Latest News & Images | Tony's Takes Photography

Moose bull stretches to snack on the good stuff

March 20, 2023 by Tony

Willows are the preferred meal for moose but they don’t mind diversifying every now and then and any deciduous plant will do. This handsome fellow decided to try some aspen trees to vary his dietary intake, stretching his neck to reach the good stuff.

Taken on a chilly August morning last year, I was enjoying the solitude and quiet of the forest with a few of these handsome creatures. I sat on a rock (at a respectable distance) and spent some much-needed downtime with them, watching them as they lazily grazed in the pre-dawn light. I anxiously await the snow melting and the grasses turning green when I can have another morning like this.

Have a fantastic Moose Monday!

Young bald eagle hunts mergansers

March 19, 2023 by Tony

Taken back at the end of January as this local pond was beginning to thaw. The open waters had attracted dozens of merganser ducks – and some bald eagles. At the time, the eagles were largely content to just sit on the ice and see if any easy opportunities presented themselves. This juvenile though, took a more active approach, flying in and hovering directly over the mergansers. Surprisingly, the ducks didn’t seem bothered at all by the predator directly over their head. As it turned out, they didn’t have anything to worry about anyway as the young eagle decided it wasn’t worth a plunge into the cold waters for a meal that would be tough to catch and instead, flew off.

American pika on the alpine tundra – and a bonus creature

March 18, 2023 by Tony

Going back to July for this pic I haven’t shared previously. Visits to high altitude always include trying to get pictures of these miniature residents. They are so cute and highly entertaining.

This little one stopped and posed briefly, taking a break from gathering for the winter. It wasn’t until I got home and processed the pictures that I noticed a second, far smaller creature in the image – a ladybug – on the grass right in front of the pika. Kind of fun!

Time to get serious about the weekend. This beautiful bald eagle is wearing the face I am today as I do my best to just finish o…

March 17, 2023 by Tony

This beautiful bald eagle is wearing the face I am today as I do my best to just finish out the week without exploding. It has been a rough one but I am determined to make it through.

This image, taken a couple of weeks ago, shows one of many eagles I photographed that day. These animals can have a lot of personality, something shown here.

Have a fantastic Freedom Friday and hang in there, the workweek is almost over! TGIF!

Oh that tastes SO good!

March 16, 2023 by Tony

A bighorn sheep ram seems to be relishing the shrub he is sampling. Taken back in October, I had high hopes for some good rut activity but it wasn’t to be. The rams stayed up high for much of the morning and when they finally came down, they were more interested in eating than battling for the affection of the ladies. Nevertheless, it is always fun to spend time with Colorado’s official state animal.

American kestrel chases a great horned owl

March 15, 2023 by Tony

One of those pics I call ‘content over quality’ as the story behind the pic is way better that the actual image.

I visited my local great horned owls and thankfully, easily found dad in one of his favorite trees. As usual, he pretty much ignored me, continuing his morning nap. In the background, I was hearing the area kestrels making some noise but didn’t think much of it.

Well, I wish I had been paying closer attention because they were apparently not too happy with dad great horned owl being near their home. Out of the blue, mama kestrel dives in at the owl! In an instant, he launches into the air, fleeing his diminutive assailant.

Next thing I know, the chase is on. It all happened so fast, I wasn’t ready and my camera settings weren’t right to capture fast-movers but I snapped away anyway as the owl fled to another stand of trees with the kestrel in hot pursuit. This is the best pic of the series that at least shows the fun bit of action. In he end, the owl found himself a different hiding place and mama kestrel settled down.

Beaver out for an early morning swim in suburbia

March 14, 2023 by Tony

This was a little bit of a surprise as I visit this pond frequently but this is the first time I have ever seen a beaver. There are no signs of a traditional lodge / dam but I do know they can sometimes burrow under the banks of a body of water.

As I walked along in the pre-dawn hours, I saw ripples in the calm water and figured there might be something of interest. Sure enough, a beaver was there but it soon departed the area with a couple slaps of its tail to let me know it didn’t appreciate me intruding on its morning.

However, I spotted a second beaver and it was far less skittish. There was very minimal light but I managed some decent captures of it. It seemed to be gnawing on a stick which was kind of fun to see.

For the shutterbugs interested, this was taken with my usual Canon EOS R5 and RF 100-500 at 500mm but also notably, at ISO 12800. The images were quite grainy despite my best efforts. I ran it through Topaz Labs PhotoAI and am pretty impressed with the results given the conditions.

A beaver out for a swim on a calm pond. (© Tony's Takes) — A beaver out for a swim on a calm pond. (© Tony’s Takes)

Sounds of spring return to the Colorado plains

March 13, 2023 by Tony

There are a few, distinctive bird calls that you can’t help but hear frequently at the lower elevations of the Centennial State. Among them, the red-winged blackbird and western meadowlark. Both have started to arrive on the Front Range and yesterday a number of them put on a nice show.

Red-winged blackbirds are often found just like this guy, hanging out near wetlands, calling out. Western meadowlarks hang out in the open grasslands and prairie, oftentimes perching on fence posts.

A western meadowlark sings the song of spring. (© Tony's Takes) — A western meadowlark sings the song of spring. (© Tony’s Takes)

Meet the new lady of the house

March 12, 2023 by Tony

Whoohoo! I am excited to report that following the death of the female at my favorite bald eagle nest late last year, a new one has recently been hanging out with the male.

A month or so ago, while looking at the nest from a very long distance, I thought I saw two eagles there but when I got closer, there were none to be found. My friend then reported that last weekend there were indeed two at the site. Yesterday I hiked in to see for myself and sure enough, the male seems to have a new girlfriend.

She only did one flyby before perching across the river but the pair spent a good bit of time hanging out together. He seemed to be trying to impress her by doing some nest maintenance, showing her it would make a fine home.

Will the pair connect in time to have young ones yet this year? That is unknown. It is kind of late as most nested eagles are already sitting on eggs now but it could yet happen. If not, it does at least bode well for the nest’s future.

If you look close at the picture, you will notice she has some darker colored areas on her cheek behind her eye. That would indicate she has just turned five years old and reached full maturity.

I am keeping my fingers crossed!

For those unfamiliar, I sadly discovered the previous female dead, beneath one of their favorite trees. Working with Colorado Parks & Wildlife, we retrieved the carcass and it was determined she had died from the bird flu that has been running rampant through bird populations across the nation. You can read the full story here.

Coyote enjoys a lazy morning at dawn

March 11, 2023 by Tony

Sometimes I forget that coyotes are quite like their cousins, the domestic dogs we all enjoy as pets. They seem quite different at times when you see them in the wild and they are hunting and doing things our best friends would have no idea how to handle.

On this particular morning, this coyote served up reminders about just how alike they are though. It lounged in the early morning sun, yawned and stretched, just like my hounds do. The light was still kind of dim so the pics aren’t the best but still fun to see.