Wildlife, landscape and weather photography
I know I have been posting lots of pics with snowy creatures lately but with the weather we have been having here so far this month, that’s most of what I have captured with my camera. This little guy’s face reflects what many of us human’s here are feeling – enough with the snow and cold! 😀
One stayed right next to the road and gave me some nice poses. The other opted to run off a little ways into the field but still within range of my camera.
Normally I only see jackrabbits during the summer but in recent weeks have managed a few wintertime encounters.
Technically jackrabbits aren’t rabbits at all –they are hares. While they look similar and are part of the same family, jackrabbits are much larger overall with longer ears and feet. These little speed demons can cover 30 feet horizontally in one leap and run at speeds up to 35 mph in short bursts.
That is probably why I normally only get pics of the rear end of them. 😉
This was a fun little encounter northeast of Denver, Colorado yesterday. Driving the backroads looking for photo subjects, I happened to see this jackrabbit run into some grass near the road.
They are masters at keeping themselves hidden and initially I couldn’t see it after I stopped. I slowly approached and then the race was on.
It took off running at a truly impressive speed and I quickly put my camera off and started taking pictures. It was going away which is kind of a bummer but the images show the amazing motions it went through when running.
White-tailed jackrabbits are found across much of the central and western areas of North America from the prairies to the high country. I see their black-tailed cousins far more often than the white-tails. In fact, I think this is the first white-tailed jackrabbit I have photographed.
The ears on these residents of the Great Plains are so large they are usually the first thing you see when you spot them. This particular Black-tailed Jackrabbit had the right idea to try to conceal itself by tucking them down low. I had already spotted it though as it sat on the brush covered landscape on northeastern Colorado. It didn’t stay around long but did give me this capture.
Also called the American desert hare, these jackrabbits have a wide range across the western United States where they can be found at altitudes ranging from sea level to 10,000 feet. Here in Colorado, they are pretty common on the plains.
It is undoubtedly a lot of work delivering eggs and treats to the kiddos. Now it is time to take a break and just relax on those Colorado plains. 😉
A surprisingly cold, wintry morning yesterday on the Colorado plains. I was of course not deterred and ventured out looking for photo subjects. While scanning a field, I see this somewhat large object racing across the field in the distance. As it neared, I realized it was a jackrabbit.
By the time I got turned around, I had lost sight of it so began looking close at where I last saw it. Finally, I see this little brown spot among the snow-covered field. With his ears tucked back, I could barely make him out. Judging by how big his eyes were, he wasn’t too thrilled to have been spotted. 😉
These big-eared denizens of the Great Plains don’t usually want to pose for pictures. Occasionally you come across one that will pose and such was the case on this morning in July.
I kind of find these guys a bit disturbing. They are really quite big and not near as cute as you typically envision a rabbit to be. 😉
Also called the American desert hare, these jackrabbits have a wide range across the western United States where they can be found at altitudes ranging from sea level to 10,000 feet. Here in Colorado, they are pretty common on the plains.
Jack never understood why everyone could find him so easily when playing hide and seek. 😉
This Black-tailed Jackrabbit did its best to hide from me yesterday morning but those ears were a dead giveaway as to its location.
Also called the American desert hare, these jackrabbits have a wide range across the western United States where they can be found at altitudes ranging from sea level to 10,000 feet. Here in Colorado, they are pretty common on the plains.?
Late season snowstorms can be a bit of a shocker to not only those humans that forget we live in Colorado, but also to the wildlife. The rabbits were out in abundance yesterday for some reason. This little one opted to stay huddled down in a burrow opening, perhaps waiting for the sun to warm things up a bit.
A fun series of images that I captured last Friday while out for a drive near Denver International Airport.
I was driving along and see a flurry of activity in a field and on closer inspection, I see a hawk and rabbit on the ground. The hawk took flight and circled back around, taking a dive at the rabbit. I flipped a quick u-turn and trained my camera on the action. Three times more the hawk dove at the rabbit.
This series captures the final attack pass. Surprisingly the rabbit never ran off, instead choosing to sit there and then jump and evade whenever the hawk got close. It must have worked though as the raptor soon gave up and flew off in search of an easier meal. In this case, the prey got the better of the predator.
Scroll down to view all the images in the sequence.
