A nice view looking west from the plains of Colorado toward the Flatirons above Boulder. Clouds obscured the mountains beyond where there has been a ton of snow but some lingering snow is seen capping the Flatirons.
Adorable fox kits explore their new world
Harkening back to almost exactly six years ago and some time I spent with these two cuties and their siblings. It is that time of year when kits will start emerging from their dens and, as such, also when I start begging for tips from anyone that happens to know of any.
In all seriousness, please contact me if you know of any in the greater Denver metro area – and even a bit beyond – particularly if on the north side of town. If the tip pans out, I will reward you with some prints of your choice from any I have taken.
Have a fantastic #FoxFriday!
Great horned owl’s plumage blends well but those eyes draw attention
The handsome man-of-the-nest decided to make himself available for pictures for the first time in weeks. His and his mate’s nest are well concealed and a good ways off, preventing intrusions and allowing for some privacy. He usually stays well-hidden, away from prying eyes.
On Sunday, as the wind howled, he ended up hunkered down in a nice spot, somewhat sheltered by the big blow. The filtered sunlight did a great job of lighting up those amazing eyes and you get a nice look at how well their plumage serves to camouflage them against the trees.
I’m not sharing!
A fun bit of action from this past weekend although the light was cruddy so the pics aren’t the best quality. This adult bald eagle had caught itself a nice rabbit for breakfast and was trying to enjoy the meal in peace. However, it drew the attention of a sub-adult bald eagle wanting it to share. Of course, that wasn’t going to happen but that didn’t stop the young one from trying. Three times it made passes at the adult, hoping it would drop the rabbit. It never did, however, and the sub adult soon moved off to find its own meal.
Burrowing owl slides into home plate and is safe!
A fun bit of action from this cool little raptor that just arrived back in Colorado. It and its mate were keeping their distance initially, just far enough away to prevent me from getting quality shots. I waited patiently (which is not easy for me) and was rewarded when one of them began working their way closer.
It would fly about 20 feet closer, land, and then watch me. Then, another 20 feet closer. Then again. This was taken on one of its first hops as it put on the brakes coming in for a landing.
It was a pretty long shot and I got closer ones but I loved the action shown here. Unlike our hometown Colorado Rockies, this player is definitely a winner. 😉
The Queen City of the Plains
A fun look at the Mile High City, taken yesterday morning. Bison were lazily grazing on a hill at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. In the background, downtown Denver from the golden dome of the Colorado State Capitol building to the south to the RINO district on the north. Of course, beyond that, the Rocky Mountains with some lingering snow in spots. Yeah, we do live in a pretty cool place.
Mama great horned owl is all eyes from her nest
Saturday I went and checked on my local great horned owl pair. The female was definitely sitting up higher in her tree cavity nest, leading me to believe she may very well have little ones under her. She did not, however, want to bring them out for show and tell so we will have to wait for our first look at them. I did manage so less-obscured images of her but I kind of prefer this capture with her eyes peering just above the edge of the cavity. As for dad, he was perched in an adjacent tree, keeping close watch as usual.
Extremely rare belk rushes after salmon on the Colorado River
An absolutely extraordinary encounter from last summer that I felt compelled to keep secret to protect the animal until today. There have only been a couple dozen sightings of belk in the past 100 years and only a handful of pictures have ever been taken of one. While hiking this past July, I couldn’t believe my eyes as I spotted this one rushing through the river after the salmon that had come to spawn there. It was a fleeting encounter but one that I will cherish forever. I hope your April 1st brings as much joy as I experienced the day I photographed this amazing creature.
Little owl, big eyes
My photo outing yesterday was a bit of a dud but this little burrowing owl at least gave me something worthwhile to close it out. I checked many of the spots I historically see them and only this one had signs of life. It was, as you can see, quite cautious, opting to stick its head up only enough to keep watch on the photographer. While it didn’t want to give me any action shots, it did make for a fun capture.
American pika takes the time to smell the flowers
Well, probably not. More likely it was just being a bit choosy about what it was going to eat for its next meal or what was going to get stashed away in its home. Taken back in July 2022 on a beautiful but chilly morning above timberline in the Colorado high country. It will be a couple more months before the roads to those areas are clear and allow access but I am looking forward to it!