A gorgeous raptor and some power blue Colorado skies make for a very nice morning! These summertime visitors from far south are starting to make their homes on the Great Plains and are quite active right now. I saw multiple pairs this past weekend within a few miles of each other. Here, one of them was kind enough to oblige me with a very nice flyby.
Black-footed Ferret pops tall to check things out
I reckon if you had a half dozen giddy photographers gathered around you furiously clicking their shutters, you probably would wonder what the heck was going on too.
This endangered little one has absolutely no idea how special he (or she) is. However, those of us that were privileged enough to spend a couple of hours with it will never forget the experience.
Once thought extinct, reintroduction efforts have seen some of these cute ones released into the wild and so far, the program has been quite successful. There are however only a few hundred in the wild so getting to see one is a rare and special event.
Turkey Vulture performs flyover
This is one bird that I hadn’t had much luck finding and getting pictures of this spring yet. Lucky for me, one found me this past weekend and not only flew over but then circled a few times above. I’m not entirely sure what it was looking at but something on the ground seemed to have its attention as it seemed to contemplate coming in for a landing.
These buzzards may be ugly but I think they are cool as heck. You will often see them soaring high in the sky in large groups – appropriately called a ‘wake’ – looking for their next meal. They feed on carrion they find lying around dead like rabbits, prairie dogs and such and are believed to be able to smell the dead animals up to a mile away. Their role of garbage man helps to prevent the spread of disease from carcasses.
Mule Deer buck sports his new velvet
Yet another sign of spring in the wildlife kingdom. Almost immediately after shedding their antlers in the winter, deer bucks begin growing their new ones. This handsome fellow had some nice, thick ones going already and judging by his size, he is one of the seniors of the area. He seemed to be rather proud of the new growth, tucking back his ears, raising his nose and giving me a nice view of the budding antlers.
Mule Deer are quite common across the western half of North America and can be found everywhere from the mountains to the plains. This particular one was out and about on the prairie northeast of Denver, Colorado this past Sunday morning following a late season snowfall.
Little rabbit hunkers down against the cold
Late season snowstorms can be a bit of a shocker to not only those humans that forget we live in Colorado, but also to the wildlife. The rabbits were out in abundance yesterday for some reason. This little one opted to stay huddled down in a burrow opening, perhaps waiting for the sun to warm things up a bit.
Chow time on the Great Plains
However gruesome it might be, scenes like this are played out routinely in Mother Nature. The relationship between predator and prey is a life-sustaining action and necessary to maintain diversity in the ecosystem. While one life ends, another continues and is renewed. Taken back in January, these images show a Red-tailed Hawk as it devours a rabbit that it had killed in a field.
And S T R E T C H….
It always seems odd to see what of these big raptors do this but it is fun too. This female Bald Eagle had spent quite a bit of time just sitting and decided this was a good way to get the blood flowing. The image gives a nice look at the long wings and those talons. If you want more Bald Eagle images, head here.
Mama makes some noise
This female Bald Eagle might have just been happy about not being stuck on the nest anymore. Her little one hatched a few weeks ago and that has given her some freedom to move around after spending 35 days almost entirely sitting in the nest.
She never strays far though, keeping close watch and protecting her offspring. Here she is perched on a branch only a few feet from the nest where the eaglet is. Dad was in a tree 50 yards away and calling so she returned the favor with some vocalization of her own.
This image was taken this past Sunday and unfortunately I never did get a good view of the baby raptor. I could see its back as it moved around but that was about it. Hopefully on my next visit I will get a nice look at it.
Young Cooper’s Hawk gives a photographer a hand
Finding Great Horned Owls can be a challenge, particularly in heavily wooded areas. They have a knack for positioning themselves in just the right spot to avoid detection and more than once I have walked right by one.
Sometimes, another creature though can give you a hand in finding them. I have always found Magpies to be useful for this as they do not like the big owls and raise a ruckus when one is in their domain – follow the sound, find the owl.
On this day, it was a juvenile Cooper’s Hawk that helped a friend and I, directing us to the nocturnal predator. I have seen this same hawk hassling the female owl at her nest before and on this day, she was out and about and once again, the hawk did not appreciate her presence. It was making a lot of noise, standing on a nearby branch, making sure the owl knew it was not wanted.
The noise led us right to her and allowed us to get some nice captures. The owl would eventually tire of being pestered, move to a new spot and the hawk would pursue, again raising a ruckus. It was kind of fun to watch although clearly the owl was not amused. 😉
Ducks take to the trees
Ducks take to the trees. It isn’t too often you see a duck hanging out in the tree but here you go. Wood Ducks are a bit different from most waterfowl is that they do actually perch and nest in trees. While I have photographed them before, it has always been in a more traditional setting like swimming on a pond.
On Sunday while hanging out along the South Platte River I noticed a number of these guys flying around and landing in the trees. It certainly seemed out of place. The terrain prevented me from getting a better look but I managed a few, distant captures.
These images don’t do a good job showing it but Wood Ducks, particularly the drakes (males), truly are some of the most colorful ducks you can imagine.