Tag: by Owen

photography

Many, Many Days of Photos!

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Somehow, I have managed to find the highlights of the last 10-12 days in only six photos. These range from Bushy-tailed Woodrats to phenomenal sunsets, snow-coated trees to Wild Geraniums. These do not encompass all of our experiences of the past few days, just until the 28th. I will be posting the rest soon!

The sunset on the 29th was spectacular. There was an abundance of clouds that caught the light, forming a wall of gold over the western horizon.
This Wild Geranium was one of many flowers I photographed at Twin Lakes on the 28th.
Woody posed well for me, and did not seemed to mind being the subject of our attentions.
For the first time on the 27th I managed to get photos of Woody, the resident Bushy-tailed Woodrat in the woodshed.
From across the valley it looked like a thin mist had settled on the trees, from their snow-covered appearance.
On the 23rd we had a magnificent snowstorm, which coated the trees and every surface, providing wonderful photography.
photography

Deer, Flowers, Ducks, Bear Tracks, and More!

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Several days ago we noticed a female mule deer just next to the driveway! I got out, and using the car as a blind, was able to get several photos. Also, on a hike to Lily Lake yesterday I found a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and on the lake several Ring-necked Ducks. We have also had several additional sightings of Townsend’s Solitaires, and found more bear tracks coming back from Lily Lake. Additionally, on the return trip from the lake, we found a wild parsley that I took close-ups of. Here they are!

These are photos of the bear’s front paws. You can compare the size of the front paws with that of the hind paws previously posted, with my hand in both pictures.
Here you can see two of the forepaws together.
This is either a plant from the Lomatium genus or a Whiskbroom Parsley. Both have a very distinctive flower structure.
This is only the second Ruby-crowned Kinglet that I have found in Leadville, despite them calling often.
This is a male Ring-necked Duck, one of the few species of ducks to be seen at high altitudes.
Despite their name, it is very hard to see the bronze ring on the ducks’ neck.
The mule deer was very cooperative and did not react very much to my presence.
Although we did not see anything the deer frequently looked in one direction, for reasons we did not understand.
This Townsend’s Solitaire was seen on the Mineral Belt Trail, and was one of two seen in as many days.
photography

Pine Martens, Snowshoe Hares, Sunsets, and Marmots

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We have had a suite of wildlife sightings recently, including a Yellow-bellied Marmot, a Pine Marten, and the Snowshoe Hare affectionately named “Dirty Harry”. We also had a wonderful sunset two nights ago. It was absolutely stunning. I have managed to get pictures of all of the wildlife and the sunset, providing a number of photos to post. We saw the marmot on a road near Camp Hale, the Snowshoe Hare at the cabin, and the Pine Marten at the cabin.

After a failed attempt to photograph the marmot while biking, we saw it exposed on this rock in the car and I managed to get some photos.
Marmots commonly emit a high-pitched hard chirp, which first alerted us to its presence.
On reviewing my photos, I noticed that you are actually able to see the marmot’s buck-teeth, most visible in this photo.
In this photo you can clearly see the Snowshoe Hare’s “snowshoes”: huge back feet that allow it to almost float on snow.
The hare was exceedingly calm around the house, even when we opened the window to allow me a clear photograph.
We saw the hare wash itself, and it frequently bent around to lick its fur, yet kept its front legs in place rather stiffly.
After seeing the hare several times we truly believe that the hair on the ears is getting browner, and losing its winter white.
This is the only photo of the Pine Marten that I spotted from the kitchen; it ran away soon after, and even though we sprinted down the road to look for it we were unsuccessful.
Even though no sun was visible, the clouds clearly put on an incredible display of color, with dark purple, pink, and orange.
Viewed through the trees, the sunset becomes even more incredible.
The soft purpley-red light was a perfect background to the branches of the trees.
In other areas of the trees, the light was brighter orange, and created another background for me to photograph.
photography

Close-ups, Hummingbirds, Snowshoe Hares, and More!

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In the past few days I took many photos, due to the fact that I have discovered that in a meadow near the house there are many opportunities for close-up photos of the plants, rocks, stumps, and more, so I have spent a lot of time lying on my stomach taking pictures of the dirt. Also, yesterday at breakfast looking out the window just a few feet away we found a snowshoe hare making the change from white to brown. It had white ears and white feet, but a brown body. Additionally on the deck a male hummingbird visited the feeder, and on looking back at my photos, it could have been a Ruby-throated Hummingbird: a eastern bird that is rare in Colorado. Therefore, I have many photos to share!

