Wildlife, landscape and weather photography
Taken at sunrise on New Year’s Eve. The bison herd at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge was to the east with the rising sun behind them. Normally that doesn’t make for good pictures but on this morning, it worked out perfectly.
The cold weather allowed the bison’s steamy breath to be quite visible as their dark frames and the trees were silhouetted against the orange sunrise. Just a really cool scene and I am liking this capture quite a bit.
One last “top shots” video recapping my 2020 photo year. Today, I look back at some of the mammals that I photographed. From the tiny American pika to the massive moose, I was fortunate to spend time with some pretty amazing creatures. Two new animals that I had never photographed were highlights including a suburban bobcat family and the wild #horses of Sand Wash Basin. All images taken here in Colorado.
Just a typically gorgeous morning on the Colorado plains and a look to the west at Denver and the Rocky Mountains.
The sun had just popped over the horizon and the trees were casting spots of shadows. In the distance and to the left, the Mile High City (elevation 5,280 feet), known at one time as the Queen City of the Plains. Beyond, the snow-capped foothills and mountains, most notably to the right, the indominable Mount Evans (elevation 14,265 feet).
Oh, and of course some bison grazing the plains making this a fine picture for Tatanka Tuesday!
“Oh give me a home, where the buffalo roam…” Wish granted! 😉
Taken last weekend, this handsome fellow was walking along the prairie, grazing intermittently. Behind him, the snow-capped Rockies were standing tall and looking typically beautiful.
While they are part of the same family that includes the European and African buffalo, the bison is its own, distinct species. It is believed they were called buffalo by early North American explorers due to their resemblance to the Old-World species. Native Americans call them Tatanka, a Lakota word that translated means “bull buffalo.”
In May 2016 the Bison became the official mammal of the United States, a fitting and long overdue honor. Taken at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge near Denver, Colorado.
Quite a change in weather here on the Colorado Front Range. We are finally receiving some much-needed precipitation in the form of snow. Throw in temperatures only in the teens and it almost seems more like January than the end of October.
While I personally don’t really care for the cold, these big guys are built to withstand it and it doesn’t phase them one bit.
For photography, the snow does present a challenge as focusing is tough and even if you focus correctly, the snow obscures the subject. I spent some time with these bulls this morning and played around with slow shutter speeds to blur the snow. A high contrast conversion to black and white seemed to make for a pretty cool shot.
One for Tatanka Tuesday. No color manipulation at all for this image of these massive creatures taken this past weekend. They were heading off toward the rising sun and the hazy, orange sky from the wildfires coupled with the dust they were kicking up created kind of a cool scene.
As I mentioned in a recent post, I haven’t had much luck getting pics of spring babies. Thankfully I appear to be putting that behind me, in part due to this cute one.
This bison calf was moving along with the herd as they relocated from one area to one more public. It wanted to be a bit shy, staying behind mom while watching me watching it.
Native Americans call bison Tatanka, a Lakota word that translated means “bull buffalo.” In May 2016 the bison became the official mammal of the United States, a fitting and long overdue honor.
My recent visits to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge near Denver, Colorado have not been particularly fruitful when it comes to photographing the bison.
They currently have the herd cordoned off on the western half of the refuge which severely limits the photo opportunities as most of the area is inaccessible.
On a recent morning though, one of the big bulls had made himself available for pictures. He was quite close so I opted for a tight crop and a conversion to black and white.
A bit of Old West meets the new west as a bison strolls along the plains with the Mile High City and the Rocky Mountains in the background.
I’ve taken hundreds of pictures of the bison in front of Denver like this but every time I just get excited. Such a cool scene and one that helps me to remember why I love living in the Centennial State.
One of the things I was most looking forward to photographing this past weekend were the four new baby #bison. While I did get that chance, the mamas were keen on keeping their distance so I never got a close look at them. Nevertheless, seeing the new red dogs was fun and I hope to get a closer look here soon.
