From a couple of months ago… My stakeout at this Fox den failed to yield the much hoped for kits. However, mom did swing by for a bit, checking on one of the places she called home. I snapped a few pictures of her as she hung out but this was my favorite, taken as she was leaving. She paused just briefly near the top of a hill, looked back at me as if to say, “Get that last picture now,” and disappeared over the rise.
Formation flying Brown Pelicans
A first for me photographing these large, somewhat goofy looking birds. Taken near Cocoa Beach, Florida, it was quite entertaining to watch them as they patrolled the surf and shoreline.
My primary purpose there was family fun so these images weren’t taken until mid-morning when the light was kind of harsh. Nevertheless, it is easy to appreciate these coastal residents. I had hoped to get some shots of their infamous head-first dives into the water and while I saw a few do it, none did so close enough for me to get pics of the action.
These pelicans are a bit smaller than the American White Pelicans I see regularly here in Colorado. However, they are still sizeable with wingspans that can push close to five feet across.
Baby American Alligator hanging out in the swamp
And I am back! I forgot to post a notice but I was ‘out of the office’ for the past week on some much needed R & R. While the primary focus was a family vacation, I did manage to snap some pics to share, including some of creatures I haven’t photographed before – including this one.
While in Florida we took an airboat ride one day exploring the headwaters to the Everglades with its gorgeous scenery and abundant wildlife. We saw more than our fair share of gators up close including this young one that was hanging out close to mama. While this “baby” didn’t look so intimidating, mom definitely did (pics of her to come later).
The American Alligator is a success story of man righting a wrong. It was nearly extinct and listed for protection under the Endangered Species Act in 1967. Conservation and preservation saw these cool creatures stage a fantastic comeback and they were removed from the list in 1987.
I am going to give a shameless plug to Marsh Landing Adventures for the tour they and Captain Scott provided us. We had a ton of fun and he did a great job educating us, keeping us entertained and getting me in the right spots for pictures. If you’re ever in the Orlando area, I would highly recommend them!
Stampeding Bison on the Great Plains
Kind of a fun image taken this past weekend for Tatanka Tuesday.
The herd at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge near Denver, Colorado saw a boom in population this spring with more than a dozen new calves. Despite multiple attempts, the little ones were always too far off for me to get a decent look – until this day.
The herd was moving with purpose and with some patience, they came right up on me. I managed tons of pics of the little ones and their moms but this one is one of the more fun ones. For whatever reason, the herd decided to pick up the pace and took off running. It was very exciting – and somewhat intimidating – to hear the thunder of their hooves as they raced across the grassland.
Don’t let their massive size fool you, these beasts can move very fast when they want to. While there was “only” about 50 of them, it made it easy to imagine the days in the Old West when thousands would stage similar scenes.
Trio of Bison calves
Continuing Tatanka Tuesday with this image. I mentioned in my post this morning that I had gotten some nice shots of the new arrivals to the herd. Here are three of the 12+. They were all quite willing to pose and give me some nice captures as they followed along with the herd.
Did you know… In May 2016 the Bison became the official mammal of the United States, a fitting and long overdue honor.
Moose bull hiding among the aspen trees
I haven’t done a Moose Monday in a while so here you go.
Taken last August in U.S. Forest Service Arapaho National Forest. We had stopped along a back country dirt road to take a break and while we were sitting there, we hear rustling. He didn’t want to make himself visible and we didn’t want to intrude but I did get a few glimpses of him thanks to my big lens.
Moose are the largest member of the deer family although the sub-species we have here in Colorado, the Shiras moose, are the smallest of moose sub-species. That however does not mean they are truly small. They can stand six feet tall at the shoulder and weigh up to 1,200 pounds! You cannot begin to appreciate their size until you are up close with one.
Swainson’s Hawk grabs some nesting material
This gorgeous raptor was in a field right next to the road yesterday. At first, I assumed it had a kill it was guarding as it was surprisingly reluctant to leave when I stopped.
Instead, it turns out it simply wanted to grab a stick to add to its nest. Interestingly enough, it flew not far away and added it to a nest on a power pole. Few hawks choose power poles for nests, instead preferring trees, and I have never seen a Swainson in a man-made spot.
These beautiful raptors are found across the American West during the summer months. They arrive in such numbers that they become almost more common than the ubiquitous Red Tailed Hawk. It is here that they will mate and have young before heading south to Argentina for the winter.
Mule deer doe smiles for her picture
Kind of a fun look and this lady’s face this morning. The deer look pretty rough right now as they get their summer coats in but this pose helps to hide how splotchy it is. She was quite content to just lay there and watch me watching her. Taken at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge near Denver, Colorado.
Male Bald Eagle works hard on the home
This guy has got to be the hardest working male Eagle I have ever seen. He is constantly with doing home repairs or fetching food for his growing family. His mate is definitely spoiled as she rarely has to do any of the work.
On this day, he plunged to the ground beneath the stand of trees where their nest is, disappearing out of sight. When he reappeared, he not only had grass in his talons which is common, he even had a mouthful of it! This is the only time I have ever seen an eagle do this.
Bald eagles have been a spiritual symbol of Native Americans for hundreds of years. There were variations between tribes as to the eagles’ symbolism but for most it generally represented bravery, wisdom, strength and courage. It was believed that the eagles carried prayers to the Great Spirit.
Have a fantastic Freedom Friday!
Handsome Pronghorn buck head on
It’s not too often you can get these guys to stand still for a picture as their first instinct is almost always to run. However, they are also notoriously curious, oftentimes pausing initially to ascertain a potential threat. I have learned that if you can do something to get their attention, sometimes they stick around just a bit longer and it also gets them to look right at you.
What do I do?
I have a bright yellow cleaning cloth in my truck that I use just for this – holding my camera in one hand, I wave the cloth over my head in the other. Yeah, it probably looks silly but it does work pretty often and that was the case with me being able to get a pic of this guy south of Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Sometimes mistakenly called antelope, their closest relatives are actually giraffes and okapi. It is believed Pronghorn developed their extraordinary speed when the now extinct American Cheetah was a threat.