An old tree stump can still provide excellent photography, no matter how decrepit it is.
This plant is potentially the arnica plant, providing oil that helps sore muscles.
This lichen may be dead, but it still is an excellent photography subject.
This plant is called Sedum, and is a common plant here.
We did not have the best weather yesterday, and the clouds wreathed most of the peaks in mist, but provided brief views of Homestake Peak.
Due to the black mask above the red gorget, this bird may be a Ruby-throated Hummingbird, a rare sighting in Colorado.
However, since both of the photos are of the head in the same position, it is hard to tell whether it is an actual black mask or just a trick of the iridescent throat feathers.
In this photo of the Snowshoe Hare you can see how its ears are still white, yet the body is gray-brown.
The hare was quite calm, and allowed me to go out on the deck to obtain these photos.
In this photo you can see the white feet along with the ears that are the remnant of the hare’s winter plumage.
This is the plant Cinquefoil, which means “five leaves”, and you can see the five leaves on the plant.
We found this beautiful block of rose quartz at a lake in Camp Hale, and the rock surprisingly did not move as I took this photo.
This is False Solomon’s Seal, a beautiful white flower that we found at Camp Hale.
Also at Camp Hale I was able to get my best Wilson’s Warbler photo ever, as they commonly hide in willows and move around fast, so I was lucky to get this.
These strange towers on the lichen are in fact the fruiting bodies of the lichen, providing very interesting natural phenomenon.
On one day we had a large rainstorm, giving these pine trees this dew-laden look, and with the light shining through it the trees glow.

The dew also landed on these Chiming Bells, and when viewed close up the individual droplets magnified the beauty of this particular specimen tenfold.
The late evening light shining through the trees created a wonderful look, and provided this beautiful photo.
photography

Many Days of Photos!

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Due to the fact that we were in Louisville for the past few days, I got behind on adding photos to the blog. I decided to do it all in one burst, and I am now posting 18 photos; my largest post ever. It includes several encounters with Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Red-winged Blackbirds and hummingbirds in Frisco, amazing sunsets over the mountains, our first Townsend’s Solitaires in Leadville, chickadees and hummingbirds on the deck, and a Cordilleran Flycatcher outside the driveway.

This photo was taken on the 10th, one of the few recent times when “Goldie” put in an appearance.
Goldie appeared to be sunbathing, and seemed to be unnaturally flat.
We found this Red-winged Blackbird in Frisco. It was my first RWB of the trip.
Also in Frisco I found this perched male Broad-tailed Hummingbird. You can tell it is a male by the red throat, which you cannot see well in this light.
On the 11th we got a truly spectacular sunset over the mountains.
The sunset combined orange, white, purple, and pink, for a veritable firework show above the peaks.
This is probably the most spectacular sunset we have seen here, but may not be the last.
This is a Townsend’s Solitaire, the first one we have seen at the cabin. It is a member of the thrush family and a close relative of the robin.
The Mountain Chickadees are continuing to appear at the cavity on the deck.
The Mountain Chickadees also like to perch on the sundial on the deck near the cavity.
We are still commonly seeing hummingbirds, and they have allowed me to get quite close.
The hummingbirds are very active and commonly fight over the nectar.
The hummingbirds also commonly perch in the aspen tree near the deck.
For a long period of time, Goldie strangely posed like this.
We have absolutely no idea why Goldie hunched over like this.
One theory of why Goldie hunched over like this was that it was digesting, but we cannot be sure.
Yesterday we saw this Cordilleran Flycatcher perched near the driveway.
A Cordilleran Flycatcher is in the Empidonax genus, one of the hardest to identify groups of birds in the world.
photography

Chipmunks, Chickadees, Chiming Bells (and hummingbirds)

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Yesterday we realized that the Mountain Chickadees have almost definitely taken up residence in the house on the deck. They may not yet have chicks, but we have observed them frequently flying into the hole, staying there for a minute, and exiting. They do this quite commonly even when we are having lunch on the deck, only several feet away! The hummingbirds have also put in many appearances at the feeder, and also visit while we are sitting there. With such close proximity, I have been able to get several good photos of both chickadees and hummingbirds. While watching the chickadees and hummingbirds, a small chipmunk made an appearance on a log below the deck. We also went on a short walk where we found several flowering Chiming Bells. I was able to get some close-ups of these, which was easy as they don’t fly away immediately. Here they are!

The chickadees commonly flew up to the nest hole, although we did not see them carrying anything.
Before entering the hole, the chickadees would often look around several times, as if making sure that no one knew about their nest.
After these procedures were accomplished, the chickadee would then enter the nest and stay inside for around 30 seconds.
Only very rarely did the chickadees pause before leaving; they would normally exit on the wing without pausing.
Several times, the chickadees and the hummingbirds would both be visiting their respective places at the same time, and the chickadee would chase off the hummingbird and attack it, presumably defending its nest.
The hummingbird would often perch to feed, yet it would sometimes hover, and would quickly transition between the two.
The chipmunk stayed in one place for a while, allowing me to get good photos. It was eating something, but we could not identify the food.
The Chiming Bells are some of the first wildflowers to be seen up here, and are quite beautiful.
Some clumps of Chiming Bells are bigger than others; this was an especially large bloom.
photography

Hummingbirds to Mountains

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Yesterday we got our first consistent hummingbird visitors to the feeder, and despite the fact that they were females (female hummingbirds are often unidentifiable) I was able to determine that they were Broad-tailed Hummingbirds through the use of photography. Later in the day, we were also presented with the most wonderful sunset color over the mountains. This light gold background provided many opportunities for photography. Here are some of the best photos.

