A fun, chance encounter with this cute red head this past weekend so let’s call it #WoodpeckerWednesday. As my friend and I were walking into an area open space, we heard the noise of a woodpecker at work and sure enough, this one was right nearby, going to work looking for a meal. You can even see debris flying in a few of the pictures as it went head-to-head with the tree branches. Kind of a fun encounter and proof that I do sometimes take pictures of ‘little birds.’
There’s a new mama in the house!
A long shot, heavily cropped and not the greatest quality but one that made me happier than most that I have taken. I have been watching this nest for several years and in November of 2022, tragedy struck when the female died from the bird flu. I was the one to find her and it was a devastating discovery.
Since then, it appeared a new female was sometimes around but there was no nesting last year and recent visits showed no activity. I was resigned that the nest was a failure. Sunday morning a friend and I hiked in at sunrise for a look and it appeared I was right, no activity to be seen.
We waited a bit and started to hike out. We got about a quarter mile away and I turned for a final look and lo and behold, a white head! We just couldn’t see her from our initial angle! This was the first view of her from a long ways away.
While I ended up with far better pics of her and her mate when he returned, this will be my favorite from the day. With incubation apparently underway, it will be about 35 days until hatching. Then, months of growth before the little ones take flight. A lot can go wrong in that time but for now, I am renewed with hope.
The moody blue road
Portrait oriented image so click for full, best view. Taken a couple weekends ago when thick fog had descended on the Colorado Front Range. At times, visibility was down to 10 yards making it pretty much impossible to get quality pics of critters. As such, I switched to landscape mode and tried to capture the moody, eerie scenes. This particular spot at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge is a fun one to photograph in almost any season. The trees that line and overhang the road provide for a cool scene.
Dark morph ferruginous hawk ‘wears the weather’ in the early morning
Can you tell it snowed? 😉
Taken yesterday morning, this cool raptor was hanging out on a fence. I assume it had been there all night long and just hadn’t shaken off the snow that had fallen. As you can see, it didn’t seem too thrilled with Mother Nature’s gift of snow and the 5-degree temperature.
Ferruginous hawks are quite common on the plains in the winter. The dark morph variety, however, are a good bit rarer and it is always a treat to see one. This particular hawk has spent all winter hanging out in the same area but usually in spots that prevent decent captures. Yesterday it was more obliging.
“You think sitting in this snow is fun?”
Yeah, this guy didn’t look too happy although I am not sure if it was the weather that made him mad or the photographer that was taking his picture.
This handsome fellow and his bride have made their home in a spot at a pretty popular area. The nest they use seems to alternate between the red-tailed hawks that built it and these owls. She has been sitting on the nest for more than a week and he, of course, is lingering nearby, tending to his bride’s needs.
Unlike in previous years, he has made himself available for pictures a few times lately including this time last Saturday during a snowfall. He initially was well-hidden to the right, outside the frame, but opted to walk up the branch drawing my attention and allowing me to see him.
Big bald eagle up close across a beautiful blue sky
Thanks to Mother Nature, a lot of the pics I have shared lately have been a bit ‘gray’ so here is one that is a whole lot brighter.
Taken on New Years Day when my outing had been less than stellar – up until this point. I had taken virtually no pics all morning when I happened across a gorgeous pair of eagles hanging out. I blew the female’s launch but the male, he was much more obliging, giving me a great sequence of pics, including this one when he was quite close – as you can tell.
Yup, I’ll take all of these shots I can get!
White-tail deer bucks spar in the snow
The rut is over but, well, boys will be boys, and they want to play and show off for the ladies no matter the season. With light snow falling this past Saturday morning, the critters were quite active, making for some fun scenes. These two fellows were a good ways back in a stand of trees but as they pushed and shoved each other, I could get a clear shot here and there. Since I hadn’t really captured much action during the rut, it was nice to get some after the fact.
American kestrel stretches out his little legs
I have to admit this image just cracks me up every time I look at it. I mean, who knew these ferocious little raptors had such cute little legs? I’ve taken thousands of pictures of them but sure have never seen anything like this.
At the end of my photo drive Sunday, I had gone for a walk at a local open space. As I was walking back to my truck, I spotted this handsome fellow along the pond. He was initially quite skittish but didn’t fly far, landing on a bush. I worked my way to get closer and while he still kept his distance making for a long shot, when he launched, this was one of the sequence of pictures I got.
So cute and funny and definitely unique.
Bison bull weathers the storm alone
One of the big boys at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge for #TatankaTuesday. For the second weekend in a row, the Colorado Front Range saw a snowstorm hit. The conditions Saturday were not great for humans but they were great for humans to photograph wildlife. This handsome fellow was a highlight. Seeing him approaching from a good ways away, I sat and waited for him to draw closer. There was a stark loneliness about him and the wintry scene as he braved the weather conditions solo, the rest of the herd nowhere in sight.
A little falcon in the snow for Merlin Monday
One of the wintertime raptors that I have been unable to find this year, up until Saturday. Driving along, I spotted it sitting on a roadside marker so I quickly turned around. It was not one to pose so I only got a couple quick snaps before it flew off. I returned to the area an hour later and found it again, this time in the road on top of a kill (looked to be a small bird). I again got a couple quick pics before it went way out in a field to enjoy its meal. None of the captures I got were particularly good but at least I finally got few of a merlin this season. Hopefully I can get some better pics of one soon.