Wildlife, landscape and weather photography
This handsome Mule Deer buck was being shadowed by a younger, less impressive guy. Most annoyingly, the younger one seemed to insist on getting himself in my shot too. I imagine the big guy saying, “Leave me a lone, kid.” 🙂
Thank you to the folks that stopped by the Thornton art show yesterday – it was nice to meet you all and thank you too for your support. If you missed it, you can of course get stuff online. I have some landscape and wildlife calendars left over and ready to go.
This Mule Deer buck was doing his best to get a doe’s attention, chasing her incessantly across an open field, around trees, through bushes and back. Despite his overtures and persistence, she wanted no part of him and appeared to have the stamina to continue to resist. She was eventually able to leisurely walk away, he was left panting, wondering if it was something he said or did. 😉
Despite the fact I was sitting in my big, bright blue truck out in the open, this guy seemed a bit surprised to have walked right up to me. He had his head down, alternately grazing and keeping an eye on a nearby female off to the side. When he finally looked forward, he spotted me and had a bit of a “where did you come from” look. 😉
White-tailed Deer are North America’s smallest deer. They are very fleet-footed capable of speeds up to 30mph and able to leap as high as 10 feet and as far as 30 feet in a single bound.
This young White-tailed Deer buck was curious about the new, seasonal arrivals but he also tried to bully them a bit, kicking at them. Mom tolerated it for a while but then chased him off. Here, before he became aggressive, one of the fawns and the yearling enjoy a tender looking moment. I hope you all have a great weekend!
A pair of Mule Deer bucks fight for the affection of the nearby ladies. This was very early in the morning so the lighting was not good at all but it was fun to watch these two go at it for a bit. They were pretty evenly matched and there was no clear winner. In fact, after they were done, they both continued to hang out right near each other, largely ignoring one another.
Found across western North America, Mule Deer are named for their oversized ears. Image taken at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge near Denver, Colorado.
It kind of looks like it, eh? In truth I just happened to click as he was blinking. The bucks are a bit rambunctious now with the rut going on although I haven’t yet gotten any good snaps of the battles.
Found across western North America, Mule Deer are named for their oversized ears. Image taken at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge near Denver, Colorado.
It was on this date in 1876 that Colorado was admitted to the union as the 38th state. A lot certainly has changed in the 141 years since then but, despite all of the progress, much of the natural beauty for which the state is known for remains.
In 1893, Katharine Lee Bates visited the state and soon after penned “America the Beautiful”. It is well known that the amber waves of grain and purple mountain majesties she wrote about were a direct reflection of her time here.
In fact, it is said that a visit to the summit of Pikes Peak was indeed her primary inspiration. From the lower elevations of the Great Plains that cover the eastern half of this state to the rugged mountains in the west, this truly is an amazing place and I am blessed to have been born here.
This image taken back in April seems to me to do a nice job capturing this state.
Oh my goodness! I could have bundled this little Mule Deer fawn up and taken it home it was so cute. That soft-looking fur, adorable look and those ears were just irresistible. It and its twin were out for an early morning walk with their mom at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge last week. Mom largely ignored me but the two little ones couldn’t help but be curious and that allowed me to snag some nice pics of the two of them.
Found across western North America, Mule Deer are aptly named due to their oversized ears.
This pretty lady was a bit captivated by me – and I have to admit I was a bit taken by her as well. 😉 The beautiful, golden light of sunrise was pretty much perfect for capturing an image of her as she took a break from grazing.
It isn’t too often wildlife breaks out in song as you are taking their picture. Okay, that isn’t what happened and I have never had that happen but in looking at this image it sure looks like that is what these two bucks are doing. 😉 It was a bit chilly on the plains yesterday and these two were content to wait for it to warm up, opting to lay down and just take it easy in the grass as the sun started to rise over the horizon.
