Red Wind Alert

Click on the composite to enjoy a high-res version. All images were created with the handheld SONY 200-600GM and the a1. The 1.4X TC was added for the sorghum field blur. The rattler was unfortunately road-killed. Black Mesa State Park Composite

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There was a Red Wind Alert yesterday in the Oklahoma Panhandle: mean wind speeds in excess of 50 mph with gusts in excess of 80mph. After the 387-mile drive from OKC to Boise City in the Oklahoma Panhandle, I spent five hours exploring Black Mesa State Park. In a word, the winds were ferocious at times. Twice I made my way to rock ledges above the lake, and feared for my safety when returning to my vehicle just yards away. It felt as if the rock cliff were moving and as if I would be lifted up and away. Having once experienced fierce katabatic wind in Antarctica, I would say that yesterday was worse.

There were lots of birds: Common Ravens, meadowlarks, Horned Larks, Bald and Golden Eagle (the latter carrying a rabbit), juvenile Northern Shrike, Mountain Bluebird, Prairie Falcon, Red-tailed Hawk, cormorants, and many other unidentified species. Photographing any of them, even from the car, was impossible because of the high winds. Above is a sampling of images that I made with the handheld 200-600 using very high shutter speeds and very high ISOs, the latter despite the bright sunshine.

Today is Monday 24 October 2022. I am headed out to explore the ares north and west of Black Mesa. It is cooler and cloudy bright with only a breeze from the north. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about 60 minutes to prepare and makes two hundred-twelve days in a row with a new one.

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