Wildlife, landscape and weather photography
This pretty lady looks like she means serious business! American kestrel’s are North America’s smallest falcons and they can be just as vicious as any raptor.
I see these often when out on my #photo drives but most pictures I have of them are while they are posing on wires. They are pretty skittish and very fast and unpredictable movers so flight shots are hard to get.
This one I captured last weekend at a photoshoot event with Nature’s Educators. It is a captive bird which allowed me to
Finding himself without a harem, this big guy was doing his best to lure the ladies. What is not to like? A massive, muscular frame, a beautiful rack and a robust call should do the trick!
This is one of my favorite shots from the rut this year in Rocky Mountain National Park. My daughter and I were out at dawn to capture the action, watching this guy and a couple of other big boys compete for the cows.
This bull was pressing the one that had a nice harem, getting closer, sounding off as he went. We were not in a good position in relation to the light so we were trudging through the grasses, trying to get ahead of it as it advanced but it was slow going.
When right alongside of it, it let loose with a nice bugle and I captured this shot. I really like the head-on light and the pose that really shows off the bull’s build.
What a stunning raptor. This past weekend I took part in a photo shoot event allowing me to get some way cool captures of raptors, including ones like this that don’t normally come to northern Colorado.
The vast majority of my pics come from truly wild wildlife but every now and then I enjoy taking part in an event with a controlled environment like this. It gives the opportunity to get up close and personal with the animals and is a good time to experiment and refine photographic skills.
Best of all, the funds for these events support a great non-profit, Nature’s Educators.
This particularly Harris’s hawk was one of a pair that put on a fantastic flight demonstration. Both are actually hunting birds, used by their owner in the ancient art of falconry.
Harris’s hawks are typically found in the southwestern United States. Most notably, they are very social and in fact hunt in packs – just like wolves! That has to scare a lot of rabbits!
One for #MountainGoatMonday!
These two kids were having a ton of fun leaping from one boulder to the next and back again. Sometimes though, it would get a little bit crowded when the landing area wasn’t cleared for another arrival.
This pic was taken back on July 4th on Mount Evans in Colorado. Conditions there now are likely far less hospitable and the mountain #goat herd has weathered its first storm of the season last week. I look forward to springtime when I can get back up and visit with them.
It isn’t often I get a chance to photograph these nocturnal creatures. In fact, you could count on one hand the opportunities I had.
This past weekend, I was fortunate enough to see this one as it darted across the road. I slammed my truck in park, jumped out and got all of two pictures before it continue up over the hill and out of view.
Taking care of four little ones is a lot of work for a mom so this pretty lady was catching naps whenever she could. She did this with limited success.
If the kits were in the den, she got some peace and quiet. When they came outside though, they never let her rest for long. Either they wanted to play or they were hungry and she had to head off to find their next meal.
On this evening back in June, she enjoyed some down time but with the sun setting, she knew it was time to go catch dinner. The vixen stretched out to limber up and yawned as she worked on waking up. A mother’s work is never done!
For those of you that live here, you know this image was clearly not taken today. 😉
We got hit with our first snowfall of the season so this season would be considerably whiter right now. This was taken this past Sunday and what was a very mild day.
The sunrise didn’t amount to anything notable but the skies afterward were beautiful and we had a nice view all the way to those Rocky Mountains.
Quite the beautiful raptor! This was the second time I have seen this owl and its mate but the first time it allowed me to get some pictures. Best of all, it hopped up onto a branch in the relative open giving me some nice shots.
This capture really showcases those awesome, yellow eyes and the cool plumage that camouflages them and makes them masters at hiding.
Mental note: Do NOT put your head down when walking through a patch of sticker burrs. 😀
Goodness! This poor bison must have had its head down or rolled on a bunch of stickers. As thick as their fur is, I am sure it wasn’t even touching its skin but just the thought of it makes me go, “Ow!” One for #TatankaTuesday.
Well, this isn’t something you see every day but I reckon it is just par for the course in Alaska.
We were driving through Anchorage heading to an outlying open space area that supposedly had a lot of moose. It turns out, we didn’t need to go that far before seeing one of the big guys.
This big fella was walking right down a suburban street, just moseying along, enjoying a beautiful summer day. The pics weren’t anything great but they do tell a funny story.
We just laughed and said, “Well, this is Alaska!”
