This beautiful lady was watching the happenings around her closely, no doubt hoping to find some hapless rodent she could snatch up for a meal. It won’t be long now and her and her family will be heading south to their winter home in Argentina. It certainly will be warmer there than the Colorado plains come December and January. 😉
Mountain Goat kid stops to smell the flowers
Such a cute little thing! A late evening drive up Logan Pass in Glacier National Park, Montana back in June had us meet this little one and its mom. It was quite a voracious eater keeping its nose down and mouth chomping. For one brief instant it stopped and seemed to smell the little wildflower – then it ate it. 😉
Bald Eagle works on some home repairs
For these raptors, just like humans, maintaining a #home is a never-ending list of chores. While their young one was no longer even hanging out in the nest, the parents felt the need to keep it maintained and in good shape.
After landing on the shores of the lake, this adult grabbed a big clump of grass, returned to the nest and dutifully placed it where it felt it was needed first.
I hope you all have a great weekend and get outside and enjoy all that Mother Nature has given us!
Bald Eagle poised for launch into Freedom Friday
Perhaps not a technically well done picture thanks to the harsh lighting and shadows but kind of a fun image.
Having just delivered a meal of fish to its offspring, this female eagle was ready for some alone time. I captured this image of her just as she was leaping into the air. One interesting note about her… If you look at her right foot, you will notice she is missing the middle talon. Kind of unusual but it works well for identifying her versus her mate.
I haven’t been down to visit this pair and their young one lately as they apparently just haven’t been around much. Now that the juvenile has fledged, they are all enjoying their new found freedom and not hanging out at the nest much.
Peregrine Falcon takes flight
I once again ran across this cool raptor recently and again, he did not want to give me any flight shots. He did however at least give me this backlit launch. Someday I will convince it to let me get ‘the shot’ of it in flight. 😉
One of the most spectacular and ferocious raptors, Peregrine Falcons are nothing short of amazing. They oftentimes hunt from on high, diving to the ground toward their prey at speeds up to 200 mph!
Taken in Adams County, Colorado.
I smell you – and the 20 other photographers!
This guy was definitely taking in the scent of something or someone.
This was the first time I have seen a Moose exhibit this behavior. Called the Flehmen response, many mammals will curl their lips and raise their head, inhaling deeply allowing them to get a better sampling of a particular smell that interests them – kind of like a human taking a big whiff to smell something. You most likely have seen horses do this and I have seen deer, elk and bison do it as well.
Taken this past Sunday in the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area, Colorado.
Mule Deer fawn plays hide and seek
I happened across this little one, its mom and its twin while hiking on Saturday afternoon. While mama was more than willing to pose for pictures, the young ones were far more cautious and opted to stay hidden most of the time. They proved to be quite adept and keeping themselves out of view but I did manage a few captures including this one when one of them was looking right at me and framed by the trees.
Mule Deer are quite common across the western half of North America and can be found everywhere from the mountains to the plains. This family opted for a high altitude residence at about 10,000 feet in Roosevelt National Forest, Colorado.
Lounging in the sun for Marmot Monday
Certainly many of us, including me, would much prefer to be lounging in the sun today rather than being back at work. This little guy had the right idea a couple of weeks ago near the top of Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park.
As the sun rose and temperatures similarly climbed, it felt the best course of action was to simply relax and take it all in. I can’t say I have ever seen a Marmot sit quite like this. It was pretty amusing for sure.
Bald Eagle gives photographer the bird
😉 Well, not really. This guy just had an itch and was scratching himself when I snapped this picture. Check out those talons! He better be careful with those things or he’ll hurt himself.
Golden Eagle on the hunt for Freedom Friday
I of course normally post pics of the ‘bald’ variety of this type of bird to close out the workweek but today I make an exception. I came across this gorgeous raptor and I had an absolutely amazing encounter with it that I want to share.
Initially perched on a pole soon after sunrise, after a little while it launched right toward me giving me some nice flight shots, including this one as it crested the hill between us.
The look of determination on its face, the golden light, the dried grass below and the blue sky above make for a pretty cool capture. I wish it had waited till the sun was up a bit more as my gear struggles in dim light and that shows in the pics but I won’t complain (too much).
Taken in Boulder County, Colorado.