Tony's Takes Photography

Wildlife, landscape and weather photography

Hummingbird takes on a bald eagle

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Hummingbird takes on a bald eagle
A hummingbird buzzes around a bald eagle in the Colorado mountains. (Tony’s Takes)

Well, this isn’t something you see very often! One of North America’s smallest birds challenging one of its biggest raptors! A bit of David versus Goliath in the bird world.

Last month while out with my protégé looking for moose, he spotted a bald eagle landing in a pine tree. That was a photo op that of course was too good to pass.

As it sat regally in the tree over a pond, we had hopes it would opt to go fishing. It never did but the big eagle’s presence seemed to greatly upset a broad-tailed hummingbird. Repeatedly the hummingbird flew around and dove toward the eagle. It never did make contact but it was doing its best to get the eagle’s attention and compel it to leave.

The eagle, ever stoic, did not acknowledge the hummingbird once, despite having this little bird buzzing around. It was pretty fun to watch and the pics really help show the tremendous size difference between these two extremes of birds.

Foggy forest in black and white

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Foggy forest in black and white
A foggy scene at Sprague Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. (Tony’s Takes)

When I ventured out before sunrise this past Saturday I knew it was going to be a tough morning, photography-wise. The fog was crazy thick and temps were in the low 40s with drizzle falling.

As I arrived at this spot, hoping for moose, I almost decided to forego the hike given the conditions. I am glad I didn’t. While I didn’t see any of the critters I was hoping for, the scene over the lake was pretty darned amazing.

With the fog, the colors were very muted and in some ways, distracting, so I opted for a black and white conversion for this image and have decided I like it quite a bit.

Huge elk bull bugles as the rut kicks into high gear

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Huge elk bull bugles as the rut kicks into high gear
An elk bull bugles in Rocky Mountain National Park. (Tony’s Takes)

Rut on! It is that time of year when the hormones in the elk are raging and the bulls are competing for the affections of the ladies. This capture is certainly worthy of featuring on Wapiti Wednesday.

We spent this past weekend camping in Rocky Mountain National Park and while the weather was less than ideal for humans, the cold and drizzle helped to get the big boys motivated.

This particular bull was large and in charge and he had the harem of 40 or so cows to prove it. As he kept his group penned in at a corner of the meadow, he made sure competitors knew they were not welcome.

Little black bear gives an adorable look

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Little black bear gives an adorable look
A young black bear chows down on acorns in the Colorado Front Range foothills. (Tony’s Takes)

How about this cutie?

Even with the extraordinary amount of time I spend in nature, it has been pretty rare for me to see a black bear here at home in Colorado. They are quite common, just not commonly seen.

Two weekends ago, I got word that a number of them had moved to some lower elevations in the hunt for food to fatten up before their long winter’s slumber. That was, of course, an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.

It was a bit of a trek but I did end up finding this cute, young bear as it gorged on acorns. It was a lot of fun to watch it as it climbed the trees, getting its fill. At one point the little one even fell out of the tree when it ventured too far out on a limb.

Judging by its size, it likely was only two years old, having just gotten the boot from mama and now out on its own. While it looks like I was close, the image was shot at 500mm and has been cropped. As always, I ensured I maintained a respectful distance and did not pressure the bear or linger.

The Milky Way and a red meteor in Colorado’s high country

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The Milky Way and a red meteor in Colorado’s high country
The core of the Milky Way galaxy with a red meteor streaking across the sky. (Tony’s Takes)

Perhaps we call it Milky Way Monday or Meteor Monday?

I always say astrophotography isn’t my strong suit but, despite that, I do enjoy getting out there and trying. Two weeks ago, it was a new moon and we were camped at close to 10,000 feet. That was an opportunity I couldn’t resist.

I scouted the spot I wanted to use beforehand and had it all pictured in my mind. Well, Mother Nature and another photographer kind of threw wrinkles into the plan. I had hoped for calm conditions to allow for reflections on the lake. Nope, there was wind (and it was cold!). Additionally, I wanted a huge boulder in the foreground and was going to “light paint” it with my flashlight to provide some interest. There was, however, another photographer there that had already started a time lapse so light painting was out of the question as I didn’t want to screw up his captures.

