Latest News & Images | Tony's Takes Photography

Lift those wings and launch into the weekend

March 10, 2023 by Tony

A gorgeous female bald eagle lifts her wings high, stretches out, and prepares to take flight on the plains of Colorado.

One of the many, many captures I got a couple of weekends ago at this short-lived ‘hotspot’ for eagles as they started their migration north. It was an amazing morning with many eagles and lots of photography.

This pretty lady was taking a break, resting in a tree along the shoreline. I sat down and we spent quite a while just watching each other. Eventually she decided it was time to go and in a single, graceful move, raised her wings, leapt up and she was gone.

Ice shows the signs of the spring thaw

March 9, 2023 by Tony

Something different from me. What to do when the eagles aren’t cooperating and you are frustrated? Slow down, take a deep breath, and take in what is right next to you. Such was the case this past Sunday.

I had driven a long way to photograph my favorite subject and it just was not panning out. As I grew frustrated, I made myself settle down and took a look at some of the smaller, non-living elements that were right next to me.

As the temperatures warm, the ice is thawing and creating some cool scenes – if you just take the time to notice. I did and am thankful to have done so. No doubt something I should do more often.

Melting ice makes cools sculptures along the shore of a lake in Colorado. (© Tony's Takes) — Melting ice makes cools sculptures along the shore of a lake in Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

Great horned owl is all eyes

March 8, 2023 by Tony

Somehow I don’t think dad was too happy I found him. Mama was hunkered down in the nest and all I could see were tail feathers so I began the hunt for dad. It took me a good while but I did finally find him in one of his favorite hiding spots.

He was actually far more well-hidden than this picture indicates as I had to lay down on the ground to get below the intervening brush to get a clear view. So worth it.

Black footed ferret on a foggy, frosty morning

March 7, 2023 by Tony

Finally! It had been almost two years since I saw one of these little guys and Saturday I finally got another chance. Unfortunately, it was ridiculously foggy and the light was pretty cruddy but I will take any chance I can get with one of North America’s most endangered mammals.

I initially spotted it popping its little head up from a prairie dog burrow a good ways off in the distance. For 20 minutes, it sat there surveying, watching and waiting for a prairie dog to appear.

Finally, it decided it was time to be more active and started running around, checking other burrows for a meal. It did eventually disappear in a burrow, whether that one contained breakfast or not I don’t know.

A black footed ferret keeps watch on a cold, frosty morning in Colorado. (© Tony's Takes) — A black footed ferret keeps watch on a cold, frosty morning in Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

Sign of the changing of the seasons as the pelicans return to Colorado

March 6, 2023 by Tony

American white pelicans soon after their arrival to Colorado in the late winter. (© Tony's Takes) — American white pelicans soon after their arrival to Colorado in the late winter. (© Tony’s Takes)

This was a pleasant surprise yesterday as I came across a pod of 50 or so pelicans at a lake in northeastern Colorado. Given the 20-degree temperatures and breezy winds, most of them were quite intent to just hunker down on a small island. Only a couple ventured out into the water to fish but it was fun to see them and a welcome sign that warmer weather is on the way.

Sign of the changing of the seasons as the pelicans return to Colorado — American white pelicans swim in a Colorado lake in late winter. (© Tony’s Takes)

American white pelicans swim in a Colorado lake in late winter. (© Tony's Takes) — American white pelicans swim in a Colorado lake in late winter. (© Tony’s Takes)

Frost, fog and blue skies on the Colorado Front Range

March 5, 2023 by Tony

A gorgeous – but very cold – morning on the plains yesterday. The thermometer on my truck said 14 degrees and it certainly felt like it. Nevertheless, it was beautiful. At points the fog was so thick that you couldn’t see more than 10 yards but in others, where it opened up, you really got a cool view. Here, the frost coated the grasses and trees while fog, looking almost like smoke, hung near the horizon. Above, those unbelievably blue skies we love in the Centennial State.

Red tailed hawk makes an afternoon snack of a mouse

March 4, 2023 by Tony

On my way home from work yesterday, I drove around our neighborhood, still searching for years for our local great horned owls’ nest. No luck on that front but I did find one of the other area residents. I frequently spot pair of red tailed hawks and they have on occasion visit our yard. Yesterday they were a couple of blocks over and one had caught itself a mouse for an afternoon snack. Normally red tails are quite skittish but this one was so focused on its meal, it didn’t mind me photographing it as it dined. Kind of graphic but that is nature, life and death, predator and prey. Plus, I think, pretty danged cool. 😉

A red tailed hawk dines on a mouse it caught. (© Tony's Takes) — A red tailed hawk dines on a mouse it caught. (© Tony’s Takes)

Colorado balloon flying high for 303 Day

March 3, 2023 by Tony

March 3rd or 3/3 is known as 303 Day, a day in which we use the original Colorado area code to celebrate the Centennial State.

Being a Colorado native and having lived here my entire life other than my time in the Navy, I take great pride in this place that I call home. Like many longtime residents, I do sometimes lament the tremendous growth we have seen and some of the changes that came from it but it still is a pretty cool place to live.

As for this image, it was taken back in November when I spent a good chunk of the morning following this beautiful balloon as it floated in the air on the Colorado Front Range. The view of it and the snow-covered Rocky Mountains pretty much scream, “Colorado.”

Beautiful bald eagle leaps into action

March 2, 2023 by Tony

Oh my! Sometimes you just have ‘one of those days’ – in a good way. Such was the case this past Sunday when I had what was probably one of my best bald eagle days ever.

There were an extraordinary number of eagles at this spot and while most were well out of reach, enough hung out close to keep me shooting almost non-stop for three hours. I shot nearly 1,400 pictures which, even after I came home and culled out the poor ones, yielded hundreds of keepers.

One particular pair of eagles provided most of the action and here is the female of that pair. She was absolutely extraordinary – very tall and slender, a pure white head and probably one of the best looking eagles I have ever photographed. Just gorgeous!

This is one shot of a single sequence of 30 or so images I took of her launching and flying by. I really liked the unique wing position, the look at those monstrous feet and talons and, of course, that gorgeous head and focused look. Love it!

American mink keeps watch along the South Platte River

March 1, 2023 by Tony

American mink keeps watch along the South Platte River. Going back to this charmed encounter from October and this cool creature. I shot a ridiculous number of pics of the little one as it bounded along the river, even catching a fish. Here, after stashing its catch, it returned, seeming to want to try its luck again. It paused briefly on a rock along the river, sticking its nose up as if smelling something.