Well, this was something that looked a bit odd. I knew turkeys would sometimes hang out in trees but this was the first time I had witnessed it personally. After being scared off by a suburban predator, the coyote I posted pics of a couple of days ago, the flock took flight and some of the turkeys sought shelter up high. As out of place as it might seem, they seemed quite comfortable up there and were undoubtedly safe from Wile E.
Mama out for a flight
Mama out for a flight. Taken this past weekend, the female Bald Eagle at my local nest decided to stretch her wings and give me a flyby. Activity that day was really low as record-tying temperatures had arrived and the eagles understandably were choosing to sit tight and try to stay cool.
Snowy Egret fluffs up, takes flight
A fun little sequence of images I captured of this beautiful bird as it hung out along the South Platte River. During the summer these guys are pretty common in Colorado but they also are skittish so I don’t normally get captures of them.
I spotted this one from a good ways away and tried a stealthy approach through some tall grass, staying hunched down to get a closer vantage point. It didn’t work as well as planned because it definitely knew I was there and took off almost immediately.
American Bison strolling by the Mile High City
A bit of the old west meeting the new. In some ways, seeing these massive creatures roam so close to a major city seems out of place. However, we are the ones intruding on their ancestral lands.
These massive animals were hunted to the brink of extinction in the 1700s and 1800s with as few as 750 reported by 1890. The American Bison’s numbers have since rebounded with about 500,000 now living on public and private lands but none have truly free range anymore. The land they used to roam freely has been overtaken by man and, for better and worse, the landscape has changed greatly since this bull’s ancestors roamed the land.
At least now we seem to have awoken to some of the damage done in decades and centuries past and are trying to rectify it by working to restore these impressive animal’s population and giving them some of their ancestral lands back.
Head on with an American White Pelican
I’ve captured tons of pics of these massive birds but this is the first time I have had one fly directly at and over me. I had staked out a spot on the South Platte River northeast of Denver, Colorado. Lots of birds were following the waterway when this guy comes low and fast right at me. Kind of fun and a different view than you normally see of them.
Coyote patrols the bike path
A very fun encounter with this guy and his mate this past weekend. I had spotted a bunch of wild turkeys and was trying to find a place to park to take pictures when suddenly the turkeys took off. Then, I see why. The pair of coyotes had snuck up on them and pounced.
Their hunt wasn’t successful although one did knock a bunch of feathers off of one bird. The pair then split and sought out other targets and I in turn gave pursuit. I thought I had lost them when the male appeared and crossed the path right in front of me.
Great Horned Owl launches
Getting flight pictures of owls is extremely difficult. First you have the problem of just finding them as they are notoriously adept at the hide and seek game. Then, even when you do find them, if they take off they have a knack for going the exact opposite direction you want with no warning. Even when they do launch toward you, getting a good focus on them with so much clutter is challenging to say the least.
On this morning I was lucky on all counts as I found this pretty lady, she took off right toward me and I was able to stay focused on it.
Taken in Adams County, Colorado.
Pelicans perform a flyby
Pelicans perform a flyby. While the female Bald Eagle stands guard next to her eaglet, a couple of American White Pelicans circled overhead.
On approach
This lady is absolutely gorgeous and by all appearances a great mom. From my local nest, this is the female Bald Eagle as she returns from a quick flight stretching those massive wings. It is interesting to watch and observe the differences between the two parents. She is quite laid back, not paying much attention to anything other than her eaglet. He, one the other hand, is constantly chattering anytime a perceived threat comes nearby, keeps his distance from the nest most of the time, and just seems kind of uptight.
My how big you have gotten!
I finally got my first good look at the eaglet at my local Bald Eagle nest. “Junior” seems to be doing quite well and already is quite big. He / she stuck its head up a few times and even did some flapping of its wings. As you can tell though, while there are some feathers, it is still very much covered in down.
Judging by when I first saw mama sitting on the nest back in February, then allowing 35 days for incubation, I am guessing the little one is now about 6 weeks old. In another couple of weeks, it will start doing a lot more flapping, perhaps even lift itself into the air a bit. First flight usually occurs between 10 and 13 weeks at which time it will also be pretty much fully grown.