Despite the cruddy weather, yesterday’s photo outing was quite good for me. I was most excited to find this cool raptor. Normally I see quite a few of these during the winter but this year, I have only seen one other and that one didn’t give me any worthwhile pictures. I spotted this one perched on a pole, riding out the rain that started the day. The rain coupled with dim lighting conditions made for difficult shooting conditions, so I was pretty surprised my pictures of it doing a flyby came out as well as they did. Not the best but far better that I would have expected. Hopefully I can find it again when conditions are better. My camera and I were pretty wet by the time we were done.
Bald eagles ride out a Colorado snowstorm
Quite an interesting day of weather here on the Colorado Front Range. Overnight some light sprinkles gave way to rain after daylight. By mid-morning, the rain switched to moderate snowfall creating quite a mess. That, of course, didn’t stop me from venturing out nor did it keep these gorgeous bald eagles from keeping watch. I have some closer captures of them but liked this one, showing them in the elements when the snow was at its worst. Yes, that is snow covering the one on the left’s back! Certainly they weather the conditions far better than I.
Bald eagle focused flying head on into Friday
This handsome fellow reflects my thoughts for the day: Put in a good day’s work but stay focused on the weekend ahead and a much-needed break! This is the same eagle I shared a landing shot of last week, taken about 20 minutes after that capture. He had spent the time hanging out on a pole, relaxing, keeping watch. When his mate decided to move up the river, he chose to follow and in doing so, launched right at me. Bam! There is a lot to love about this shot I think. Hope you all have a great weekend!
Double-trouble coming head on
The boys are on the move and you better get out of the way. ? This handsome pair of bighorn sheep were heading up the road last November, looking to meet up with the ladies. Certainly, the fellow on the left was in his prime and ready. The guy on the right, well, he has some growing to do before he can compete with the big boys. It is interesting to not only note the difference in the size of the horns, but also their bodies.
Red tailed hawk visits God’s house
Kind of a neat capture from last week. We have a couple red tailed hawks that hang out in our neighborhood and the surrounding area. Once or twice I have seen them perched on the cross at the nearby church but have never gotten a picture. Coming home from work the other day I saw one of the pair there and decided I would give it a shot. The skies were kinda cruddy gray but it still made for a neat scene. Hopefully someday I can get both of them there and with a better background.
Sleepy great horned owl peeks at the photographer
Sunday I went to check on my favorite pair of great horned owls. I was able to easily locate one of the two. It was clearly pretty worn out after a night of carousing and hunting, barely opening its eyes to acknowledge my presence. I looked and looked and could not find its mate. I don’t know for a fact but am thinking it was possibly in the nest cavity, already sitting on eggs. In years past when they started incubating, the female was a good ways down in there and not always visible. After last year’s disastrous results (the previous female passed away), I am hopeful for better results this year.
Pretty posing female American kestrel
Quite the looker this lady is, isn’t she? American kestrels are quite common although due to their small size, you might dismiss them not realizing they are a raptor. Indeed, they are just as ferocious of predators as their bigger cousins. Most often I see them hanging out on utility wires so I don’t usually stop and take pics of them. This one, however, had itself a nice spot on top of a bush yesterday and was willing to sit long enough to allow me some nice portraits.
The near full “goose moon”
January’s full moon is really called the wolf moon but I figured given these shots, I would rename it for my purposes.
Earlier this week I went on a bit of an excursion and since my desired subject matter chose to stay hidden, I took pics of these common creatures instead. I don’t normally photograph Canada geese as they are everywhere and, honestly, I find them kind of annoying. But, in the late afternoon, multiple skeins of them flew over with the moon serving as a backdrop.
While I didn’t get pics of the critter I wanted, at least these guys helped occupy my time.
Bald eagle puts on an impressive display at landing
Umm. Yeah. That is WAY cool!
Last Sunday’s photo excursion started off slow but then this handsome fellow and his mate turned it all around. Perched on poles, I wasn’t overly enthusiastic about the spot but I figured it was worth the hike to see what I could get from them. Both made it well-worth my while, giving me a ton of cool captures.
Here, the male returns to a pole right near me and in doing so, gave me some jaw-dropping captures. There is a lot to love in this shot. That focused look and beautiful, white head. The wings, goodness, they were massive. And, of course, those deadly talons!
“Pole bird” or not, I will take all of these kind of shots I can get. Have a great weekend, everyone!
Great horned owl pair hanging out before nesting season
It is that time of year when the owls are starting to get frisky and preparing to settle down for the spring. I checked my favorite local nest on Sunday and was happy to find the pair napping after a night of hunting. Naturally, only one was willing to give me a clear shot. Last year I first saw the female in the nest the first week of February so we will see when she takes up residence this year.
Owls nest earlier than most other birds as, since they don’t build their own nests and usually take over those previously built by other raptors, they stake their claim early. This pair, however, has little to worry about as the previous spot they used is a tree cavity so there likely isn’t any interest from neighbors. I did get some cool, individual shots of this pair and will share them later.