When we stopped overnight in Tucumcari, New Mexico, a couple of days ago I was too road-weary to go exploring the wider area on foot as the Big Guy did. But I did manage to take a stroll around the perimeter of our hotel with my camera. And unlike some of our overnight stops, here there was quite a lot to see.

Tucumcari Mountain

Sparrow

Western kingbird

I spent more time than I care to admit tracking a cat from a second floor walkway after I spotted it playing in the waste ground between the hotel and the interstate. It first caught my attention as it leapt and spun around, chasing moths. I tried my best to become a stealthy wildlife photographer, but this clever kitten caught sight of me a couple of different times. I withdrew after watching the cat stalk and then fail to catch a ring-neck dove — and then throw me a look that clearly said, “It’s all your fault!”

A clueless ring-neck dove

“I feel like I’m being watched…”

Watching the dove fly away