Wildlife | Tony's Takes Photography

Black bear cub gives the side eye

November 16, 2023 by Tony

One for #ThrowbackThursday to July 2021 on our most recent visit to Yellowstone National Park. We are beginning to map out our summer plans for 2024 and that will include a return to this amazing place. That got me thinking about some of the pics from our last trip that I never shared, including this one.

This cutie’s mom was grazing in a meadow, enjoying a mild summer day. We were unaware she had a cub until it scrambled down a tree and ran up to see what mom was doing. While it waited for mom to finish her snack, it stood up, watching us but more so a massive bison bull that was approaching.

The look it gave was so darned cute! It was fascinating to watch the interaction between the species with the bison unphased by the bears and the bears well-aware and wary of the big boy’s presence. Soon, mama decided it was better to retreat and her and the cub headed off into the forest.

Mule deer buck checks out the photographer

November 15, 2023 by Tony

Portrait oriented image so click / tap for full view. This handsome fellow may not have had the biggest of racks but he was, nevertheless, quite impressive. Clearly, he is bulked up and rut-ready as you can tell by that thick neck and body. This past weekend he was on the move, alone, and that early morning light made him look quite regal.

Coyote howling in the cold

November 13, 2023 by Tony

You only have to look at the breath coming from this beautiful coyote’s mouth to know it was pretty cold this past Friday. This was a pretty long shot so not the best quality but portrays some fun stuff. The coyote appeared to be alone but was being quite vocal, barking and howling, seeming to try to get something’s attention. Oftentimes in these cases you will hear a reply from another nearby but I never did. Perhaps, like I do to myself, it was just talking to itself?

Elk cow makes an appearance on the Colorado plains

November 11, 2023 by Tony

Well, this isn’t something you see often. I had yesterday off so spent the morning at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. On my first go-around, I spotted what I thought initially was a really big mule deer. It only took a few seconds though to realize, that’s an elk!

This pretty lady was initially seen here last winter but I had not seen any reports of her in many months. Apparently, rather than heading back to the high country when summer arrived, she decided the lower elevations suit her fine and has been hanging around out of sight. She looked quite healthy and apparently doesn’t mind hanging out with her deer cousins.

The rare double moon seen in Colorado

November 10, 2023 by Tony

Rarely have I seen such an amazing celestial sight! ? Let’s call this a #FridayFunny and something to put a smile on your face as you head into the weekend. A friend and I were watching this bighorn sheep ram high on the cliff and I said, “Watch for the moon, watch for the moon!” hoping the handsome fellow would give us a regal pose on the top with the moon serving as a nice accent. Well, clearly the big fellow had other ideas and decided to show us what he thought was his best side.

Bighorn ram in hot pursuit of a lady

November 9, 2023 by Tony

Ah, yes, it is that time of the year and love is in the air for the bighorn sheep. Of course, the love may not always be reciprocated, as was the case with this pair. The young ram was definitely in the mood but his potential partner, well, the ewe wanted no part of his overtures.

They were a good ways down the canyon and I heard them come bounding down onto the road, initially headed the other way. She made an abrupt u-turn and they came running up the road at a full sprint. After passing, she bounded back up the side of the canyon and he, realizing it was not meant to be, gave up the chase.

The golden eyes of a bighorn sheep ram

November 5, 2023 by Tony

Yesterday I had my first seasonal visit with these rugged, majestic creatures so let’s call today #SheepSunday. 😉

There wasn’t a lot of action to speak of during my visit but, as always, they proved to be very photogenic and entertaining. This handsome fellow was certainly one of the big boys of the area and he knew it. Viewers could tell he had seen his share of action by the scar on his snout and those clearly battle-tested horns.

At one point he came down to the road, offering some nice closeup images with this one being my favorite. I loved how the light hit one of his eyes and the side of his face.

You get a good look at that horizontal pupil, something that allows bighorn to have a 300-degree field of view, an important adaptation to help them stay aware of potential predators.

Red fox looks toward the morning sun

November 3, 2023 by Tony

It has been a while since I have done #FoxFriday so here you go. ? It has, unfortunately, been quite a while since I have had a good encounter with these sly creatures so this image harkens back to mid-April. It was an absolutely fantastic spring morning watching this fox and its mate as they lounged around, did some prowling and gave me a ton of nice captures. The pair is featured multiple times in my Foxes 2024 calendar and rightly so!

Wood duck reflections

November 2, 2023 by Tony

October turns these cool ducks into celebrities. Certainly, seeing them in their crazy beautiful plumage is cool but timing a visit with them when the fall colors have taken hold on the trees is prime time. The water will be ablaze with oranges and yellows and when you put that wood duck drake on it, well, you can’t hardly go wrong. Beautiful birds with a beautiful, overall scene.

A wood duck swims across a pond's waters with reflections of the fall foliage. (© Tony's Takes) — A wood duck swims across a pond’s waters with reflections of the fall foliage. (© Tony’s Takes)

A pair of wood ducks swim across a pond's waters with reflections of the fall foliage. (© Tony's Takes) — A pair of wood ducks swim across a pond’s waters with reflections of the fall foliage. (© Tony’s Takes)

Bald eagle races through the snowstorm

November 1, 2023 by Tony

A pair of bald eagles weathers a Colorado snowstorm. (© Tony's Takes) — A pair of bald eagles weathers a Colorado snowstorm. (© Tony’s Takes)

The Colorado Front Range saw its first storm of the season this past weekend and while I was tempted to stay warm and cozy indoors, I ventured out to a couple local spots. Not far from home, I found a beautiful pair of bald eagles sitting proudly, unphased by what Mother Nature was throwing at them.

After a while, the female decided it was time to move on. Her flight path wasn’t good for me to get pics but the male, was quite kind, passing relatively close. My camera’s autofocus struggled to lock on and while there were a number pics in the series totally blurry, some came out pretty nice considering the conditions.