While heading to the Pawnee National Grasslands last week I was absolutely ecstatic to have come across this handsome fellow.

Getting pictures of these fast movers (the second fastest land animal on Earth) has been a challenge for me.  They are notoriously skittish and more often than not, by the time I have my camera clicking, I am getting pictures of only their rear end.  😉   This particular one though posed just long enough for me to grab this image.

Pronghorn are what folks oftentimes call antelope (and sing about ala “Home on the Range”) however that is a misnomer.  Settlers called these animals antelope due to their similarity to Old World species however the pronghorn is its own, distinct family.

There is a small herd of these cool animals that hangs out near #Denver International Airport but they have proven to be very elusive. When I do see them either they are too far away or take off running when they see me coming (maybe trying to send me a message – haha).

Saturday I was lucky enough to find them relatively close and was able to grab a couple of pictures before they took off. Being the second fastest land animal on the planet, they took off quick too! 😉

A very pleasant surprise finding a herd of about 12 pronghorn yesterday just on the outskirts of north suburban Denver. I’ve seen them north close to and in Wyoming and further out on the eastern plains but never this close to the city.

Their predominantly light color stood out like a sore thumb on the green field allowing me to spot them from quite a ways away. I raced to get as close as I could, pulled over and scrambled up a small hill to get a view.

Unfortunately they were moving away and I never got all that close to them. Nevertheless, it was a lot of fun to see them.

Pronghorn are what folks oftentimes mistakenly call antelope (and sing about ala “Home on the Range”). However there are no species of antelope in North America. These speed demons are capable of speeds up to 55mph! They are the fastest land animal in the Western Hemisphere and the second fastest land animal on earth – only the cheetah is faster.

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Female American Kestrel

Female American Kestrel

Female American Kestrel

Female American Kestrel

A Merlin keeps watch on the Colorado plains

A Merlin keeps watch on the Colorado plains

A Merlin keeps watch on the Colorado plains

A Merlin keeps watch on the Colorado plains

Pronghorn on the plains

Pronghorn on the plains

Pronghorn on the plains

Pronghorn on the plains

Pronghorn on the plains

A pronghorn buck looks into the valley below as if contemplating where it should bound off to next.

Pronghorn are what folks oftentimes mistakenly call antelope. However there are no species of antelope in North America. These speed demons are the second fastest land animal on earth – only the #cheetah is faster – and capable of speeds to 55mph.

Image taken this past July in Grand Teton National Park.