Tony's Takes Photography

Wildlife, landscape and weather photography

American kestrel makes a meal out of a mouse

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Looks like some good eatin’, eh? 😉 When I share images of this awesome bird, I always say that despite its stature as North America’s smallest falcon, it is just as ferocious as any raptor, big or small. Here is some video proof as this male American kestrel quickly rips apart its prey.

It is a bit graphic but interesting to watch and an example of the life and death battles that go on in nature every day. I captured this video and pictures the day after Christmas.

One of my goals is to try to at least shoot a little bit of video every now and then to share with you as I do know video helps to tell the stories. Believe me, these won’t be National Geographic quality (haha!) but at least will be something new and different and provide a bit of ‘behind the scenes’ look at the pics I capture.

Video: Battling bison in the winter

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Bison bulls battle in the snow. It has been a long time since I have been able to witness this action. Cold weather usually makes the wildlife active and this past Saturday, these two younger bulls were having a lot of fun sparring.

For more than a half hour, the two pushed, shoved and stabbed at each other going back and forth. That allowed me time to switch to video and grab a some cool action. The second sequence about 40 seconds in is closer.

It isn’t the rut so this was most likely just “playing” but goodness, it looked pretty darned rough and painful to me!

Video slideshow: Top shots 2021 – Bald Eagles

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As anyone who follows this page knows, bald eagles are my favorite form of wildlife. I take more pictures of our national emblem than of any other type of creature. They are just amazing to me and such a perfect representation of our country. With it being New Year’s Eve and #FreedomFriday, it is most appropriate that I share a look back on my favorite pics from my 2021 photo year of these raptors.

Video slideshow: Top shots 2021 – Landscapes

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Our travels this year did not take us very far as we continued to stick close to home in Colorado. Of course, the Centennial State has plenty of amazing scenes to take in and my camera captured some of those. Tons of sunrises from the Great Plains to 14,000-foot high mountain tops were dominant but I also captured imagery of a burned forests’ rebirth, dangerous thunderstorms and snow-covered landscapes. I hope you enjoy this quick, two-minute look back at some of the scenery from my past photo year.

Video slideshow: Top shots 2021 – Owls

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Owls hold a special fascination for many and for good reason. Most are nocturnal and professionals at staying hidden during the day so they aren’t easily seen. As a photographer, it is quite challenging to photograph the. This past photo year I was able to photograph three species: Long eared owls, great horned owls and burrowing owls.

I struggled a bit with the great horned owls, more than usual, but found some worthy subjects and the burrowing owls gave me some nice flights shots, something which I have struggled with in the past. I hope you enjoy this look back at my favorite captures of 2021 of these mysterious creatures.

Video slideshow: Top shots 2021 – Birds

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I always joke that I don’t take pictures of “little birds” (non-raptors) but in truth, my camera does sometimes find itself pointed at them. Over my photo year (Oct – Sept) I photographed a number of them, none particularly rare but all pretty cool. Here is a look back.

Video: Big Boy on the move!

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Not my usual type of photo subject but these events happen pretty rarely so I had to take advantage of it. My bride and I headed to Colorado’s eastern plains and did a bit of train chasing. Not just any train but Union Pacific’s Big Boy No. 4014, the world’s largest operating steam locomotive.

I took tons of pics and I will share some tomorrow but for today, here is a quick video from my GoPro that I had setup on a tripod on the ground. It really does not do justice to the sound of this metal beast as it rolled by. So impressive!

Note that you will the shadow of someone too close to the train – that is not me! I placed the camera, stepped an appropriate distance away and started it remotely.

Video: Young bald eagle tests its wings

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It had been a few weeks since I last checked on my favorite bald eagle nest and with nice weather yesterday, I took advantage of the opportunity.

The parents largely kept their distance, an indication of the growing independence of their eaglet. The no-so-little one spent the morning just hanging out and occasionally testing its wings.

This is a brief clip of it as it flapped around from one side of the nest to the other. It was a lot of fun to see and I suspect it will be fledging very soon.

Video slideshow: Top shots 2020 – Wildlife

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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.