Tony's Takes Photography

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Head on with your Thanksgiving meal

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A Turkey tom faces head on while walking in Eastlake, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
A Turkey tom faces head on while walking in Eastlake, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

It is a good thing Turkeys taste good because they sure aren’t much to look at, eh? 😀

This handsome fellow is one of a rafter of wild turkeys that hangs out not far from my home, right in the heart of suburbia. Last April I happened across them as light snow fell and was able to get a bunch of cool captures of them, including this one as one of the toms marched straight at me. Yes, they are ugly, but they are fun to watch.

From my family to yours, I wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving and blessed holiday season to come!

Do you think it is fun sitting in this ice?

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A Ferruginous Hawk sits in ice-covered grasses. (© Tony’s Takes)
A Ferruginous Hawk sits in ice-covered grasses. (© Tony’s Takes)

A fun shot of a Ferruginous Hawk from this past weekend. The previous day had brought freezing drizzle and overnight temps in the teens kept things quite frozen into the next morning. The grasses were coated with ice but that didn’t stop this raptor from staking out a Prairie Dog colony and waiting for a chance to pounce.

With temperatures getting colder, I am seeing many more of these cool dudes and that makes me happy. They have beautiful plumage and the ‘joker smile’ of theirs is awesome.

Coyote hunts through the grass for a meal

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A Coyote keeps an eye out for a possible meal on the plains of Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
A Coyote keeps an eye out for a possible meal on the plains of Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

This little lady was absolutely gorgeous with a perfect coat that matched the fall grasses of the Great Plains. Unfortunately, many of the coyotes in the area where this one lives suffer from mange but thankfully, she has been spared. On this morning last month, she was quite unaffected by myself and my friends that were happily snapping pictures of her. She ignored us, going about looking for breakfast and occasionally chasing a rabbit or prairie dog.

A Coyote keeps an eye out for a possible meal on the plains of Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
A Coyote keeps an eye out for a possible meal on the plains of Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

Backyard squirrel hopes for leftovers

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A squirrel hangs out in suburbia hoping to catch a treat falling from a bird feeder. (© Tony’s Takes)
A squirrel hangs out in suburbia hoping to catch a treat falling from a bird feeder. (© Tony’s Takes)

These little guys can’t get to my bird feeders but that doesn’t stop them from looking for a meal. They oftentimes are hanging out on the ground under the feeder, hoping to catch the sunflower seeds and peanuts that the birds drop. This guy was pretty clever in that he would go to the adjacent tree and watch. When something fell to the ground, he would run down, grab it, then scurry back up the tree to watch for more.

A squirrel hangs out in suburbia hoping to catch a treat falling from a bird feeder. (© Tony’s Takes)
A squirrel hangs out in suburbia hoping to catch a treat falling from a bird feeder. (© Tony’s Takes)

Young Gray Ghost performs a flyby

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A young male Northern Harrier performs a flyby in Adams County, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
A young male Northern Harrier performs a flyby in Adams County, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

Young Gray Ghost performs a flyby. Driving along the rural roads of Adams County, Colorado, I spotted this gorgeous raptor hunting right along the road. I quickly staged myself in front of the young male Northern Harrier and in return it gave me a couple of nice flybys.

You’ll find these hawks across much of North America, Europe and Asia depending on the season. Typically they fly very fast and low to the ground using their keen eyesight and hearing to spot and listen for their prey.

A young male Northern Harrier performs a flyby in Adams County, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
A young male Northern Harrier performs a flyby in Adams County, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
A young male Northern Harrier performs a flyby in Adams County, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
A young male Northern Harrier performs a flyby in Adams County, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

Video slideshow: Mule Deer buck chases his lady

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Well, this was a fun scene to come across. I see this nice looking buck and doe and stop to snap their pictures.

The doe used that as an opportunity to get away from the buck and he did not appreciate it one bit. He took off running at a full sprint, leaping a bush in a rather athletic maneuver to catch up to her. She tried to escape but he caught up, cutting her off and circling her back.

Both were running at full speed, back and forth, as she was trying to make him understand she wasn’t interested in his affections. With his hormones raging though, he was not to be deterred and she did finally give up and stop running.

I shot 20 images or so of the event and figure putting them in a video works best to show the action.

Beavers work hard on their winter prep

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A beaver swims in the South Platte River with a stick to add to its lodge. (© Tony’s Takes)
A beaver swims in the South Platte River with a stick to add to its lodge. (© Tony’s Takes)

While quite common, Beavers are a form of wildlife not often seen. They prefer to stay out of sight and are shy around people. On this morning last week though, three of them were quite busy along the South Platte River southwest of Denver, Colorado. They continually made trips from their lodges to the sides of the river where they grabbed sticks and hauled them back home. It was well shaded and I didn’t have quite enough lens to get good close-ups but it was fun to see them, something I have only done a few times.

A beaver gathers building material along the South Platte River. (© Tony’s Takes)
A beaver gathers building material along the South Platte River. (© Tony’s Takes)
A beaver gathers building material along the South Platte River. (© Tony’s Takes)
A beaver gathers building material along the South Platte River. (© Tony’s Takes)

Solitary reflections in black and white

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A bare tree in the fog is reflected on the surface of a pond at St Vrain State Park in Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
A bare tree in the fog is reflected on the surface of a pond at St Vrain State Park in Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

Solitary reflections in black and white. Jumping back to almost exactly one year ago today. Thick fog had settled in on the St Vrain River in northern Colorado and spotting wildlife became pretty much impossible. It did however create some very cool scenes like this one, taken in St. Vrain State Park.

Icy eyebrows on a Great Horned Owl

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A Great Horned Owl with snow and ice on its face during a recent snowstorm in Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
A Great Horned Owl with snow and ice on its face during a recent snowstorm in Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

The weather this past Sunday was not particularly hospitable with temperatures below freezing and steady snow. Most animals had opted to lie low and stay sheltered.

This Great Horned Owl wisely chose to do just that, staying as sheltered as possible in a tree that had a few remaining leaves.There were enough leaves missing through that my friend Bill easily spotted it and let me know about the find.

Needless to say, the owl was in no rush to leave its perch, rightly opting to sit tight in the cold weather. When I got home I realized that the poor thing had ice and snow caked onto its face, an indication of just how inhospitable the conditions were.

A Great Horned Owl with snow and ice on its face during a recent snowstorm in Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
A Great Horned Owl with snow and ice on its face during a recent snowstorm in Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

White-tailed Deer buck weathers the snow

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Temperatures below freezing and snow don’t make it very comfortable to be outside for humans. Creatures such as these are far more capable of withstanding those conditions though.

I spent yesterday morning driving around looking for photo-worthy subjects and found a few, including this handsome guy. The deer actually seemed to be reveling in the cold and were quite active. 

A White-tailed Deer buck weathers a snowstorm on the Colorado plains. (© Tony’s Takes)
A White-tailed Deer buck weathers a snowstorm on the Colorado plains. (© Tony’s Takes)