Happy birthday, America!
I am so thankful to live in the greatest nation on earth. We also have a pretty darned awesome symbol IMHO. 😉
Happy Independence Day, everyone!
Wildlife, landscape and weather photography
Happy birthday, America!
I am so thankful to live in the greatest nation on earth. We also have a pretty darned awesome symbol IMHO. 😉
Happy Independence Day, everyone!
Driving down a rural country road I spotted this cool looking bird resting on a post. I knew right away what it was as I had seen pictures of them before but had never actually noticed one myself. It didn’t hang around long only giving me time to squeeze of this one shot but it was fun to get to see one in person.
While called a Nighthawk, both parts of that name are misnomer. They are not nocturnal nor, as you can tell, are they closely related to hawks. They can be found across much of the United States and Canada in the summer and then in Mexico and Central America during the winter.
Jumping back to about a month ago on my trip to Florida. I had hoped to see more of these cool looking birds but only came across this one. It didn’t seem to be busy making baby deliveries (haha!) and instead was looking for a meal.
It was much larger than most of the other wetland and swamp birds we were seeing on our photo excursion this day and quite easy to pick out against the green foliage.
The Wood Stork is the only stork native to North America. It is threatened in some of its native areas, primarily southern Florida, and has expanded its breeding range as far north as South Carolina.
The ears on these residents of the Great Plains are so large they are usually the first thing you see when you spot them. This particular Black-tailed Jackrabbit had the right idea to try to conceal itself by tucking them down low. I had already spotted it though as it sat on the brush covered landscape on northeastern Colorado. It didn’t stay around long but did give me this capture.
Also called the American desert hare, these jackrabbits have a wide range across the western United States where they can be found at altitudes ranging from sea level to 10,000 feet. Here in Colorado, they are pretty common on the plains.
The conditions at 14,000+ feet can be harsh any time of year so when it is nice, you have to be sure to enjoy it. That seemed to be what this handsome fellow was doing a couple of weeks ago. While it was a chilly 40 degrees, there was some filtered sun coming through and the wind was relatively calm.
Not truly goats, they are actually members of the same family that includes antelopes, gazelles, and cattle. These handsome creatures are found from Alaska down to the Rocky Mountains of the United States. Found at high altitudes, Mountain Goats are sure-footed climbers and built to withstand the alpine areas that they typically inhabit.
A pair of Double-crested Cormorants get into a heated discussion about roosting rights. The lower one had been camped out in this tree for quite a while. When the upper one arrived, it let it know that it did not really want any company. After putting up a brief fight, the upper Cormorant decided it wasn’t worth the battle and flew off to find another place to spend the day.
I think this little one was a bit surprised to have company early in the morning out in the middle of the Colorado plains. Two, minor county roads intersected the spot and it likely doesn’t get much traffic other than ranchers and perhaps someone like me looking for critters. A brief, early morning rain shower had dampened things and the owl’s feathers as well. The light was a bit dim as the sun was still rising and it was overcast making for a bit of a tough shot. Thankfully the Burrowing Owl stayed put just long enough for me to grab a few shots.
It sure isn’t often you find one of these wary creatures laying down. They usually see you coming from a long way away and start retreating immediately. This particular lady was the exception, letting me roll right up and snap some pictures as she laid down on the prairie.
I saw quite a number of these speed demons this past weekend, mostly does but a few bucks. I had hoped to find some new fawns but didn’t have any luck this time.
Before the arrival of western Europeans, it is believed as many as 40 million Pronghorn roamed the open rangelands of North America – possibly more than there were bison. Hunting and fragmentation of their habitat by fences and human settlements took its toll and as few as 20,000 remained at the start of the 20th century. Thankfully conservation and education saved them from extinction and they now number almost 1 million.
Hardly a rare bird on the Colorado plains but one that has eluded me. I certainly have seen many but getting a quality capture has proven difficult as they are notoriously shy and seem to be able to disappear in brush in an instant.
On Saturday I see this beautiful specimen standing tall and proud on top of a round hay bale and instantly I think, “Finally!” Well, those thoughts didn’t last long as this guy saw me coming and took cover immediately. He stuck his head up for the briefest moment giving me this one shot.
While not what I was hoping for, it does make for a fun capture.
We spent our weekend at Jackson Lake State Park, Colorado, one of our favorite summertime spots. Certainly there was plenty of time playing in the water but my family allowed me some photo time too. Of course since my wife absolutely loves these massive birds, she didn’t mind too much.
Anecdotally, it seemed like there were more Pelicans there this year than we have ever seen in the 15 years we have been going there. Here, one that had swam close to our boat decided it was time to go and takes flight. So much fun to watch them. They may be a bit goofy looking but they are extraordinarily graceful flyers.
All photos © Tony’s Takes. Images are available for purchase as prints or as digital files for other uses. Please don’t steal; my prices aren’t expensive and I will work with you to get you the art you desire. For more information contact me here.