Wildlife | Tony's Takes Photography

Burrowing owl brings home breakfast for the kiddos

July 28, 2021 by Tony Leave a Comment

Oh yummy! Beetle for breakfast! Thankfully it was for the owlets and not for me. 😉

Taken a couple of weeks ago, taking care of the six owlets at this nest was a full time job for dad and mom. They got very few breaks as they were constantly on the hunt for food to keep those little mouths fed. Here, the female returns with a tasty morsel.

The owlets have started to spread out and many have started to take their first flights, making viewing them much more difficult. It won’t be long and the family will begin their journey south for the winter.

A big, bad bison bull – other than the tree branch hanging from his horn and the fact he is licking his nose

July 27, 2021 by Tony Leave a Comment

Yeah, I might have been intimidated as this massive beast ambled down the hill toward us but instead I couldn’t help but chuckle. Perhaps he had a bit of a hangover from hanging out with his buddies the night before? The image was taken on a Monday so maybe a bit too much weekend partying. 😉

I didn’t take many bison pics on our recent trip to Yellowstone. We have easy access to bison here so short of them doing something unusual, like this shot, I didn’t bother. I had high hopes of again photographing overall views of the massive herds in the valleys but the haze and smoke really didn’t allow for good captures like that.

Hope you have a fantastic Tatanka Tuesday!

Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge gets serious about enforcement

July 26, 2021 by Tony Leave a Comment

Certainly I have seen my share of bad behavior at the refuge by visitors and it appears the managers are taking it seriously. This new guard was ensuring the regulations about where you are allowed to go were adhered to closely. Swainson’s hawks are only here for the summer though so I assume this is only a temporary hire.

Cormorant calamity

July 25, 2021 by Tony Leave a Comment

Holy cow! What an insane scene this was!

Yesterday my buddy noticed a huge, black mass along the shore of a local pond. As we approached, we realize it is 100+ cormorants, all huddled together. I have never seen so many in a single spot before.

They soon realized they were being watched and when one took flight, and in a flurry of flapping wings and splashing water, they all took flight. What you see here is maybe a quarter of the number of the birds that were in this spot.

“Hello there, baby!”

July 24, 2021 by Tony Leave a Comment

I had just remarked to my wife that it was odd we hadn’t seen many pronghorn when this little one and a bunch more appeared. Two bucks, three does and four fawns helped wrap up our tour of our favorite are of the park.

As is typical for the species, none really wanted anything to do with us but this one was quite curious, walking closer while the others maintained their distance.

Black bear cubs stands tall

July 23, 2021 by Tony Leave a Comment

Check out this cutie – one to hopefully put a smile on your face as you head to the weekend!

While many people visit Yellowstone National Park and never see a bear, we usually have pretty good luck, at least with the black bears. In a span of a few hours, we spotted three adults, two had cubs (one with one, another with two).

This little one was initially hiding in a tree while its mom grazed nearby. We didn’t even know it was there until we saw it scamper down. Both mom’s and the cub’s attention soon focused on a bison bull that was working its way closer.

At different points, both stood up to get a closer look and keep watch on the big fella as he approached. It was interesting because they seemed to purposefully position themselves so that our car was between them and the bison (smart on their part!). This was pretty cool as that allowed us some fantastic views of them.

Eventually they decided it was better to depart the area but we were happy to have been able to spend a good bit of time with the pair.

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

Bull moose on the run

July 22, 2021 by Tony Leave a Comment

Oh man, I really wanted a good look at this guy. Check out those massive paddles on his antlers and if you look close, he has a drop tine on the left one.

Unfortunately, he did not want to pose on this morning last week. After grazing in the near dark, once the sun came up, he was off and running, disappearing into the trees on the far side of the river.

Nevertheless, I kind of liked the scene he was in with what almost look like “layers” of various foliage from the riverfront willows to the grasses and then the aspens in the background.

“We’re bears, we don’t ride piggyback!”

July 20, 2021 by Tony Leave a Comment

Mama grizzly wasn’t too interested in letting one of her two little ones go for a ride. 😉

Mother Nature saved the best for last on my excursion to Yellowstone and the Tetons. We were on our way home when we spotted three distinct figures off in the willows and clovers. Instantly we knew what it was – and who it was.

Say hello to the infamous Felicia and one of her little ones (the second was just out of frame to the right).

Female grizzly bears can push 400 pounds and this big, pretty lady is probably somewhere near that. She was absolutely impressive and her cubs adorable.

Felicia, officially known as Grizzly 863, is estimated to be eight years old and has become a fixture in the Bridger-Teton National Forest. Her propensity to hang out in well-trafficked areas has caused consternation among wildlife officials and they recently tried to haze her to get her to move to more private environs. That clearly did not work for long.

There has been a lot of debate over how to handle her as she has never been a truly problem bear – she hasn’t threatened humans or shown any desire to intrude on human settlements. Felicia simply seems to like the area due to its abundant food supply and the fact that being in the proximity of humans helps to dissuade male bears (boars) who might threaten her cubs.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has said that more extreme measures including possible euthanasia may be taken, something I find personally abhorrent given that Felicia has thus far not presented any threat – and if she did, it would likely be the fault of stupid human behavior, not her.

White-faced ibis relax at a pond

July 18, 2021 by Tony Leave a Comment

A few weeks ago I shared some more pictures from this particular morning in June when a peregrine falcon incited panic in these cool birds. This image was taken before all that action, when the ibis were calmly enjoying a nice, Colorado morning.

These birds are really cool with iridescent plumage when flying or seen from the back. Those white faces and long beaks make for a very unusual look as well.

Sound off – It is Friday!

July 16, 2021 by Tony Leave a Comment

Can you hear me now?

This Swainson’s hawk was very vocal and did not seem to approve of having its picture taken recently.

These summertime visitors to Colorado appear in great numbers in the spring as they arrive for mating season. In late summer, they will begin their journey to their winter homes in South America.

As this image shows, they are quite vocal, sounding off to voice their displeasure. Their call is in many ways the quintessential sound you imagine when you think of a hawk screeching.

Have a great weekend, everyone, and make some noise! 😉