Beautiful early morning lighting and golden grasses made for a pleasing scene a couple weeks ago when I took this image of a young deer buck.
Are you looking at my butt?
“Are you looking at my butt?” Well, I guess I was but only because this little guy wouldn’t give me a better view. 😉 Male American Kestrel in Adams County, Colorado yesterday.
Juvenile Bald Eagle takes flight
A bit of an extreme close up as this eagle took off from a pole yesterday. I certainly did not plan on capturing this image like this but the eagle caught me off guard.
It was perched on a pole and was perfectly content to let me get close so I was zoomed in to my lens’ max trying to get a nice, detailed head shot. Apparently the eagle decided it was time to go and suddenly launched itself into the air. This image is just as it started to spread its wings to take off and was the only one in the sequence that came out. A bit of an unusual angle and look but I am loving the detail.
You can view some more pics from yesterday of this eagle as well as a hawk and kestrel I found here.
Handsome Red Tailed Hawk enjoys the afternoon sun
Red Tails, in my experience, are pretty skittish and don’t usually let you get close. This particular one however didn’t seem to mind me at all. It seemed quite interested in the prairie dog colony next door so was probably more focused on dinner than me. 😉
View more pics from today’s photo trip below the main image.
Regal young eagle
This juvenile bald eagle was ready for a close up and more than willing to let me approach as he sat perched on a pole northeast of Denver, Colorado. It and a few other young ones have taken up residency lately in the same area.
This one is between two and three years old. It won’t be for another two or three years that it really starts to look like a bald eagle with the distinctive white head. Even at this young age, these are magnificent looking birds.
View more pictures of this eagle and some other raptors from this day’s photo excursion below.
That sun is bright!
For a night owl accustomed to the dark, the early morning sun can perhaps be a bit bright. Certainly that would appear to be the case for this Great Horned Owl as it closes the eye closest to the sun while keeping the other trained on the photographer.
Uneasy roost mates
Eagles and hawks are genetically similar but it isn’t too often you see them right next to each other. This past weekend, while taking pictures of a Bald Eagle perched on a power pole in Adams County, Colorado, the eagle was surprisingly joined on its roost by a young Red Tailed Hawk.
I was zoomed in on the eagle and noticed he was focused in on something to his right – he had a look on his face like, “What the heck?” Pulling my eye away from the viewfinder I discover a hawk had joined the eagle on the opposite side of the pole!
The young hawk didn’t seem to think anything of it but the eagle clearly did not appreciate his new roost mate. They sat together for a few minutes before the hawk headed off to hunt a nearby prairie dog colony. It was very cool to see and somewhat amusing.
Scroll below to see more images of the event.
Perched Prairie Falcon on the Plains
A late afternoon drive turned out to be well worth the time as I came across this magnificent raptor. This Prairie Falcon was initially watching over a busy road but then moved to a less hectic area and allowed me to get quite close.
Like many falcons, these raptors can be quite vicious and dine primarily on other birds including larks, doves and swallows. If you look closely, it would appear this one recently ate judging by the red on its beak.
View more images of the encounter with this falcon below.
Hawk eye stare down
This Ferruginous Hawk seemed a bit perturbed that I was disturbing its morning hunt. Taken near Denver International Airport this past weekend, this raptor was hanging out on a pole keeping close watch on a field for its breakfast.
These large hawks are found across the western half of the United States. They are most easily distinguished by the “smile” and legs and feet that are feathered all the way to the talons. You can learn more about this cool hawk here.
View more pictures from this day’s excursion below.
Sunrise moonset
Yesterday was an absolutely gorgeous morning here on the Colorado Front Range with reasonably mild temperatures, mostly clear skies and a golden sunrise. Looking away from the rising sun, layers of clouds, a setting full moon and an amber landscape filled the eyes. It was gorgeous!