A nice shot of my favorite type of hawk. Taken back in December, this gorgeous raptor had just left its perch and was giving me a nice flyby – all the while keeping a close watch on me. Taken in Adams County, Colorado.
Osprey in flight with the Rocky Mountains as a backdrop
This female Osprey was returning to her nest in Longmont, Colorado with some nesting material recently. She was kind enough to approach at such an angle that I was able to capture her in flight with the snow-capped mountains behind her.
I do wish she was carrying a stick or nothing at all rather than some trash but beggars can’t be choosers. 😉
Boxed in Barn Owl
I really, really want a good picture of these cool owls but this is the best I have been able to manage so far. A pair of Barn Owls at Barr Lake spends some time in a nest box. It can be hit or miss as to whether or not they are in there. On this day last month, at least one was. Now just need to get that awesome pic of them “in the wild.” 😉
Determined Bald Eagle launches into the air
Friday Freedom! A Bald Eagle is seen just after launch at Cherry Creek State Park, Colorado on March 7, 2015. It has now been a few weeks since I have snapped any decent pics of these majestic raptors and I am getting desperate. 😉
Yesterday I did follow a juvenile not far from my house but given the snow and rain we were seeing, it was not wanting to stop and pose for pictures. Annoying!
This image is one of my favorite that I have ever captured. After posing for some sitting pictures, this gorgeous raptor launched into the air giving me a wonderful series of images.
Comedian Red Tailed Hawk says, “How about this pose?”
You have actually seen this hawk before as it is one I captured a great sequence of images of it eating dinner last month. This image was taken after that when it was just hanging out.
The hawk was by far the most tolerant Red Tailed Hawk I have ever seen letting me walk all around it and get as close as I wanted. It almost seemed to be enjoying the interaction striking every pose imaginable for me. If you’re interested, you can view the complete gallery of these awesome hawk here.
A smooch on the Colorado plains
A male Burrowing Owl seemed to be kissing his mate a couple weeks ago. They actually did this to each other – soon after, um, enjoying some “recreation” with each other. 😉
This past weekend I noticed a lot of single owls hanging out which most likely means the females were in the burrows with eggs. They have a 28 day gestation period and it should then only be a couple weeks after that before the little ones come out and show themselves. I am really looking forward to it!
Scroll down to view the complete gallery of Burrowing Owl images from the day I took this one.
Mountain Goat kid in the early morning sun
With spring here I have been thinking about these cool animals and how much I am looking forward to photographing them again. Unfortunately that will have to wait as the road to where they reside at the top of the 14,265 foot high Mount Evans will remain closed until the end of May due to snow.
Mountain Goats are actually considered an invasive species here in Colorado as they are not native to the Centennial State having been brought here in the early 20th century as a tourist attraction. Unfortunately Mountain Goats can carry diseases which are deadly to our state’s official animal, the Big Horn Sheep. When the goats roam into sheep territory, they are often killed to prevent them from infecting the sheep.
Great Horned Owl performs an aerial ballet
It almost looks like this gorgeous raptor is walking through the air. In truth she was coming in for a landing at her nest. This is one image of one series from that morning – she gave me three one morning a couple weeks ago.
If you like this image, check out some of the others I have posted here. I think many would look great on your wall! 😉
Western Meadowlark sings the praises of spring
If you’ve ever spent any time on Colorado’s plains (or pretty much anywhere on the Great Plains) you have certainly seen and heard these little birds. Their distinctive flute-like song and bright yellow coloring makes them easy to find and identify.
The Western Meadowlark is actually the state bird of Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, and Wyoming.
Osprey landing silhouette
This is one of those times when a mistake actually turned out to make a pretty good picture IMHO.
I was taking pictures of Osprey in flight when one circled around to land – but on a pole that required me to face into the sun to see. I knew the overwhelming brightness of the sun would cause the Osprey to be underexposed but thought maybe I could salvage it by bringing up the shadows in post-processing.
Instead, I didn’t hardly touch it and in fact darkened it a bit. The end result is a pretty cool picture of an Osprey as it flares up right before touching down. What do you think?