chiricahua leopard frog, 7/28.

Yarrow's spiny lizard, 7/27.

Trogon Fever, Cave Creek, July 28. Bioblitz day two.

 Catching sight of an Elegant Trogon is pretty special, 7/28.

 At a possible nest cavity?

Return to Cave Creek for the Charlie Painter BioBlitz. July 27-28

 Cave Creek Canyon, AZ.

 Finding a Twin -spotted rattler, 7/27.

 Twin-spotted rattlesnake, 7/27.

 Banded-rock rattlesnake, 7/27.

Black-tailed rattler, 7/27.

A gorgeous caterpillar appears, July 18.

 This caterpillar dropped out of a tree at my campsite in Italianos Canyon.

Does anyone know what kind it is?

The last batch of dippers about to fledge in July.

 Four hungry chicks, 7/16.

 How many aquatic insects does it take to raise 4 growing chicks?

Between feedings, with downy head tufts7/16.

More surprises from trail camera in July.

 Pacific marten 7/8.

 Bobcat in summer coat, 7/10.

Yearling black bear, 7/11.

Some surprises from a trail camera in the Rio Grande Gorge Feb 28 - May 18

 A Canada goose trying to chase or lure an otter away from its nest, 4/10.

 A bighorn swimming across the river, 4/26.

 A badger in the bottom of the gorge, 5/9.

 The Canada goose with 3 goslings (near rocks), 5/11, a couple of days after the badgers visit.

A bighorn ram shedding its winter coat, 5/18.