Tony's Takes Photography

Death from above: Osprey extends its talons and prepares to grab breakfast. This image represents what is probably the most challenging instant of action I ever try to capture. Osprey patrol above the waters and upon spotting a possible catch, tuck their wings back and plummet into the water, talons first. They have been clocked at speeds up to 50mph during their dives so the action is fast and as a photographer, you are battling the light, background distractions and more. This past Saturday, conditions were less than ideal with overcast skies requiring far slower shutter speeds than I would prefer. I was really unprepared when this one dived, actually quite close to me, and my lens wasn’t zoomed in as far as it should be requiring a pretty hefty crop of the image. I’ve gotten better images of this action in the past but to get it at all is always exciting and it really is a fun capture.

Great blue herons do battle! Holy moly! This was quite a surprising bit of action this past weekend. Be sure to click through the series. I was watching these two herons and they seemed to not be too happy with each other. Suddenly, one launched an attack! They bit at each other in a flurry of feathers and long legs and wings. One emerged the victor, chasing the other off. It wasn’t until I got home and downloaded the pics that I realized one had actually clamped its beak down on the other’s neck! Crazy fun! I have never seen great blue herons act aggressive toward each other so this was a new behavior to me.

The color red takes over the Colorado skies at sunrise. Well, this was a fine way to start the day! Saturday we were camping at St Vrain State Park, our first trip of the year. As I stepped out, coffee in hand, I realized my photo day was going to start early. I walked over to a fishing platform on one of the ponds and soaked in a beautiful view from across the waters, snapping some pics and drinking my coffee.

Bald eagle returns home making a picture perfect flyby. When I first arrived at the nest site on Monday, neither of the adults was home. After about 20 minutes or so though, along came dad. He circled the area, seeming to want to ensure all was okay. As he banked toward the morning sun, he looked absolutely gorgeous when set against the powder blue skies behind.

Raccoon returns home for its daytime slumber. This was a fun, surprising encounter. On Monday when I was visiting my favorite bald eagles, this guy / gal ambled up and climbed into a cavity in the base of the eagle’s nest tree. I’ve been watching that spot for many years and this is the first time I have seen a critter go in there. After a quick glance to ensure there were no threats, it entered its wooden home and disappeared, not to be seen again.

A double-dose of red fox kit cuteness for . Everyone say it all together… “Aww…” So stinking cute, eh? Just a cute shot of two of the three fox kits that I got to spend time with last weekend. The pair took a very brief break from their play to give me this nice pose. Have a great weekend!

Great horned owl stands out against spring snow. A fun encounter with this normally nocturnal creature. A friend and I spotted it as it took flight and landed in this spot during our recent spring snowstorm. Thankfully, it opted for a spot relative in the open and really looked beautiful against snow-covered tree branches. It didn’t sit long, soon choosing to find a more private spot to rest, but it was cool to see while it lasted.

Sunday is play day for red fox kits. Whoohoo! We have little ones! Sunday morning I paid a visit to my favorite foxes, hoping to get some pictures of the adults. Last year there were never any kits so I really wasn’t expecting any this year but… For the first half hour, I was only seeing the grownups. Then, one little one emerged from the heavy brush! After about another half hour a second appeared. Then a third. The trio then began to raise quite a ruckus, running around, wresting and exploring the world that is new to them. It was an amazing time getting to see them although after spending over two hours standing up, hiding behind a tree, and photographing them, my back and arms were quite sore. It was well worth it though. I took tons of pics of them and will share more later but here is a first batch of them as they played with each other.

“Hey, mister! Mister! Can you spare a peanut?” Not a critter that I normally photograph, but this squirrel seemed to be begging to have its picture taken yesterday. I was hiking in to get pics of a feathery creature and the squirrel was entirely focused on me as I went by. Not wanting to deny it its 10 seconds of fame, I snapped a few captures.

Spring snow covers the road and the trees. A spring snowstorm hit the Denver area, making for some cool scenes last Saturday morning. I wasn’t expecting much from my outing but it turned out to be quite good with the snowy landscapes and critters in the snow. I got down to ground level for this shot of this tree-lined street at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge.

