On an unseasonably cold morning last week, frost coated the landscape – and the critters. This mule deer buck was welcoming the clear skies and the warmth of the rising sun at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge.
Marmot gives the photographer a side-eye
It didn’t appear this little, high altitude resident was too thrilled to have a camera pointed at it. 😉
As I sat down and worked on end-of-year photo projects, I realized I just didn’t take many pics of these guys this year. This particular one was hanging out on the slopes of Mount Evans on July 4th.
With fall here and winter approaching, yellow bellied #marmots have settled in for a long-winters nap and will hibernate until May. Given the harsh conditions where they live, that is probably a good way to pass the time until warmer weather returns.
The colors of fall on the forest floor
We had kind of a weird season this year of fall foliage. What started out promising was soon blown and withered away by an early season cold snap and snowfall.
I went to the Colorado high country right before the storm and got some decent pictures but none of the big, sweeping mountainsides of yellow like I hoped.
At one point on Guanella Pass, my daughter and I were out hiking and rather than looking up, I looked down. I kind of liked this shot with all the different colors. A good reminder to look all directions as you never know what you might find.
A regal bald eagle pair for #FreedomFriday
A nice look at this gorgeous pair of eagles that I had the opportunity to photograph this past weekend. They were both quite content to sit and pose for me.
This image does a nice job of highlighting the size difference between the male and female. As with many raptors, male bald eagles (left) are smaller than their female mates (right).
Thank you again to the folks who owned the home where these two were perched. They were kind enough to invite me onto their property to get a good angle for my images.
Have a great weekend!
Bright red barn in the shadows of giants
I have driven by this spot dozens of times and I always say I should stop and take pictures. Sunday I finally did.
The sun was just starting to illuminate the landscape and really made the red barn pop. In the background, the snow-covered Mount Meeker and Longs Peak stood proud and looked beautiful.
The barn is actually part of the Boulder County Government’s Agricultural Heritage Center. You can learn more about it here.
That look!
Between that and the fist she was making, I think she wanted to punch me. 😀
A very fun encounter with this pretty lady and her mate this past weekend. I spent an hour with the pair of bald eagles in an open space in Weld County, Colorado.
Soon, they got bored of me and flew off to some trees in a rural house’s backyard. I followed and much to my pleasure, the homeowner invited me onto their property to get a better look.
I shot bunches of pics of the pair but this one, as I was leaving (I had no choice but to walk directly under it to leave), is probably my favorite. So much character in it!
I did truly appreciate the person letting me intrude and will be dropping off some prints for them next time I am in the area – something I always do as a thank you when someone gives me a tip or the like about a critter that pans out.
“Get back in line, young one!”
Nothing was escaping the watchful eyes of this handsome elk bull. He was closely watching a couple of potential competitors nearby when this young member of his harem started to wander off. That of course was unsatisfactory and the bull was quick to get the little one back with the group.
Taken back in September at the height of the rut. It is over now but I thankfully captured a lot of cool pics of this years mating rituals. Taken in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park.
Big eagles dwarfed by massive mountains
It has been months since I had a decent bald eagle outing. This past Sunday that finally changed. I spent an hour photographing this pair where they had each staked out spots on two separate osprey stands. No action but some nice poses. After that, they flew off to the west and landed in a tree about a quarter of a mile away.
I was spotting them with my camera when I finally paid attention to the entire scene. Behind them, the dominating 13,911 foot high Mount Meeker and behind it, the even taller 14,259 foot high Longs Peak. You can see the male bald eagle on the left, the female is on the right and is clearly raising a ruckus; I could hear her even as far away as I was.
A pretty cool scene overall and one that showcases Colorado and those gorgeous Rocky Mountains.
Lift ’em up for launch!
A red-tailed hawk raises its wings and gets ready to take off. Kind of a fun pose of this raptor I captured yesterday morning in Longmont, Colorado.
Fall sunset on the Colorado Front Range
Oh my goodness! I was trying to pay attention to the Denver Broncos game but found myself distracted by this scene outside. Sunsets here in the colder months just crank things up a notch. The wind aloft creates insane cloud formations and then you throw in that orange and blue, well, you have a stunning show like this.