This is the first photo of the female Broad-tailed Hummingbird. The feeder wire got in the way a bit, but you can still see the bird.
In this photo you can see the small white eye-ring, which separates the female Broad-tailed from the female Rufous Hummingbird.
The sunset was incredible, with the light touch of gold shining on the snow of the mountains.
The mountains are in a period that is perfect for photography, where there is still plenty of snow yet rocks are exposed, giving the mountains craggy, unforbidding looks.
The clouds lit up too, and in this photo you can imagine a giant cosmic Leonardo Da Vinci painting the background for this event.
The trees also provide nice photos, looking through the tangled branches on to soft gold light.
photography

Bears and Buena Vista

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Yesterday we took a trip down into Buena Vista, where the weather was a lot warmer and there were different birds! We saw a Yellow Warbler, my first in a while, and a yellow form of a Pine Siskin, along with a Wyoming Ground Squirrel. Before that, however, we saw a Ruby-crowned Kinglet in our driveway. I managed to get a photo that shows the kinglet’s crest, rarely visible. On our way back from Buena Vista, we got quite a surprise. On the road in front of us was a Black Bear! It turned and ran, so I couldn’t get any direct photos of it, but Cedar found some fresh tracks that I got shots of. Two of the photos have my hand in them for comparison. Here they are!

This is a zoomed-in image of the Ruby-crowned Kinglet that was in our yard. You can see the brilliant scarlet crest that offsets the rest of this drab brown bird.
I have already posted photos of Pine Siskins, but in Buena Vista, I found a yellow morph Pine Siskin, meaning one that has more yellow than others.
Along the Arkansas in Buena Vista we saw this Yellow Warbler. They are one of the few western warblers, and it was a nice surprise treat.
In this photo you can see some of the rufous underbelly streaking and the uniform yellow tone to the bird.
Also in Buena Vista we spotted this Wyoming Ground Squirrel, which is rather like a mountain prarie dog.
The ground squirrel posed nicely for us, and we were able to identify it easily.
This is a track left by the hind paw of a black bear, because it is very big and oval shaped, not round.
My hand can easily fit inside the track, showing that it was a very big bear!
Some estimates say that the bear was almost 300 pounds!
photography

Mountains and Butterbutts

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First of all, I want to apologize for making this a late post, but a lot of things were happening yesterday. Anyway, two days ago we were out on the deck, and I realized that the light on the mountains was wonderful. It seems like the light on the mountains is always wonderful, and I could take hundreds of pictures of this single view, but I took some more. Also, I observed some small birds flitting around the house, and I managed to get some photos. I determined the birds to be Yellow-rumped Warblers, which we birders call “Butterbutts” in response to the name. The photos aren’t the best, but here they are.

This is the photo of the Yellow-rumped Warbler. It is not very good, but you can see the yellow throat and the bluish-gray back.
This is one view of the mountains with the light on the top and ridge of the peaks.
Here is a zoomed-out view of the valley and the mountains.
Here is a close-up view of this mountain, which is actually unnamed.
The light on the mountains at this time was just wonderful
The clouds above the mountains provided wonderful patterns and lighting.
photography

Gray Jays and Mountains

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Yesterday we went on a short hike up the road near our cabin, and we observed the first Gray Jays of the trip! These birds are very intelligent, familiar, and are actually the national bird of Canada! They are somewhat common at high elevations, and are also called Canada Jays and “camp robbers” because they have recognized campsites as sources of food and steal food from the occupants. Also during the day the clouds over the mountains parted and created apparent pools of light on the mountainsides. Here are the photos!

Gray Jays are very trusting, and this one flew up to the sundial on the deck right in front of me!
This jay took almost no notice of me, as it was busy foraging.
For some reason, this jay was did not seem to notice the sundial, which made me think that they are commonly seen here, even though this was our first sighting.
After perching on the sundial, the jay flew down to the snow and actively foraged for seeds.
In this photo, the jay was successful in finding some food.
We continuously have a wonderful view from the deck, but the soft light enhanced the photographic opportunities.
These mountains are unnamed, but you can see on the left the slope rising up to Homestake Peak.
The green blanket of forest transitions surprisingly quickly from dense trees to snow and rocks on the slopes of these mountains.
This is the most complete view of the mountains from the deck in this sequence, and you can see Homestake Peak on the left and a the trees near our cabin in the foreground.