I’ve captured tons of pics of these massive birds but this is the first time I have had one fly directly at and over me. I had staked out a spot on the South Platte River northeast of Denver, Colorado. Lots of birds were following the waterway when this guy comes low and fast right at me. Kind of fun and a different view than you normally see of them.
Coyote patrols the bike path
A very fun encounter with this guy and his mate this past weekend. I had spotted a bunch of wild turkeys and was trying to find a place to park to take pictures when suddenly the turkeys took off. Then, I see why. The pair of coyotes had snuck up on them and pounced.
Their hunt wasn’t successful although one did knock a bunch of feathers off of one bird. The pair then split and sought out other targets and I in turn gave pursuit. I thought I had lost them when the male appeared and crossed the path right in front of me.
Great Horned Owl launches
Getting flight pictures of owls is extremely difficult. First you have the problem of just finding them as they are notoriously adept at the hide and seek game. Then, even when you do find them, if they take off they have a knack for going the exact opposite direction you want with no warning. Even when they do launch toward you, getting a good focus on them with so much clutter is challenging to say the least.
On this morning I was lucky on all counts as I found this pretty lady, she took off right toward me and I was able to stay focused on it.
Taken in Adams County, Colorado.
Pelicans perform a flyby
Pelicans perform a flyby. While the female Bald Eagle stands guard next to her eaglet, a couple of American White Pelicans circled overhead.
Fresh snow on the Colorado Front Range
Fresh snow on the Colorado Front Range. Our weather here can go from one extreme to the next. One week ago my photo excursion started quite chilly in the wake of a late spring snowfall. The white stuff blanketed the nearby Rocky Mountains and left smaller amounts down here at lower elevations. Here you see the Great Plains in the foreground and Mount Meeker and Longs Peak towering in the background. Today, one week later, we will see high temperatures reach well into the 80s and push toward record-setting territory.
On approach
This lady is absolutely gorgeous and by all appearances a great mom. From my local nest, this is the female Bald Eagle as she returns from a quick flight stretching those massive wings. It is interesting to watch and observe the differences between the two parents. She is quite laid back, not paying much attention to anything other than her eaglet. He, one the other hand, is constantly chattering anytime a perceived threat comes nearby, keeps his distance from the nest most of the time, and just seems kind of uptight.
My how big you have gotten!
I finally got my first good look at the eaglet at my local Bald Eagle nest. “Junior” seems to be doing quite well and already is quite big. He / she stuck its head up a few times and even did some flapping of its wings. As you can tell though, while there are some feathers, it is still very much covered in down.
Judging by when I first saw mama sitting on the nest back in February, then allowing 35 days for incubation, I am guessing the little one is now about 6 weeks old. In another couple of weeks, it will start doing a lot more flapping, perhaps even lift itself into the air a bit. First flight usually occurs between 10 and 13 weeks at which time it will also be pretty much fully grown.
Swainson’s Hawk in flight
A gorgeous raptor and some power blue Colorado skies make for a very nice morning! These summertime visitors from far south are starting to make their homes on the Great Plains and are quite active right now. I saw multiple pairs this past weekend within a few miles of each other. Here, one of them was kind enough to oblige me with a very nice flyby.
Black-footed Ferret pops tall to check things out
I reckon if you had a half dozen giddy photographers gathered around you furiously clicking their shutters, you probably would wonder what the heck was going on too.
This endangered little one has absolutely no idea how special he (or she) is. However, those of us that were privileged enough to spend a couple of hours with it will never forget the experience.
Once thought extinct, reintroduction efforts have seen some of these cute ones released into the wild and so far, the program has been quite successful. There are however only a few hundred in the wild so getting to see one is a rare and special event.
Turkey Vulture performs flyover
This is one bird that I hadn’t had much luck finding and getting pictures of this spring yet. Lucky for me, one found me this past weekend and not only flew over but then circled a few times above. I’m not entirely sure what it was looking at but something on the ground seemed to have its attention as it seemed to contemplate coming in for a landing.
These buzzards may be ugly but I think they are cool as heck. You will often see them soaring high in the sky in large groups – appropriately called a ‘wake’ – looking for their next meal. They feed on carrion they find lying around dead like rabbits, prairie dogs and such and are believed to be able to smell the dead animals up to a mile away. Their role of garbage man helps to prevent the spread of disease from carcasses.