This Red-tailed Hawk did not appreciate the two Magpies that were trying to steal its Prairie Dog meal. Certainly not a great picture as this happened way out in a field and I had to crop it considerably. Nevertheless, the interaction was fun to watch and the picture is a fun one. The hawk spread its wings and hovered over its meal alternating between taking bites and casting the evil eye toward the unwanted guests.
Barn Owl poses for its portrait
Sometimes photographers don’t have to work too hard to make their subjects look nice. Such was the case with this handsome fellow. Barn Owls are rarely seen out in the open so when I was given the opportunity to spend some time with one, I seized on it.
Cupid is two years old and was captive bred for educational programs. I was able to capture images from just about every angle and of every pose imaginable. For this shot, the owl itself coupled with the texture of the wood and those always beautiful, blue Colorado skies really made for a nice capture.
These medium-sized owls can be found across most of the globe, including the contiguous United States. They typically remain out of sight roosting in tree cavities, dense stands of trees and of course barns and other buildings.
Prairie Falcon puffs up on a chilly morning
With temperatures only in the teens, the weather early Saturday morning was not overly pleasant. My heart was quickly warmed though by spotting this awesome little raptor, only the second Prairie Falcon I have seen thus far this season and the first one to let me get a half-way decent picture of it. Certainly there will be many more opportunities in the coming months as they stake their claim to their winter grounds on the Colorado plains.
These cool raptors can be found flying low to the ground searching for prey. They are extraordinarily maneuverable and very difficult to catch pics of in-flight although I have on occasion had some good luck. Prairie Falcons are not particular about their diet and will feed on smaller birds including larks, swallows and doves and will also feed on rodents including squirrels.
Clouds allow a close look at the sun as it rises
Kind of a cool scene that unfolded yesterday morning in Adams County, Colorado. Low clouds were on the horizon as the sunrise began but they were not very thick allowing you to look right at it and the sun almost looked like a full moon.
Big eyes focus on the camera
I came across this Mountain Goat billy near the top of Logan Pass in Glacier National Park, Montana this past summer. He was working his way along, licking rocks to get the minerals from them. As he did, I happily snapped a number of pictures when he finally seemed to notice me and stared right at the camera. After ascertaining I was no threat, he happily went back to ignoring me.
Mountain Goats have a native range stretching from southern Alaska to the Rocky Mountains. The populations here in Colorado where I live are actually non-native, having been brought here in the middle of the 20th century as a tourist attraction.
Where are you going, idiot?
“Where are you going, idiot?” That is what I tend to think this gorgeous Bald Eagle was saying to me as I walked away from it a couple weeks ago. Why? Because I learned that the next time there is a time change, change the time on ALL of your watches, not just the one or two you happen to wear most of the time. Otherwise, you end up thinking it is an hour later than what it really is and cut short a fantastic photo session with an extraordinarily cooperative Bald Eagle. 🙁 #DumbPhotographer
Eagle makes a picture perfect landing
It’s Freedom Friday and today I feature an image from last week. The male of this pair of Bald Eagles decided to go for a quick flight tour around the lake. As it returned, I captured a sequence of images of it approaching and landing with this one being the best of the bunch. The morning light really did a fantastic job of illuminating those massive wings.
Buck looking for love (or lust). Doe says, “No way!”
The deer rut is all but over however some bucks keep trying to win the affections of the does. A Mule Deer doe was working her way across a field with a buck casually following along. Not keen on the attention, the doe took off running and the buck gave hot pursuit. I never could get both running in the same frame due to their distance from each other but I at least got a couple of nice sequences of them individually.
Knock, knock
Knock, knock. “Anyone home? I just wanted to say hello. Honestly!” 😉
My wife and I sat and watched this Coyote as it alternated between sitting and almost falling asleep to prowling the rodents’ colony and back to resting.
Unfortunately, as you can tell, the Coyote does look a bit rough and is likely suffering from mange. Many of them at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal have gone through this, although the last couple of years it seemed to be much worse than what this one was showing. Hopefully the disease is nearing the end of its run and the local Coyote populations can become healthier.
Video: Bald Eagle chows down on a fish for breakfast
I don’t normally shoot video but this pretty lady was quite content to eat her entire meal right in front of me so I took advantage of the opportunity. Here in Colorado you are almost more likely to find Bald Eagles eating prairie dogs so getting to watch one dine on fish was kind of fun.