In between snowstorms yesterday, there was some blue sky briefly. During the break in the clouds, I came across Charlie, a very sociable young eagle that some fellow photographers and I have named. Above him, the waning gibbous moon shone brightly. Kind of neat. One of my goals has been to get a picture of an eagle with the moon perfectly behind it – at least got kind of close with this one. 😉
Bison graze on the snow-covered plains
They say we here in Colorado are going to get a big hit of snow today. This follows a light snowfall yesterday that painted the landscape in white. I made a quick tour through the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge soon after dawn Sunday. The Bison herd was a bit scattered and none were particularly close. However I did like these compositions of some of them hanging out on a hill as blue sky tries desperately to try to peek out.
Stretch and launch!
This raptor was hanging out on the mast of a sailboat at Union Reservoir in Longmont, Colorado yesterday. I managed a nice series of it sitting and then launching and taking flight. This one I like the best – kind of a unique pose. Red Tails are the most common hawks here in Colorado along the Front Range, so much so that I oftentimes just bypass them without even attempting to take a picture.
Perhaps the last thing you will see?
Okay, kind of morbid but… I snapped this image by accident back in September and forgot that I wanted to share it. I was observing a bunch of vultures that had congregated and were circling around. As I tracked one with my camera, I wasn’t paying attention to realize it was leading me right into the sun. When I look at the image I imagine me laying on some dry, desert floor with no water and seeing the buzzards circling. Weird I know but it kind of cracks me up.
Bison makes use of a tree as a scratching post
Spend any time watching these massive beasts and you discover they really like to scratch themselves on things. In this case, a tree serves the purpose but I’ve seen them use fence posts, road markers and just about any other vertical object they wander by.
These massive animals were hunted to the brink of extinction in the 1700s and 1800s with as few as 750 reported by 1890. Their numbers have since rebounded with about 500,000 now living on public and private lands. This one was part of the herd at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge.
Bald Eagle takes flight for Freedom Friday
Showcasing its massive six foot wide wingspan, a Bald Eagle launches from a pole into the clear blue Colorado skies. These massive raptors are impressive when sitting still but it is when they take to the air that you gain a full appreciation for their size.
This eagle was happily perched northeast of Denver a few weeks ago when something in the distance caught its eye. It stared intently, monitoring whatever it was very closely then launched into the air, seemingly in pursuit of whatever it was. The determined look on its face and the focused stare sure made it seem like it was after something.
I never did see had its interest but then with vision four times better than a human with perfect vision, it certainly was capable of seeing far beyond my view.
Flight of freedom in memory of Challenger and her crew
It is hard to believe it has been 30 years since that fateful day. I was in high school then and will always remember my brother saying on our way home, ‘the space shuttle blew up’, and then our family sitting and watching the news that afternoon and evening.
Seven of America’s best and brightest men and women died that day in what was truly a national tragedy. That night, President Ronald Reagan addressed the nation and in closing paraphrased a poem by American aviator John Gillespie Magee, Jr. The words of ‘High Flight’ were most fitting that day:
“Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air….Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace.
Where never lark, or even eagle flew —
And, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
– Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.”
Golden Eagle takes a head on flight path
Sometimes you just have to trust your instincts. The day after Christmas I was out northeast of Denver looking for subjects. I spot this dark-colored raptor high on a utility pole and after glancing at it I say to myself, “Kind of looks like a Golden Eagle but it’s just a juvenile Bald Eagle.”
Given the poor lighting and distance I quickly move on. Later on I run into my friend, Bill, and we talk about the sighting, both agreeing it was a young Bald Eagle. A while later he calls me, “Tony, I think you need to come look at this eagle again. It may be a golden.”
Very skeptically I drive to the spot and through my lens I take a closer look. The eagle, which had insisted on facing straight forward before, turns its head. A golden mane!
Bill and I excitedly start snapping pictures as Golden Eagles are a rarity on the Colorado plains – this was in fact only the third I had seen in my life at that time.
After a while the golden decided it was time to move on and launched – straight at us! Sadly the lighting was horrible making for dull, colorless photos but the experience was grade A.
As luck would have it, the very next day Bill and I found what was likely the same bird under much better weather conditions – images which I shared last month. But, this day’s encounter served as a lesson learned – Be darn sure what you are looking at is what you think it is before you dismiss it. It could have very well been my only opportunity to get images of this gorgeous raptor.
Scroll down to view the complete gallery of our encounter with this beautiful raptor.
Wapiti Wednesday: Young bull Elk contemplates a challenge
Entering full maturity and with hormones raging, this junior bull tries to decide if he dare challenge one of the area elders for a harem. Watching the interaction between the two was a lot of fun.
The senior bull had gathered 10 cows and was jealously guarding them against the interloper, bugling and huffing having worked himself up into a frenzy. While the young one looks somewhat impressive, he was nothing compared to the older bull and after a while, seemed to recognize an outright challenge would not be wise.
Instead, he lurked in a nearby stand of trees, waiting for one of the cows to wander and hoping he could siphon her off without a straight-on challenge of the big boy. That never did happen while I was watching as the massive old bull was far too wise.
Taken in the Moraine Park area of Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, September 20, 2015.
Head on with a Prairie Falcon
Sometimes getting pictures is a good measure of luck. This past Saturday my son and I would out looking for photo subjects when out of nowhere this falcon came flying straight at my truck. I slammed on the brakes (safely – it was a rural dirt road), threw open my truck door and started snapping away. Managed a nice series of images of it, these are some of the best.
This was my first day out shooting with my new Canon 7D Mark II and thus far have been quite impressed with it. It shoots at 10 frames per second which is just insane and perfect for birds in flight. Of course if you aren’t focused or have your exposure sent wrong, you do just get 10 frames per second of junk. 😉  I’m really looking forward to playing with the camera some more. Not so much looking forward to the 548 page manual though.
Taken in Adams County, Colorado.