As it was, I pointed my camera toward the Milky Way and shot it as best I could. That was okay though as it was still fun and the core of our galaxy looked absolutely beautiful. To the top right you can even see a red meteor entering and burning up in our atmosphere. That glow emanating from the left are the lights from the city of Boulder.

Bald eagle showcases the sound of freedom

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Bald eagle showcases the sound of freedom
A bald eagle sounds off as it flies by. (Tony’s Takes)

Given the significance of today’s date, it seems only fitting to share this striking image of our national emblem.

Twenty-one years ago today, our nation suffered a tragedy at the hands of terrorists. Those evil men thought they could inflict real harm to this great nation.

Yes, we may have stumbled, but we never fell – and we never will. All they did was solidify our resolve and reinforce that while We the People have our differences among each other, when we stand together, we are unstoppable against any force.

Like the bald eagle, we have an indomitable spirit and the capability to react with unimaginable ferociousness, as the terrorists and their supporters learned soon after. May God continue to bless the United States of America.

Field of gold on the Colorado plains

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Field of gold on the Colorado plains. I’ve shared some other pics of what was a beautiful sunflower field last month. This provi…
A massive field of golden sunflowers on the plains of Colorado. (Tony’s Takes)

I’ve shared some other pics of what was a beautiful sunflower field last month. This provides a nice, close view of the golden flowers. The field was one of the most stunning and biggest I have ever seen with the flowers stretching far and wide. When the morning sun hit them, well, that is when they really lived up to their name.

Young rufous hummingbird puts on a show

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Young rufous hummingbird puts on a show
A young rufous hummingbird stays focused. (Tony’s Takes)

I haven’t seen my friendly neighborhood hummingbirds at all this week so I have to think they have started their journey south. For these images, I am going back to early last month in the Colorado high country. This young male rufous put on a nice little show for me, hovering around and giving a glimpse of the coloring on its throat. The departure of the hummingbirds is a sign of the change of seasons and I will be anxiously awaiting their return next spring.

A young rufous hummingbird stays focused. (Tony's Takes)
A young rufous hummingbird stays focused. (Tony’s Takes)

Golden eagle launches into the air

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Golden eagle launches into the air
A golden eagle takes to the skies in Boulder County, Colorado. (Tony’s Takes)

Scrolling through some older pictures I came across this pic from this past February so I’ll throw it out there for #TBT.

I had forgotten about the encounter, perhaps because I came away quite disappointed in the image series and blocked it out of my memory. Haha.

Mother Nature had blessed me that morning with an absolutely prime opportunity as this golden eagle sat on a dirt hill right next to the road. Given the rarity of these huge birds, I was excited. It was initially facing the other direction but, much to my surprise, it actually turned and faced me. I couldn’t believe my luck! I was in the perfect position to capture what was sure to be an epic launch.

In my excitement, however, I failed to verify my camera’s settings and had the shutter speed way too slow to capture a fast-moving raptor. When it took off, I ended up with 25 perfectly framed images of a beautiful golden eagle – 24 of which were blurry. This is the only one that came out worth sharing and, even then, I hesitate as it isn’t as sharp as I would like. It does however make for a fun (and frustrating) story and shows that all of us can screw up a great opportunity.

Old-time bison bull

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Old-time bison bull
A bison bull walks head on. (Tony’s Takes)

I always believe there is something about bison that almost begs to go with black and white (or sepia in this case). When I think about them, I can’t help but think back to the Old West when as many as 60 million of them roamed freely across much of North America.

By the late 1800s we had decimated the population leaving only several hundred. It was folly on man’s part but, thankfully, we realized the error of our ways and the bison is now a conservation success story.

In May 2016 the Bison became the official mammal of the United States, a fitting and long overdue honor.

Taken at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge near Denver, Colorado.