One of the best things about Colorado is the ability to find wildlife just about anywhere – including suburbia. I spotted this cool dude strutting his stuff for the ladies just a few miles from my house north of Denver. Only managed a couple of shots before he and the women took off for the woods.
Keeping an eye on the little ones
A female Great Horned Owl sits on the edge of the nest keeping an eye on her three little owlets. As they get older, she will be more comfortable leaving for short periods of time but for now, she doesn’t stray far or for long.
See ya’!
A Red Tailed Hawk shows its best side as it flees from the nut with the camera. 😉
I was taking pictures of this raptor as it sat on a branch when it suddenly decided it was done posing and took off – in the exact opposite direction of course. I actually have come to to really like this pic. Definitely an unusual angle but also one that really shows the aerodynamic shape of birds and it has some very good detail.
Taken in Thornton, Colorado.
Burrowing Owl flight head on
These little guys are tons of fun to take pictures of and their many poses can be comical. Catching images of them in flight is very difficult though as they tend to take off without any warning, fly low and fast and turn erratically.
On Saturday I was watching a pair of these when suddenly one took flight heading right toward me. I snapped off a couple of quick shots before it was all over. As I was shooting into the early morning sun the owl was heavily backlit but some post processing yielded what I think is a pretty cool image. Probably one of my favorite pics from this past weekend.
Taken in rural Adams County, Colorado, USA.
American Kestrel pair caught in the act
It is by complete luck that I captured this sequence. I was taking pictures of the female American Kestrel when suddenly a male appears in my viewfinder as well. They proceed to mate with me snapping away just below them. Neat to witness but perhaps they should have gotten a room. 😉
Taken in Thornton, Colorado. Scroll down to view the entire sequence.
Great Horned Owl owlets make first public appearance
These are faces that you may view as really cute or really ugly. Perhaps faces only a mother could love. 😉
I have been monitoring a few different Great Horned Owl nests, anxiously awaiting the appearance of the little ones. At one of them on Saturday I got my first glimpse of three new owlets. There may be more but as I can only view this nest from one side, three was the number I was able to definitively identify. It will be a lot of fun watching these little ones grow up and fledge.
Mama was right nearby when I took these pics and soon returned to the nest giving me an absolutely amazing flyby that I posted earlier – be sure to check my page for those images.
Taken in Commerce City, Colorado.
Osprey brings home nesting material
Osprey brings home nesting material. I am so excited to see these awesome birds return for the season. At this particular nest up in Longmont, Colorado, they were busy setting up their home.
These birds have proven to be very adaptable to the presence of humans – as you can see by these pictures. The Osprey never gave us a second look and ignored the golfers that were playing through not 10 yards away.
Scroll down to view another sequence of images of the Osprey hard at work on their home.
Turtle basks in the afternoon sun
I had some time to kill before an appointment Friday so I went for a quick walk through a suburban park. Much to my surprise I found a few turtles hanging out in the pond there. I have no idea what kind this is, but this was one of three I saw. Taken at Metzger Farms in Broomfield, Colorado.
Great Horned Owl flyby
Sometimes when taking pictures you have one of those ‘wow’ moments and this was definitely one for me. I stopped to check a nearby Great Horned Owl nest.
When I get there I can see brand new little ones in the nest but no mama. Soon after, guess who comes back? She gave me an absolutely extraordinary sequence of pics. She then repeated this going from the nest tree to another and back again – three times! Each time I captured the sequence. It was a lot of fun.
Taken in Commerce City, Colorado. Scroll down to view the complete gallery.
Snowy finches
Late yesterday the Colorado Front Range got a brief shot of snow – nothing unusual for us in April. While the snow was flying a number of House Finches were seeking shelter – and a meal – at my feeder. The red colored ones are males, the female is the beige one. There was a second female but she sought shelter in one of my pine trees.