It is with great sadness that I learned this morning that the female bald eagle at a nest I have watched for the past few years was a casualty of the Denver area’s blizzard last week.

I am working to learn more but it appears she was injured somehow during the storm, found on the ground, and passed away en route to a rehab facility.

I have taken thousands of pictures of this beautiful pair and in fact, an image of them – this one taken in February 2017 – is on the wall in my family room at home. They gave me many hours of enjoyment as I stood watching and marveling at them.

I know that life and death are part of nature and these kinds of things happen. Nevertheless, the tears are flowing this morning at this loss. Her mate is now left alone and the eggs they were taking care of will certainly fail. I am heartbroken.  ;'(

Update 3/19/19, 2:05pm: Colorado Parks and Wildlife has determined it was the male of the nested pair that passed away. Sadly, the outcome for the nest is likely going to be the same. 

Our cold, snowy weather of recent weeks here in the Denver, Colorado area looks to continue into March. Yesterday another storm system was setting its sights on us and while I didn’t care for it, the eagles didn’t mind too much.

This particular one was perched in a tree over the lake at Barr Lake State Park, keeping watch on a patch of open water. After a while, it opted to relocate and I was able to grab some nice pics as it launched and flew right by me.

Well, that little guy wasn’t more than a mouthful for this big raptor. After skillfully snagging the fish from the waters of a local pond, he was able to devour it in a few quick bites. Honestly, seems like the eagle probably burned more calories catching the fish than it gained by eating it. 😉

Fish are of course the bald eagle’s preferred meal but here in Colorado, there isn’t all that much water and during winter, much of it is frozen over. As a result, we are more likely to see them dining on prairie dogs and rabbits. When the water thaws though as it has in recent weeks, that is when the eagles can get back to their usual fare.

Another of the many captures I took last weekend.

This eagle hot spot only lasted a few days but it was absolutely awesome! Our nation’s emblem put on one heck of a show and gave me some incredible memories, including this one. It approached from behind the tree fast and low, popping up and climbing at a high rate of speed before dropping down and grabbing the branch.

As you look at this image, you are likely most drawn to that impressive six+ foot wingspan. Goodness!

Oh my! What a fantastic creature and a pretty darned cool image of one as it banked hard to setup for a landing. This past weekend was an absolute treat as two dozen bald eagles descended on a suburban pond northeast of Denver, Colorado.

It was a rare occurrence but likely occurred due to the thawing of the pond being timed with the fish in it being close to the surface. They were tiny fish, not much more than a snack for this big raptor, but there were enough that eagle activity was insane. It was an absolute treat and one that I will remember for a long time.

Have a fantastic weekend!

As many times as I see raptors do this, I really don’t know how the heck they don’t hurt themselves. Those talons are so sharp and clearly meant for killing and yet bald eagles and others can use them to scratch themselves as casually as we do our fingers.

This particularly bald eagle put on quite a show at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, choosing a very public spot to hang out for the better part of two hours. I have no doubt it was the most photographed eagle in the state of Colorado that day.

I am very happy to see that this pair of bald eagles has been hanging out at the same nest they have occupied for the past three years. This past Saturday I spent a few hours just sitting and watching them.

The action was pretty much non-existent as they were content to just sit and soak up the sun but about mid-morning they did decide to change their roost and took flight. Here, the female departs with the nest seen in the background.

Now is a critical time for raptors as mating season is beginning. They are particularly sensitive to disturbances at this time and for the coming months and I do have some concerns for this site. Some homeless people have setup a camp a mere 10 yards away from the nest tree and that presence may very well cause this nest to fail.

I have tried for the past six months to work with the county to get the people moved but, unfortunately, have only received a lot of runaround. Have a fantastic weekend!

Probably not a view you want if you are a fish or prairie dog. 😉 For me though, I didn’t mind one bit.

Taken yesterday, the early afternoon light was pretty harsh but I think this capture is kind of a fun one. This pair was hanging out along the South Platte River, enjoying a mild winter’s day in Colorado. They finally decided it was time to fly with the female taking the lead and the male launching right behind her.

It is mating season for these majestic creatures and, with any luck, this spring will bring little ones into their lives.

Last Saturday I got me a new toy, a gently used Canon 5D Mark IV. This new camera is my highest resolution one yet, full frame, and has a top-notch autofocus system.

The day after picking it up, I went out to give it a test run and subject matter was lacking as I struggled to find the critters. However, this gorgeous eagle at St. Vrain State Park in northern Colorado gave enough of a show to give me a good feel of the performance of the camera.

Perched near the campgrounds, it launched, turned and flew right at me giving me a fantastic series of shots, including this one. The image is quite heavily cropped and yet still is very sharp. I’m impressed.