Wildlife, landscape and weather photography
Solitude. Something which we are all becoming too familiar with as we do our best to distance ourselves from others. Not ideal but we will make it through this – together but separate. Following a recent #snowstorm, this #coyote was doing some social distancing, hanging out a good ways away from the rest of the pack.
This wily one wasn’t having much luck on its morning hunt. It started out on the ice of a lake thinking it might be able to grab a bald eagle (pics I shared previously). When that didn’t pan out, it came closer to land and dug at something frozen in the ice but it couldn’t dislodge it. The coyote then turned its attention to something out of view and took off at a trot across the ice.
Taken at Cherry Creek State Park, Colorado.
This wily one must have been really hungry. It joined the bald eagles out on the ice at Cherry Creek State Park, Colorado this past weekend and seemed to have a fantasy about catching one of the raptors for a meal.
For 10 minutes it circled and multiple times it tried approaching the eagles. Of course the eagles could see the coyote coming a long ways away and any time it would get near, they would simply fly off to a different patch of ice. After a time, the coyote gave up and returned to land to look for a meal elsewhere.
Kind of cruddy pics as these were taken from a long ways away and are heavily cropped but it was a fun bit of interaction to see.
Driving along this past Sunday this beautiful coyote ran in front of me – and kept running. It stopped briefly in the dew-covered grass giving me a quick look before bounding over the hill and disappearing. From the looks of its coat, it was quite wet from the moisture
The morning after a snowstorm always seems to be a great time for wildlife viewing. The critters seem to revel in the cold and with the snow on the ground, it makes for some neat pictures.
This wily one was one of three coyotes hunting a field, looking for their breakfast. They looked gorgeous with their full winter coats and were far better prepared for the cold than I was. 😉
Taken at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge near Denver, Colorado.
The sun was just cresting the horizon when I saw five of these beautiful creatures walking through a field. Light was at a premium which made for tough shooting but the rising sun really lit up their coats nicely.
I actually had my camera trained on a different subject when I see some motion in the grass.Further investigation found Wile E Coyote on the move, destination unknown. It didn’t linger and didn’t want to give me a clearer view but it was fun to see him.
It is interesting how well Coyotes have adapted to human intrusion on their traditional grounds. Here on the Colorado Front Range, they can routinely be seen anywhere there is open space, even if right next to development. This has,of course, occasionally given rise to conflicts but generally, we exist peacefully with them.
This little lady was absolutely gorgeous with a perfect coat that matched the fall grasses of the Great Plains. Unfortunately, many of the coyotes in the area where this one lives suffer from mange but thankfully, she has been spared. On this morning last month, she was quite unaffected by myself and my friends that were happily snapping pictures of her. She ignored us, going about looking for breakfast and occasionally chasing a rabbit or prairie dog.
Sometimes you just get lucky and that was the case with this awesome wildlife encounter.
Some friends and I were going around the wildlife loop at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge and just not having much luck. One of my friends says she thinks she saw a Coyote running across a hill nearby.
As we start to turn to go investigate, on the opposite side of the vehicle we find this gorgeous young one not 20 yards away. It was on the hunt looking for breakfast and kept its nose to the ground trying to pick up a trail of a potential meal.
For 45 minutes we photographed this pretty lady as she patrolled the fields. Unfortunately for her, she came up empty handed on her hunt but she sure gave us some nice captures.
Someone must have been listening to my thoughts. I was driving through Upper Beaver Meadows in Rocky Mountain National Park this past weekend thinking that of all the times I had been there this season, I had yet to see one coyote. That is unusual as they are oftentimes found in this spot.
No sooner had I completed the thought than what do I see? Not one, not two, but four of them marching along the hillside. They were a good ways away and seemingly on a mission, moving quite quickly.
I managed a few captures of them and while not particularly great quality given the distance and poor light, it was a fun encounter. Here, one of them had hopped up on a large, downed tree and was using the higher vantage point to look around.
