Tony | Tony's Takes Photography

Sandhill cranes make a layover in Denver then continue south for the winter

November 12, 2022 by Tony

Sandhill cranes takeoff after a stopover near Denver, Colorado. (Tony's Takes) — Sandhill cranes takeoff after a stopover near Denver, Colorado. (Tony’s Takes)

This was an unexpected surprise on my photo excursion yesterday so let’s call this Sandhill Saturday. 😉

I headed to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge and happened across three dozen of these cool cranes hanging out at one of the lakes. They were a good ways away but, given the uniqueness of seeing them on their winter migration in this area, I spent the bulk of my time with them.

I waited in the 20-degree temps, hoping to catch them in flight. And I waited. And I waited. Finally, after two-and-a-half hours they decided it was time to take off. Virtually in unison, all launched into the air and began circling to gain altitude and continue their journey to their winter home in Texas and northern Mexico. The pics aren’t anything too extraordinary but it was fun to capture something different.

Sandhill cranes head south for the winter. (Tony's Takes) — Sandhill cranes head south for the winter. (Tony’s Takes)

Sandhill cranes fuel up before heading south for the winter. (Tony's Takes) — Sandhill cranes fuel up before heading south for the winter. (Tony’s Takes)

Bald eagle up close with attitude

November 11, 2022 by Tony

It is Freedom Friday and Veterans Day so you could probably easily guess what animal I would be sharing today, eh?

This gorgeous male bald eagle used to be a frequent visitor to a lake in northern Colorado but in recent years, his visits are a bit more sporadic. This past weekend he generously paid a visit and while he was pretty buried in the tree, there were a few spots with a somewhat clear view. Here, you can see how he felt about the intrusion of having a guy with a camera lurking around. 😉

I wish all my fellow vets a happy Veterans Day!

Burrowing owl stretches out

November 10, 2022 by Tony

Keeping a family of at least seven little owlets fed and happy is a lot of work and does not allow for much downtime. Just like human parents, they have to make the most of those breaks when they can, even if it is just a brief moment stretching its wings out on a stake.

Such was the case this past July 4th when I spent some time photographing this guy and his family. This was a bit of a down year for burrowing owls for me. I did not find many nests and those that I did were farther than what is really required to capture decent pics. On this day, dad took mercy on me and perched closer than normal, allowing me a few nice shots.

“What? I have something stuck in my teeth AND something on my head?”

November 9, 2022 by Tony

This massive bison bull not only was a messy eater, but got no respect with a starling opting to muss up that nice hairdo. 😉

Kind of a fun bit of interaction to watch this past weekend. The big guy was happily grazing in the chilly morning air and a flock of starlings decided to hitch a ride with as many as a dozen of them riding on the bison’s back at a time.

Smaller birds oftentimes flock to bison and deer like this, feeding on the insects in the animal’s fur and taking advantage of the seeds and grasses that the mammals kick free.

Smokestack blood moon

November 8, 2022 by Tony

Mother Nature didn’t do me any favors this morning in my attempt to capture the lunar eclipse. I got up earlier than normal and headed out toward work, figuring I would find a spot along the way to get some pics of the celestial event. Unfortunately, every place I tried along the way had clouds.

I arrived at work early, figuring I would just use the time to catch up on some things and as I got out of my truck, there it was! Unfortunately, there was a thin bit of cirrus clouds so I just could not get a fully sharp capture like what I wanted. However, this 1920s smokestack (undergoing renovation as you can tell) provided some additional interest and didn’t require a huge crop.

As the eclipse was already past maximum, I had very little time to play around with compositions, finally realizing that a bit of a move to one side would put the moon right over the smokestack. Not too bad in the end I reckon.

Female northern harrier gives a picture perfect flyby

November 8, 2022 by Tony

While these cool hawks are in Colorado throughout the year, it is during the colder months that I most often see them. This beautiful female was hunting a field this past weekend and gave me some nice shots as she flew by.

These raptors are pretty cool with an owl-like face with stiff feathers forming a ring around their head helping to direct sound to their ears, allowing them to hunt by hearing as well as sight. You will oftentimes find them in open land, particularly near drainages, flying low and fast with their heads down as they look and listen for prey.

A female northern harrier patrols the Colorado plains. (© Tony's Takes) — A female northern harrier patrols the Colorado plains. (© Tony’s Takes)

White-tailed deer buck warily passes a coyote on the plains

November 7, 2022 by Tony

Some fun interaction between these two species yesterday morning. The coyote was hunting in a field when the deer approached. The buck stood atop a nearby hill for quite a while, trying to decide if it would be safe to pass.

Eventually he figured it was worth the risk and walked by but never took his eyes off the wily canine who, of course, kept close watch on the buck.

Certainly the deer doesn’t have much to fear from a lone coyote but, judging from the rough condition of its antlers, its rut has not been going well so I can’t blame it for being so wary. 😉

Posing bald eagle mates showcase their size difference

November 6, 2022 by Tony

Oftentimes when I share pics of bald eagles I am asked how I know if it is a male or a female. While this image taken yesterday under overcast skies and in ridiculously blustery winds isn’t particularly great, it does serve as a nice educational capture.

Generally, female bald eagles will be about 20% bigger than the males, something the image shows clearly with the smaller male on the left, the bigger female on the right. The difference is quite noticeable in everything from their height and weight to the size of the talons.

Why are the females bigger? It is believed that since they do most of the incubating of young, their larger size helps them to better protect and cover their precious offspring. The male, being smaller, is more nimble and able to react quicker to threats while the female can remain in place guarding the young.

If you saw these two separately, you likely wouldn’t be able to identify their genders, but when perched together, it is obvious.

Down low and head on with a bison bull

November 5, 2022 by Tony

Yup, you probably don’t want to be in this big boy’s way when he decides to walk through. 😉

Kind of a fun, different angle of this big bison bull. Ideally, as a photographer, you like to be eye level with your subject but that isn’t usually possible when photographing the bison at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge.

Understandably, you have to remain in your vehicle and when shooting from a truck like mine, you are usually looking at least somewhat down at your subject. When I captured this shot a few weeks ago, the bull was coming up a hill toward the side of the road allowing for the perception that was down low and at the same level as him. That makes for a pretty cool capture.

“Here, fishy, fishy, fishy!”

November 4, 2022 by Tony

An American mink watches from above hoping to spot a meal. Jumping back to this charmed encounter from a couple of weeks ago. I took a ridiculous number of pics during the half hour this little one was running around so here are a few more. Having already caught and stashed one fish, the mink returned hoping for more. It spent a good while hopping around these rocks, peering into the water and looking for fish. Intermittently it would dive in after a target but ended up with only its initial catch.