Wary red fox following a spring snowstorm. Finally, a fresh one for ! Despite many, many visits to my local fox spot, I had not seen them since last fall. This past Sunday, I decided to give it another shot and, thankfully, they are indeed still around. They were pretty skittish and not willing to get close and the heavily overcast skies soon after sunrise were a challenge. Nevertheless, I am happy to know they are still around. Hopefully, like last year, they continue to provide me with some cool photo ops through the summer.

Male bald eagle departs the family home. Taken a few weeks ago on my most recent visit to my favorite bald eagle pair. Mom was sticking to the nest while Dad was a flurry of activity. Having finished delivering some additional nesting material, here he departs, launching off the rim of the nest. Mother Nature has not cooperated and allowed me a visit since the day this image was taken. At that time, I figured they had little one(s) but could not visually verify that. I am hoping that I will be able to hike in again soon and, with any luck, find that the pair has a burgeoning family.

“Yeah, I’m really happy to have migrated to Colorado for the summer - NOT.” That is what I imagined this burrowing owl to be thinking as it checked me out after six inches of snow fell. :-D This little guy gave me some cool shots in the wake of the snowstorm, particularly since that isn’t the kind of environment you normally see them in.

A pair of great horned owl owlets for Twofer Tuesday. There they are! My first look at these little cuties. Two weekends ago on my visit they insisted on staying hunkered down and out of sight. When I first arrived this past Sunday, it appeared they were going to do the same as there was no sign of them. Feeling a bit frustrated, I kept walking, looking for other subjects to photograph hoping that when I returned, they would have moved into view. Thankfully they did! As you can tell, they were well-aware of my presence and quite curious. The back one only let me see it briefly while the one in front was more accommodating, giving me a bunch of solo captures. Mom stood watch nearby, ensuring they were safe. I did not see dad but you can be sure he was watching from some hiding place as well.

American avocet reflections. Some cool little birds from my photo outing yesterday. A small wetland / pond at a local open space is oftentimes home to a number of cool shorebirds and ducks. Yesterday, as I was wrapping up my photo drive, I spotted a pair of avocets in it. Not being in any rush, I stopped to spend some time with them. They were wading through the water, nabbing whatever sort of little organism they could find for their meal. These birds really are quite pretty and the calm waters of the pond made for some nice reflections.

Swainson’s hawk debates the wisdom of migrating to Colorado in April. With the wintry weather yesterday, a lot of folks likely would have chosen Argentina’s weather over what we saw here. This hawk was likely thinking the same, wishing it had delayed its 6,000 mile migration a week or two. 😉 The Swainson’s hawks began arriving over the past couple of weeks and this was my first decent capture of one for the season. It and its mate have staked out a small stand of trees and will soon be making a nest. These hawks are some of my favorites. Their insanely long migration is fascinating plus, they are very large, in fact they are one of the largest buteos in North America. Additionally, they are usually quite tolerant allowing for nice pics and when they are active, they have the coolest scream.

Lone tree, lone bison. A springtime snowstorm hit the Colorado Front Range last night, coating the landscape in a blanket of white. Light was a bit dim but I managed some cool shots of critters in the snow, including this one. This big boy was standing apart from the herd – much like the trees he was near. I really liked the stark scene, particularly in black and white.

Handsome mule deer buck sporting his velvet in front of the Mile High City. Going back to the end of last August for this image for and one I have not shared previously. Clearly he is one of the big boys that can be found at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. It was a beautiful summer morning with nice, golden light soon after sunrise. I was photographing this buck as he grazed for an instant he was kind enough to lift up his head, allowing me to get him and that impressive rack with Denver in the background.

Osprey emerges from its watery dive with a catch. However, soon after this picture, it would drop its meal and have to make another attempt. I have yet to go visit these summertime visitors to Colorado this year but hope to soon. This previously unshared captured goes back to last May. We were camping in the area and while my crew slept in, I spent the morning watching these hawks fish for breakfast. This osprey made a low angle dive and the method was initially successful. However, it didn’t have a very good grip on the fish and dropped it before going very far.

