Wildlife | Tony's Takes Photography

Young moose on the move with reflections of sunrise

September 26, 2022 by Tony

An absolutely amazing morning yesterday in Rocky Mountain National Park with four moose and tons of drama. Before the action though, was this crazy beautiful scene.

While most folks had their focus on the other three moose, I spotted this yearling bull as he emerged from the forest and began approaching. I had already noted the amazing reflection on the pond from the lit up pine trees on the opposite side of the valley and hoped he would put himself in the right spot. Indeed, he did!

I grabbed a whole series of images of the moose, his reflection and the amazing colors on the pond but think this one I like best.

Have a fantastic, Moose Monday!

Black bear goes out on a limb for a meal

September 25, 2022 by Tony

Going back a few weeks to the second of two black bears I was privileged to photograph over a two day period. This one was, unfortunately, quite a long ways away but given the rarity of the sighting, it was still special.

This big bruin put on a great show demonstrating just how adept black bears are at climbing. It worked its way through the oak trees, devouring acorns as it went. Oftentimes, it would go out quite far on a limb, precariously balancing itself as seen in this image.

It was cool to watch and I was amazed at not only how agile it was but also that the branches managed to withstand the bear’s weight.

“Whoa! What’s that?”

September 23, 2022 by Tony

A wary red fox paying close attention to an approaching human for Fox Friday. I’ve shared a few pics from this awesome encounter in Gunnison National Forest, Colorado and this is another, cool one.

As I have told before, this beautiful fox was spotted by my son near our campsite. It pretty much ignored us and allowed me to get quite close as it began its evening hunt. My son, kept his distance knowing I was wanting to get pics, allowing me to creep ever closer to it.

After a while, it became clear the fox really didn’t mind us bipedal creatures so I motioned to my son to come on over. While the fox didn’t mind at all, it was clearly well-aware of his approach. The image really showcases the fox’s beauty and especially those fantastic eyes.

Mule deer buck poses, shows off his rut-ready antlers

September 22, 2022 by Tony

It’s almost time. Let’s get ready to rumble! The deer rut is fast approaching and the big boys are getting prepped. This handsome fellow was showcasing his muscular physique and was working on getting the last of the velvet off his weapons – those impressive antlers.

While he was still hanging out with his fellow bachelors, in another month or so that will change and those friends will become enemies as the hormones begin to rage. This guy will likely be a worthy contender for the ladies’ affection.

Bull elk fills the valley with the sounds of fall

September 21, 2022 by Tony

The bugling sound of an elk bull is unmistakable and oftentimes hear in the Colorado high country. Such was the case on this morning as one of the ‘top guns’ in Rocky Mountain National Park rounded up his harem.

He had quite an impressive group, probably 40 or so cows, and a few had begun to wander. That, of course, would not do, and he set off in pursuit of them across the valley. The big guy cut them off, let loose with a guttural bugle heard far and wide, and the cows quickly returned to where he wanted them.

It was a neat scene with low fog just above the valley floor, obscuring the tops of the mountains and the elk dotting the grasses below.

Turkey vulture performs a high-altitude flyby

September 20, 2022 by Tony

A turkey vulture does a flyby in Estes Park, Colorado. (© Tony's Takes) — A turkey vulture does a flyby in Estes Park, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

I seem to have some sort of odd fascination with these “ugly” birds. When I see them, I just can’t help but do my best to make the time to get pics of them.

A couple weeks ago, we spotted a bunch hanging out in Estes Park but, as we were needing to get home, I couldn’t stop. This past weekend, I headed back up to Rocky Mountain National Park and made sure to allow time to visit with these guys if they were around – and indeed they were.

A dozen of them were sunning themselves while perched on a high-tension power pole in town. After snapping bunches of pics of them posing, they decided it was time to head out to hunt and I got some pretty cool flybys, including these two images.

Yeah, I know turkey vultures won’t win any beauty contests, but I think they are neat. They can soar as well as any large bird and, perhaps most importantly, they perform a vital role as nature’s garbage collectors. They feed on carrion they find lying around dead like rabbits, prairie dogs and such and are believed to be able to smell the dead animals up to a mile away. In cleaning up the dead, they help to prevent the spread of disease from the carcasses.

Turkey vulture performs a high-altitude flyby — A turkey vulture does a flyby in Estes Park, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

Moose bull contemplates its next move

September 19, 2022 by Tony

A fun encounter with this big boy from this past weekend. This bull has been hanging out within one of the enclosures in Rocky Mountain National Park that have been built to keep the elk out due to their propensity to overgraze. The big guy found his way in and has been enjoying a virtually untouched smorgasbord of foliage all to himself.

He could certainly get out by either jumping the six-foot fence or working his way up the river but for the time being, has opted to stay put. Saturday I really thought he was going to “take the leap” over the fence. His hormones are raging as the rut begins and he was quite agitated, pacing back and forth along the fence line, seeming to contemplate jumping.

He never did, eventually just lying down for a morning nap but before doing so, gave me some pretty good pics to share on this Moose Monday.

Birds descend on local pond after fish die off

September 18, 2022 by Tony

Quite an interesting scene at a local pond this week. Due to an algae bloom, the fish at this pond had suffered a massive die off. That drew the attention of many birds, none too shy to take advantage of the easy meal to be had.

The mid-afternoon sun was a bit harsh but it was fun to see so many birds in such a small area. The snowy egrets, in particular, were there en masse with probably 100 of them. Joining in were a dozen or more pelicans and some surprisingly cooperative black-crowned night herons.

A pair of snowy egrets performs a flyby. (© Tony's Takes) — A pair of snowy egrets performs a flyby. (© Tony’s Takes)

An American white pelican circles, looking for a spot to land. (© Tony's Takes) — An American white pelican circles, looking for a spot to land. (© Tony’s Takes)

Hummingbird takes on a bald eagle

September 16, 2022 by Tony Leave a Comment

Well, this isn’t something you see very often! One of North America’s smallest birds challenging one of its biggest raptors! A bit of David versus Goliath in the bird world.

Last month while out with my protégé looking for moose, he spotted a bald eagle landing in a pine tree. That was a photo op that of course was too good to pass.

As it sat regally in the tree over a pond, we had hopes it would opt to go fishing. It never did but the big eagle’s presence seemed to greatly upset a broad-tailed hummingbird. Repeatedly the hummingbird flew around and dove toward the eagle. It never did make contact but it was doing its best to get the eagle’s attention and compel it to leave.

The eagle, ever stoic, did not acknowledge the hummingbird once, despite having this little bird buzzing around. It was pretty fun to watch and the pics really help show the tremendous size difference between these two extremes of birds.

Huge elk bull bugles as the rut kicks into high gear

September 14, 2022 by Tony

Rut on! It is that time of year when the hormones in the elk are raging and the bulls are competing for the affections of the ladies. This capture is certainly worthy of featuring on Wapiti Wednesday.

We spent this past weekend camping in Rocky Mountain National Park and while the weather was less than ideal for humans, the cold and drizzle helped to get the big boys motivated.

This particular bull was large and in charge and he had the harem of 40 or so cows to prove it. As he kept his group penned in at a corner of the meadow, he made sure competitors knew they were not welcome.