😀 Not my picture but check my post from this morning for a video slideshow of some cool fishing shots I captured recently.
Video slideshow: Bald Eagles go fishing on the Colorado plains
I shared one of the images from a couple weekends ago when a bunch of these majestic raptors were fishing a private pond in Adams County, Colorado. It is hard to come up with a way to show entire, dramatic sequences like I captured so I have put them into a video slideshow.
In this, you see four Bald Eagles come in and try their hand at fishing, three attempts were successful. While I kept the pace fast, the action occurs much quicker in real life. For instance, the first sequence you see is 33 images. From start to finish, in real time, that action lasted only 7 seconds! These guys move fast to say the least!
I hope you enjoy your Freedom Friday.
Male Northern Harrier guards its roadkill breakfast
A chance encounter with this Gray Ghost from back in December. Raptors are quite opportunistic and don’t mind taking advantage of another creature’s misfortune. Such was the case here with a rabbit that failed to make it across the road. The hawk got itself a meal out of the deal and didn’t have to exert any effort to get it.
You may recall this same hawk as one that I posted pictures of when it found itself under attack by another male harrier over the meal. That was a fun series of images you might want to check out here.
Formation flying ducks
A nice walk along the South Platte River north of Denver, Colorado and the waterfowl was quite abundant. As usual they didn’t care too much to pose for me but I grabbed a couple pics as they flew by. I’m not sure what kind of ducks the first pair are. The second are Mallards though.
Bison, deer and the Flatirons
One for Tatanka Tuesday! Taken this past weekend, some of the Bison herd at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, Colorado were a good ways out across the prairie.
The skies were kind of dim but also slightly dramatic and best of all, conditions were extraordinarily clear with no ground level haze. This afforded a fantastic view of the Flatirons near Boulder with those dramatic skies above. In the foreground, the Bison and even a couple of deer.
In the end, I am pretty pleased with this image.
Little Moose strikes a pose
Here’s one that I somehow never shared and a good one for Moose Monday. Taken back on August 4th. This calf and its mom were hanging out in Rocky Mountain National Park’s Kawuneeche Valley.
They had just finished having some playtime in a little creek and were getting ready to move into the forest to escape the hordes of tourists (and photographers). Mom was trying to move along but this little one seemed to revel in all the attention, seeming to pause and make sure everyone was watching and in turn making me very happy.
Daytime waning crescent moon
While full moon’s are beautiful and get the most attention, the light tends to be so bright and direct that it hides the details of our natural satellite. During the other phases though, the light isn’t as direct and helps to really make features pop. In this image, taken yesterday morning not long after sunrise, you get a really nice feel for the ‘texture’ of the moon and can see the details of the craters much better.
Hoo hoo’s down there?
I had taken the day off and headed northeast of Denver for a wildlife drive. Arriving at Jackson Lake State Park, I get out of my truck and hear the distinctive call of a Great Horned Owl. Pure luck in timing that this one was calling to its mate that happened to be in a nearby tree. Somehow I don’t think the lovebirds appreciated being interrupted though. 😉
Pretty Posing Prairie Falcon
There’s a few P’s for you with an F thrown in for good measure. 😉
This winter I haven’t had as much like photographing these fantastic raptors as in year’s past. On Wednesday though, I happened across one that was kind enough to perch itself right next to the road. It was largely unbothered by my presence and sat still long enough for me to grab these captures.
These cool raptors can be found flying low to the ground searching for prey. They are extraordinarily maneuverable and very difficult to catch pics of in-flight although I have on occasion had some good luck. Prairie Falcons are not particular about their diet and will feed on smaller birds including larks, swallows and doves and will also feed on rodents including squirrels.
Grasses frame the sunrise on the Great Plains
While daytime temperatures in northeastern Colorado were relatively mild yesterday, as the sun was coming up it was a bone-chilling 7 degrees. I really did not want to get out of my toasty, warm truck but as I saw this scene unfolding I had no choice.
A notable lack of clouds had me thinking the sunrise was going to be a dud but I was soon proven wrong. The golden orb coming up over the horizon bathed the water of Jackson Lake State Park in orange and the hint of fog / steam coming off the lake looked ethereal.
Since there weren’t any clouds above to highlight I opted for a panoramic crop of this one and think it came out pretty nice.