I normally don’t like ‘from behind’ flight shots but with as rare as it is to get pictures of owls in fight, I will take it. This owl was perched in a tree about 100 yards from its usual spot and decided it was time to return home. Obstructions were in the way initially, preventing a clear shot, but as it got a bit past me, I managed a few captures of the flyby. Fun to see and you do get a complete look at its plumage that allows it to hide so well in wooded areas.
Ferruginous hawk is all eyes as it comes in for a landing
Focus! It is Monday and you must remain focused! 😉
These hawks are some of my favorites and given the rarity of the dark morph variety, getting a capture of one is a highlight – particularly a flight shot. To see a dark morph ferruginous perched, that bright yellow mouth gape stands out, more so on a normal plumage ferruginous. But, to see them fly, you then get to really take in the best part – those gorgeous white feathers on its underside. You would never know they were there otherwise and they really pop next to its predominantly dark plumage.
Bison and tree alone on the plains with the Rocky Mountains towering behind
From two weeks ago today in the wake of a light snowfall that had fallen the night before. It was a cold and clear morning and a perfect one to spend at my favorite wildlife refuge. The big boy had yet to rise for the morning judging by the snow on his coat, instead opting to just lay under a bare tree. Off in the distance, a snow-covered mountain dominated the horizon. The sun was just starting to illuminate the landscape and all of the elements made for a pretty scene.
A pretty pair of pronghorn does
Yesterday I had to head to Cheyenne for work and as always, I was hoping to get a chance to photograph some of these speed demons on the drive back. Initially the ones I were seeing were too far for quality captures and I was losing hope. Finally, I came across a bachelorette herd of eight giving me the opportunity I wanted.
There were no bucks with them which was kind of annoying, but I was happy nevertheless. For a time, this pair stood apart from the others and as you can tell, they were well aware of my presence.
Of course, with eyesight equivalent to 10X binoculars and a 300-degree field of view, there isn’t usually much chance of you sneaking up on them. The ladies were curious initially but soon decided to run off as they are known to do.
Regal bald eagle shows off
Oh yeah, this guy was all that and a bag of chips to say the least! 😀
This is the male at my favorite bald eagle nest, puffing his chest out and letting us know he is large and in charge. He normally isn’t one to make himself so readily available for portrait work, preferring to play the tough guardian and keeping his distance. Sunday, much to my surprise, he opted to hang out right over the trail, surveying his domain and looking down on those pesky humans as they went by.
This will be the seventh year of me watching this nest and I can’t begin to describe how much enjoyment I have gotten out of it. To have witnessed the triumphs and tragedies over that time is something I treasure.
Prairie falcon returns to its perch
This little guy / gal was having a nice, quiet morning, just sitting and enjoying the sun and watching folks drive by. That is, until a hawk decided it wanted to play. I was watching the falcon when, out of nowhere, a ferruginous hawk flew in and knowing it was outmatched and outsized, the falcon departed. While I missed getting pics of that bit of action, thankfully for me, the falcon simply went for a quick tour and came right back, giving me a nice sequence of light shots including this one.
Downy woodpecker pecking wood
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.