Who knew baby turkey’s were so cute? There was a hen with eight little ones that made visits a couple of times to where I was camping on Colorado’s northeastern plains. The little ones really were cute and much to my surprise, could even fly for a little ways. I didn’t know they could do that.
Killdeer in flight
Kill what? A killdeer that is! While walking along the South Platte River earlier this week I came across a few of these. While I never saw any little ones, I suspect I must have come close to them given how agitated the pair seemed to be with my presence.
The killdeer is a common shorebird that lives year round in all but the coldest parts of the contiguous United States. It is very vocal and actually derives its name from the high-pitched sound it makes. It is also known to put on a ‘broken wing act’ to distract predators from its nest and lead them away.
You can read more about the killdeer and hear samples of its distinctive (annoying!) call here: http://bit.ly/Uxm4nw
Nest building double crested cormorant
I’m not sure why but I find these relatives of boobies pretty darned cool. Their dark feathers, orange beaks and amazing turquoise eyes are just pretty cool. There is a massive rookery of them at Denver City Park and they are a lot of fun to watch.
Snowy egret enjoys lunch in Denver City Park
This snowy egret was catching his meal and actually allowed me to get close enough for some decent pictures today.
American Kestrel holds on in strong winds
North America’s smallest falcon – the American Kestrel. Haven’t had much time to take pictures the last couple of weeks so today I forced myself to make time. Took a walk along the South Platte River in Adams County, Colorado and managed to see this little guy hanging on in some stiff wind. Gray skies made for a poor background but I was pleased to get some pics as I have not had much luck getting pictures of them before.
Breakfast is served: Osprey enjoys a meal of fish
My plan was to find some bald eagles in northern Colorado where I had luck last weekend. Today they were more elusive and nowhere to be found so I found a few other subjects including a hungry osprey.
The goslings, great blue heron and red-winged blackbird are quite common in Colorado this time of year. The heron, as usual, proved to be the most difficult to get close to and as usual, I ended up with only a parting shot.
The osprey is the male of a pair that nests at the Boulder County Fairgrounds. She was sitting on her eggs while he had the opportunity to roam around. He flew off soon after I arrived but returned with his breakfast – a fish. It was fun watching him eat but I do wish he had cooperated for some good flight shots.
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Soft and fluffy
Up in Longmont (Colorado) today looking for bald eagles and while I had no luck with them, I did find a much smaller bird to take pictures of. My daughter says it looks ‘soft and fluffy’ and I reckon indeed this gosling does. 😉
Maybe if I’m very quiet that guy with the camera won’t see me!
Great Horned Owlet this past Sunday in Thornton, Colorado. This is one of the owlets I have been documenting in recent weeks and it won’t be long before it and its sibling are gone. Just in the past week they have moved from the tree with the nest to a separate stand of trees about 25 yards away.
Photogenic bald eagles in Longmont, Colorado
Rumor had it there was a pair of bald eagles hanging out near McIntosh Lake in Longmont so I headed that way this morning. Found them right off the bat.
Initially tough shooting conditions with low clouds and having to shoot facing into the sunrise. The female soon left but the male turned around into the sun and then stayed and posed for two hours. I ended up giving up after that and packing it in.
Do wish he had flown off at some point so I could get some action shots but I am not going to complain.
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Swainson’s Hawks galore
Lacking any better alternatives I once again headed east of Denver to the area north of Denver International Airport. As expected I found plenty of Swainson’s Hawks willing to provide me with ample photo opportunities. This time they were quite cooperative with some great launches and landings.
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