With warmer weather slowly starting to arrive, my mind can’t help but wander and look forward to the scenes and critters to come this summer. The mountain goats are always one of the highlights. Somehow, these rugged creatures thrive at the high altitudes, enduring some of the harshest conditions possible in Colorado. Summer undoubtedly gives them a welcome break. Here, one stands tall and proud, looking out over all that is below its 14,000 foot home on July 2nd of last year.
Mama owl hunkered down in her nest
Yesterday I checked on one of my local great horned owl nests for the first time in a couple of weeks. On my previous visit she had not yet laid eggs and wasn’t incubating. I was hoping this time that would have changed and, indeed, it has. She is now in there, well-hidden as usual. Dad was nearby, keeping watch, and gave me some nice shots as well but seeing her was the most important part of my visit.
Great horned owls have an incubation period of 30 to 37 days so if all goes well, in a few weeks there will likely be little owlets in there with her.
Suburban bald eagle giving ‘the stare’
There are quite a few folks in Thornton, Colorado that have pics of this pretty lady from today. It was hanging out at Trail Winds Recreation Center this morning, people-watching the soccer game, the dog park, walkers and bikers.
My friend and I spotted as we were heading to photograph some different creatures and of course had to check it out. She was quite relaxed despite the fact there was quite a bit of activity. She hung out for at least a couple of hours, certainly longer than we were willing to wait for her to do more than sit and look regal. 😉
I certainly get plenty of action-packed shots of these guys but it is always cool to see one hanging out in suburbia, tolerant of the bipedal creatures below.
Coyote standing watch on the plains
Finally. It has been a long time since I got a quality shot of one of these canines. Yesterday, I saw two white-tailed deer does running at Mach one and was coming to stop to capture the action when I saw what had them excited. This coyote was giving pursuit, even if all alone it had no chance of catching them. My presence caused the coyote to give up pursuit but it stayed around long enough to give me some nice captures of it in the early morning light.
Gull chases a bald eagle screaming, “Get off my lawn!”
A fun shot from an after-work photo stop this past week. Some eagles have been hanging out at a couple of local lakes, usually in spots out of reach though. As I was giving up and head for home, I came across this gorgeous adult, perched right near the road.
I got some nice portraits before it took flight. It then went out, circled the lake, and came right back, flying near a bunch of gulls. Well, one of the littler birds did not take too kindly to the intrusion and chased the eagle, making sure the monstrous raptor knew it wasn’t welcome in the neighborhood.
Despite poor lighting, it made for a fun sequence of images, particularly this one with the gull squawking and the eagle doing its best to ignore it.
Mule deer buck weathers the snow and rain
Taken one month ago on a day when the Colorado Front Range was seeing weather not unlike what we are experiencing today. While this guy isn’t the biggest of the bucks at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, he is quite respectable. He is a big boy as shown by that muscular body and those thick antlers.
No doubt during the rut he was able to hold his own. That morning started with rain which then turned to snow, both of which you can see evidence of on his coat and in the air. He was kind of funny that morning in that he was totally focused on me for the longest time, just standing there motionless and staring, giving me a nice pose.
Long eared owl is all eyes
A couple of weeks ago I returned to one of my favorite spots on the northeastern Colorado plains. Finding these elusive owls again was one of my top goals. I did succeed, certainly, but as always, getting a clear shot of them was pretty much impossible.
These guys love nothing better than to bury themselves in the deepest, thickest part of a wooded area and this day was no different. This was the clearest shot I could get of this one. It was actually a pretty fun encounter because it was totally comfortable with my presence.
While it was checking me out in this image, it soon turned its head and went right back to sleep. I spent some time just sitting and watching it and then moved off, leaving it to its slumber.
Gray ghost performs a fantastic flyby
That plumage! Those eyes! There is a reason male northern harriers are very much a desirable photo subject and this image shows them.
I have had some good luck with these hawks this winter but the males, the gray ghost as they are called, have been elusive. A couple of weeks ago, my luck turned very briefly. I spotted this handsome fellow as he patrolled alongside the road so I raced ahead, hoping he would not turn away before getting to me. Indeed, he did not, giving me a nice flyby with the early morning sun helping to light him up beautifully.
Bald eagle food fight!
What a crazy fun scene to witness. I was photographing a bald eagle that was devouring the remainders of a rabbit. Nearby, a sub-adult eagle was watching, waiting for its opportunity to steal the meal. It launched, going right at the adult, forcing it to drop the meal and fly off of its perch. It was a crazy, hectic scene and I managed to capture it all.
If you look closely, the rabbit falls in two bigger pieces. One falls down to the ground which the adult tried to catch but could not. But, look at the moment the two eagles meet face to face. The sub-adult actually snagged one of the pieces out of mid-air! It would go on to another perch and finish its hard-won meal.
Big moose bull grazes on a cool high-country evening
Going back to September 2018 for this one for #MooseMonday. I am kind of surprised I have never shared this pic before as I really do like it and very much remember that evening.
We were camping in the rarified air of 10,500 feet that weekend and went for a walk as we do most evenings. Of course I had my camera with me when we happened across this big fellow grazing in the willows before bedding down for the night.
At that altitude, the fall colors were starting to show and there was certainly a chill in the air as my wife reminded me, imploring me to keep moving rather than spending an hour watching a moose.