I was tempted to say that they were lit by moonlight but in actuality, this was a bit of a happy accident. Taken in the full light of the late morning, I had my camera settings wrong resulting in an underexposed image. I almost deleted it but instead decided to darken it creating what I think is a nice edge-lit silhouette.
Marmot looks less than thrilled at the thought of Monday morning
Okay, this wasn’t taken on a Monday but I suspect many of us had similar looks lacking enthusiasm about the start of the workweek.
Thoughts of the high country and the creatures that will soon be accessible as the snow recedes continue to preoccupy me. These highly entertaining creatures are found across much of the mountain areas of Colorado and easily viewed at places like Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park where this image was taken.
I am anxiously awaiting the day when roads are clear and I can get back up there. The traditional opening of Trail Ridge is Memorial Day weekend, weather permitting. I may just be up there then!
Cooper’s hawk at home makes for the best pics of the day
So, I spent all morning out taking pics (or trying to!) and get nothing extraordinary. I come home, walk upstairs and I see the creature that gives me my best shots of the day in our backyard – a gorgeous Cooper’s hawk.
Initially it was sitting then it laid down as if guarding a kill. It flew off after a bit with nothing in its talons and at the spot it was, only a small pile of pine needles. Not sure what it thought it had caught.
Way cool to see these guys though. Those eyes are awesome! BTW, please excuse the dead grass you are seeing. That is a section of lawn we are preparing to xeriscape so I killed everything there. 😉
Swainson’s hawks begin setting up their summertime home
The return of the Argentinians!
I knew these gorgeous raptors would be returning to the Colorado plains soon but I hadn’t had a chance to venture out to find them. Today I finally did and I saw quite a lot of them. Two, in particular, put on a fantastic air show for me as they worked on a nest northeast of Denver.
During the summer, their numbers will swell here to where I seem to see more of them than the more common red-tailed hawk. The winter will find them in the much warmer environs of Argentina after one of the longest migrations known.
Returning home with fish for the family
Another capture from last weekend’s visit with my bald eagle friends.
Here, mom returns to the nest with a nice fish for everyone to enjoy. While she fed the little one, dad stood by tall and proud, keeping guard.
It is such a privilege to spend time with this trio this spring and I am looking forward to more visits in the coming weeks. The eaglet shouldn’t fledge until toward the end of June / first part of July.
Bald eagle banks for home
My goodness this is one handsome fellow, eh?
This past weekend I spent a lot of time with him, his mate and his little one and they put on a great show for me. The morning started out slow with both parents across the river from the nest and the little one hunkered down.
Soon though, things began to pick up. Two fish deliveries, some nest building, the eaglet testing its wings and a couple of fabulous flybys including this one.
It is so awesome to see this pair having a successful season after last year’s failure. It will be another six weeks or so before the young one fledges so I am expecting to get in a lot more time with them documenting the family.
Have a fantastic Freedom Friday and weekend!
Mountain goat nanny lounges with her kid
With the weather here in Colorado slowly starting to turn warmer, I can’t help but be anxious to return to all the places and critters of the high country. The mountain goats of Mount Evans are always a highlight and I always make it up there a few times each year.
They are so beautiful and the kids are cute and entirely entertaining. There are down times, such as this, taken last July around mid-morning. The kid had been playing with its friends for much of the previous two hours and finally decided it was time to take a break. A spot on the tundra among the wildflowers and boulders was a good place for them to lie and made for a nice capture.
Mountain Goats are actually not native to the Centennial State. They were brought here over six transplant operations from 1948 to 1972 as game animals and tourist attractions. Those 50 or so Mountain Goats grew to numbers in the thousands today.
Mama great horned owl stretches her wings
Probably the best shot I have ever gotten of an owl doing this. Watching owls can oftentimes be a bit boring as they do tend to sit for long periods of time. Sometimes though, they put on a bit of a show and such was the case this past Friday evening.
Thunderstorms were rolling by and the wind was howling quite a bit. One of the owlets had hopped from the nest and was across the trail while the other two remained in the nest. This meant mom and multiple spots to watch and she was keeping her head on a swivel. That gave me some nice looks including this.
Wapiti Wednesday featuring stupid humans doing stupid things
Heading to the Colorado high country in the late summer and viewing the elk rut is one of the highlights of my year. The bulls are crazed with hormones and ready and willing to take on each other.
They have, on occasion, also taken on stupid humans that choose to get too close and don’t maintain a respectful distance. Almost every year there is a story of someone being attacked by an elk and usually it is because the human did not stay back. Sadly, it is usually the animal that pays the price and is put down as a result.
On this day this past September, there was a herd of elk hanging out on the outskirts of Estes Park. One bull was large and in charge, garnering a lot of attention from folks. Most people kept their distance but one guy just couldn’t help himself and got within 20 feet with his cell phone to take a picture despite being yelled at to stay back.
The bull was clearly agitated having just laid down after having to fend off two competing bulls. The guy got his picture but not much more as the bull stood up and put his head down causing the stupid human to quickly backpedal.
While I suppose the guy thought those motorcycle leathers and helmet might protect him, I suspect if push came to shove, the antlers and hooves would win.
American robin kind of looks mean
This pretty one landed on a stump not 20 feet away and seemed pretty interested in the guy intruding on its open space. Normally I wouldn’t bother with a picture as little birds are so fleeing and usually by the time I get my camera up to my eye, they are gone. This one however seemed quite content to pose and almost seemed to be giving me the stink eye at one point.