Colorful turkey tom head on. 🦃 It is that time of year and the toms were strutting their stuff yesterday, trying to impress the ladies. It had been a while since I spent any time with my local group of them and since my outing had been disappointing up to that point, I decided to give them a shot. The phrase ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’ might come to mind when you see these guys. 😉 For me, I do find them pretty darned cool. The cool blue face, red wattle and iridescent plumage do make them quite colorful. Plus, since this group hangs out in the middle of suburbia, they don’t mind humans and you can get some nice closeups without worrying about scaring them off.

Male bald eagle makes a dramatic departure. A very fun visit with my favorite pair of bald eagles yesterday. I was hoping to be able to spot any little ones they might have and while I am convinced they are there, I did not get to see them. As I mentioned previously, the nest bowl this year is to the back of the nest and it has gotten quite deep limiting the view. However, judging by the adults’ behavior, it definitely appears that there are eaglets in there. Mom was not in her previous incubating position and in fact, spent a good bit of time on the edge of the nest, frequently peering into the bowl and twice seemed to be feeding something in it. She even let dad stand watch for a while when she left for a bit to stretch her wings and catch a fish. Here, she had just returned with the fish and with his turn done, he departs while she looks on. Hopefully on my next visit the little ones will have grown enough that I can get pics of them.

Bison and the Flatirons. A nice view looking west from the plains of Colorado toward the Flatirons above Boulder. Clouds obscured the mountains beyond where there has been a ton of snow but some lingering snow is seen capping the Flatirons.

Adorable fox kits explore their new world. 🦊 Harkening back to almost exactly six years ago and some time I spent with these two cuties and their siblings. It is that time of year when kits will start emerging from their dens and, as such, also when I start begging for tips from anyone that happens to know of any. 😉 In all seriousness, please PM me if you know of any in the greater Denver metro area – and even a bit beyond – particularly if on the north side of town. If the tip pans out, I will reward you with some prints of your choice from any I have taken. Have a fantastic !

Great horned owl’s plumage blends well but those eyes draw attention. The handsome man-of-the-nest decided to make himself available for pictures for the first time in weeks. His and his mate’s nest are well concealed and a good ways off, preventing intrusions and allowing for some privacy. He usually stays well-hidden, away from prying eyes. On Sunday, as the wind howled, he ended up hunkered down in a nice spot, somewhat sheltered by the big blow. The filtered sunlight did a great job of lighting up those amazing eyes and you get a nice look at how well their plumage serves to camouflage them against the trees.

“I’m not sharing!” A fun bit of action from this past weekend although the light was cruddy so the pics aren’t the best quality. This adult bald eagle had caught itself a nice rabbit for breakfast and was trying to enjoy the meal in peace. However, it drew the attention of a sub-adult bald eagle wanting it to share. Of course, that wasn’t going to happen but that didn’t stop the young one from trying. Three times it made passes at the adult, hoping it would drop the rabbit. It never did, however, and the sub adult soon moved off to find its own meal.

Burrowing owl slides into home plate and is safe! A fun bit of action from this cool little raptor that just arrived back in Colorado. It and its mate were keeping their distance initially, just far enough away to prevent me from getting quality shots. I waited patiently (which is not easy for me) and was rewarded when one of them began working their way closer. It would fly about 20 feet closer, land, and then watch me. Then, another 20 feet closer. Then again. This was taken on one of its first hops as it put on the brakes coming in for a landing. It was a pretty long shot and I got closer ones but I loved the action shown here. Unlike our hometown Colorado Rockies, this player is definitely a winner. ;-)

The North American solar eclipse of 2024 as seen from Denver, Colorado. I debated how best to arrange my images from today and this is what I came up with. Seven images in a collage with each individual pic taken 20 minutes apart. We only saw about 65% coverage but it was fascinating to notice even at that, the sun dimmed noticeably and the temperature dropped four degrees. Certainly I would have preferred to have been in the path of totality but am happy with what I got. Now I just hope I am around for August 2045 when the next total solar eclipse crosses the United States. ;-)