Wildlife, landscape and weather photography
One from a previously unpublished encounter for #MooseMonday harkening back to September 2018.
Up in the high country for a weekend of camping, this handsome fellow was grazing along on the willows. He was large and in charge for sure – check out those paddles!
The sun had just set and light was at a premium but I had my then-new Tamron Lenses USA SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD G2 lens and it handled the conditions really well.
For our state bird, lark buntings really aren’t all that common anymore. Yesterday I happened across a few males hanging out as they foraged along the ground. Kind of neat looking birds with that black and the bit of white.
I have only seen them a few times although they are found in the summers in the state’s lower elevations. Someone pointed out to me yesterday when I remarked how they aren’t seen often that it wasn’t always that way.
Their populations have declined nearly 90% in the past 40 years. It is theorized that loss of habitat in their summer ranges like here in Colorado and in their winter residences in desert grasslands are the reason.
Well, this was a first for me.
Great horned owls don’t build their own nests. Instead, they usually take over another raptor’s pre-existing nest or choose a cavity in a tree. This owl opted to take over a much smaller bird’s nest, that of a magpie.
As you can see, while the nest is tall, it isn’t very far across and so the owl doesn’t have much room in there. Once it has little ones that start growing, it will be pushed out.
For the time being though it is extraordinarily well hidden in there. I would have never known it was there if a friend hadn’t tipped me off to it.
Kind of a fun capture from a couple weeks ago, even if the perch is kinda yucky. I had spent some time watching this pair in a tree along the South Platte River when they moved to a high tension power pole. That location really limited the photo ops so I only grabbed a few of them there, this being one of them. Hope you have a fantastic #FreedomFriday and #TGIF!
A fun bit of action for #TurkeyThursday.
Last weekend I happened across our local rafter of turkeys and stopped to grab some pics as the toms were really putting on a nice show. While I got some good pics of them fluffed up and strutting, it was more fun watching them chase each other away from the ladies.
It was a cool little bit of action and I was kind of surprised at how fast they can move when they want. Women do have that effect sometimes.
A pair of burrowing owls showing their affection and playing kissy face.
Okay, I admit, they could have just been cleaning bugs off of each other’s faces. I am a romantic at heart though so I will go with the more appealing reason for this display. 😉
I always say that burrowing owls are arguably one of the most entertaining forms of wildlife you could hope to see. They are rarely motionless and their activities just bring a smile to your face.
Here, the male (left), flew in and instantly started this routine. She definitely appeared to be appreciative and enjoyed it.
Another seasonal visitor to the Colorado plains and one of the prettiest. These guys are usually pretty skittish but sometimes you find a patient one, or in this case, have one fly right by you.
This one was cruising up the South Platte River a week or so ago, giving me a nice view in the early morning light.
The wispy plume of feathers snowy egrets get during mating season were, at one time, very valuable. In the late 19th century the feathers fetched more money per ounce than gold! Thankfully, humans wised up and reversed the trend of destroying these creatures simply for decoration and they have recovered nicely.
One of the things I was most looking forward to photographing this past weekend were the four new baby #bison. While I did get that chance, the mamas were keen on keeping their distance so I never got a close look at them. Nevertheless, seeing the new red dogs was fun and I hope to get a closer look here soon.
Yesterday my son and I headed out to the Pawnee National Grasslands for some recreation and relaxation. I didn’t take many pics as it was mainly just about spending time together but there were a couple scenes I had to capture, this being one of them.
At this point, Longs Peak, the most prominent mountain in the picture, was 65 miles away but no less impressive than if far closer. The scene was gorgeous with those snow-capped Rocky Mountains and the sprawling plains in front of them. The pronghorn buck seemed to appreciate the seen as much as I as he looked toward those beautiful peaks.
Taken from a long ways away so not the greatest of pics but lots of fun to see. These cottontails were engaged in a bit of play yesterday, taking turns jumping while the other ran beneath it. At the time I wasn’t sure what it meant but it was kind of neat. Today I looked it up and apparently this is a courting ritual. Go figure!
