A young Red-Tailed Hawk has a bit of a guilty look, perhaps due to the fact it had just killed a #prairie #dog and was chowing down on it for lunch. You don’t have to go to far outside the Denver metro area to find prairie dog colonies and when you do, you can bet there are raptors nearby keeping watch. I absolutely loved the look on this ones face. Notice the blood on its face and also notice the rodent lying at its feet / talons.
Time to go fishing
Time to go fishing! A juvenile Bald Eagle launches into the air on the way to snag a fish out of a pond. We had a little bit of a snowstorm over the past 24 hours here in Denver and despite light snow still falling and 6″ of it on the trail, I couldn’t resist checking out this handsome raptor.
After letting me get my fill of pics of it sitting and posing, the eagle launched itself into the air and snatched a small shad from the water.
Scroll below the main image to view the complete gallery.
Fun Flicker flight
Kind of a neat image of a Northern Flicker. I was taking pictures of this cool bird sitting nicely on the lower branch when it suddenly decided to leap to the one above. With its wings and legs tucked back, it looked quite streamlined and sleek. Image taken in Thornton, Colorado on January 20, 2015.
Bald Eagle enjoys trout for breakfast
A trip to Cherry Creek State Park, #Colorado this morning started out relatively nicely with this handsome Bald Eagle enjoying a 15″ trout. It devoured it in about nine minutes flat. Unfortunately it was still early and cloud cover was heavy so the lighting was poor. Still lots of fun to see this raptor feed.
Scroll down to view the photo gallery from the day.
Young deer bucks enjoy mild day in the Colorado mountains
A bit of a different location for my Saturday photo trip yesterday as I headed to Gross Reservoir west of the Denver in the foothills. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous as always in the high country. Wildlife however was pretty sparse.
I did come across three young mule deer bucks. Two of them are pictured here. One is still hanging on to its antlers while the other has shed his.
Love on the line
A female and male American Kestrel gaze skyward, perhaps thinking about their future together? 😉 I’ve captured many pics of both female and male Kestrels but never two together until yesterday when I happened across this pair north of Denver, Colorado, USA.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Magical Merlin’s stare
These small but ferocious raptors are absolutely gorgeous and I was lucky enough to spot one today in a very busy tree near Denver International Airport.
Merlins typically eat other, smaller birds oftentimes attacking with extraordinary speed and force. They don’t usually build their own nests instead taking over old crow, raven, magpie and hawk homes.
Friday freedom
TGIF ! I don’t know about you, but much like this Bald Eagle I am very ready for a bit of freedom and am glad the countdown to the weekend has begun. This majestic raptor was one of many that obliged me with a picture perfect flyby recently. I loved the wing position and the angle as it banked, all accentuated by the crystal clear blue Colorado skies.
Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting, Those kicks were fast as lightning
“Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting, Those kicks were fast as lightning.” For whatever reason this sequence of images reminds me of that old song from the 1970s. 😉 In this series of nine images taken in Fort Collins, Colorado last week, two juvenile Bald Eagles engage in some extraordinary aerial playing. The view of the pair with their legs and talons extended toward each other is captivating.
Mine, mine, mine!
Ring-billed Gull pulls a fish from the ice of a pond in Colorado. I watched it peck away at the thawing ice and eventually pull a shad from it. These gulls can be found across much of North America and are the most common type of gull found in inland areas.