Nature clicks #130 - Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep

 

It was already two months ago that we have been in the Rocky Mountains and I'm still not done telling stories about our adventures there. OK, you can call my blog "the most out of date blog in the world" but to be honest, I don't really care. Circumstances have not been in my favor recently and I do not have new pictures that I like to show here. If you don't mind about that, keep reading and put up with "the old stuff"... ;-)

During our vacation we kept looking for Bighorn Sheep but didn't have any luck until two days before we returned home. We had seen these wonderful animals in Glacier National Park a few years ago and were hoping to have another encounter in the Rockies. Finally we had our moment.

These photographs were made near Summit Lake, just below the 14,264 feet high Mount Evans. Bighorn Sheep are excellent climbers and you may see them at very exposed steep mountain slopes. This herd didn't have a "big ol' ram" with curled horns but several ewes with lambs and also some younger rams. I made quite a few clicks but although it was mid afternoon the light was way to harsh for my taste. An hour later would have made a big difference, but hey, Bighorn Sheep have obviously their own schedule for showing up ;-) and we were just thrilled to see them so close.

Warm day, busy place

 

I have a ball watching the birds that hang around here in the timber and our front and back yard in big numbers at the moment. There is a big flock of American Robins that was here every day this week and the birds enjoyed bathing and drinking at the bird bath. With them was an "ear-full" of Cedar Waxwings. We had very warm weather today (T-shirt time in November!) but this is changing while I'm writing this and I wonder if the birds will move further south if the temperature will drop in the next few hours. Today I tried to keep the white bird bath out of the frame and finally got the shots that I really wanted to make. I hope you enjoy. Have a wonderful rest of your weekend!

Nature clicks #129 - Red-breasted Nuthatch

 

I have enjoyed being home for a couple weeks now and work from my home office. This will change next week when I have to hit the road again but right now I enjoy watching all the birds that get ready for the winter here in our timber. One little guy that is present at this time of the year is the Red-breasted Nuthatch. I have written about this bird before (see "Nature clicks #63" by clicking HERE ) and I was happy to make a couple clicks while the nuthatch visited our bird bath. I'm not a big fan of having this white piece of plastic in my picture, but hey... it makes a nice, snow-like reflector that bounces the light underneath the birds... ;-)

Nature clicks #128 - American Pika

 

Back to nature related photography today. Joan and I spent quite some time to look out for one of our favorite animals, the American Pica, during our trip to the Rocky Mountains. Knowing a little bit about their habitat, steep boulder-covered hillsides at an altitude above 8,000 feet, helps to find them. This photo was made on the slope of 14,264 feet high Mount Evans. I had this pika here already in my viewfinder when a hawk suddenly soared over the rocks and the pika disappeared between the boulders with cyberspeed. It took ten minutes before it showed up again and continued sunbathing. But maybe it was just on the watch from this well exposed rock hanging over a very deep valley. I sure enjoyed watching these critters and was very happy to make some good clicks.

Nature clicks #127 - Cedar Waxwing

 

We keep track about all the wildlife we have around the house since we live here in Eastern Iowa. Some species are here all the time while others have been sighted only ones within the last eight years. One bird that we see briefly almost every spring and fall is the Cedar Waxwing. Sometimes they come in big flocks and feed on the berries in the cedar trees. Unfortunately I have never been able to make a good image that I would have liked to share with you here in the blog or over in my Iowa wildlife gallery at Pbase.  www.pbase.com/deadmoon

Today I watched a couple American Robins drinking out of the birdbath in front of the house. Suddenly they were joined by two Cedar Waxwings and that made me running for the camera, tripod, and long lens. They are such wonderful looking birds and in this matter I don't mind that the birdbath is in the frame. The leaf in the water, the bird that just took off, the colors, they all tell the story of autumn and bird migration. Can't ask for more...

Fall colors, simple clicks

The fall colors have already passed their peak since a couple weeks here in Eastern Iowa. Most leaves are on the ground or dried up and don't look as pretty anymore. However, a few trees still hold on to their colors and the nice weather last weekend held still plenty of opportunities to make a few clicks.  

The Mines of Spain is a nice recreation area just south of Dubuque, Iowa. It contains 1380 acres of wooded and prairie land, wetlands, and creeks. From its bluffs you have a wonderful view over the Mississippi River. The prairie is already bare of any significant colors but this solitary tree with its colorful leaves stood out and made us aware of the transition from autumn to winter.

The second image is from yesterday's walk with our little dog. The setting sun stroke this, what I believe is an American Elm and made its yellow leaves stand out. I hope you enjoy!

Love those mornings....

 

You may ask, do you use your camera at all at the moment? It's true, I haven't posted any real actual pictures recently, but believe me, I always have my eyes open for a good click, even if work duties take most of my attention at the moment. It is my favorite time of the year for shooting things just around the house. Beside fall colors nothing can beat a misty morning after a rain front came through. I love when the rays of the raising sun backlit the wet leaves of the wild vine that grows on our balcony. Nothing for winning a photo contest, but hey..., I like it and I have fun just shooting simple things sometimes.... ;-)

Nature clicks #126 - Northern Harrier

 

I got all excited when this Northern Harrier landed in a broken pine tree at Timber Creek Campground on the Westside of Rocky Mountain National Park. We had already an eventful day behind us, had just declared "beer time", and enjoyed the warm evening sun in our camping chairs. The camera was still mounted on my tripod because an elk herd had just entered the campground and I was hoping for a good shot of the big bull elk that tried to keep his harem together.

I moved slowly step by step towards the harrier any time the bird turned its head away from me. I believe it is a female and she let me come pretty close. The picture is slightly cropped to keep some ugly branches out of the frame. I had to dial in -2 EV exposure compensation in order not to blow out the feathers on her breast completely.

It was a nice way to wrap up a wonderful day and a valid reason to interrupt "beer time", don't you think?... ;-)

Nature clicks #125 - Dusky Grouse (?)

 

It is not easy to identify a grouse and I'm not 100 percent sure if I'm correct in this matter. According to iBird PRO, a terrific app that I use for bird identification, the Dusky Grouse and the Sooty Grouse were considered to be the same species, called the Blue Grouse. In 2006 the American Ornithologist's Union split them based on DNA evidence. Beside iBird PRO I use several books to identify my bird encounters. However, this time I'm not really sure and if you have a different opinion I like to hear from you and would appreciate any professional advice.

This photo took a lot of efforts to get the shot. This female grouse was not very shy but wandered constantly around between rocks and trees laying on the ground. The light was low and I had to dial in ISO400 in order to get a shutter speed of 1/60s. The D300s was handhold and I tried to stabilize the lens by leaning against a tree. I got several sharp images but my choice to publish this photo was based on the background. The Dusky Grouse rested briefly on a rock in front of some other boulders and no twig or dead branch disturbed the scene...

Nature clicks #124 - American Pika

 

A few day ago I mentioned that I was actually waiting for another critter while shooting some pictures of the Yellow-bellied Marmot. So here it is. The American Pika is one of my favorite animals. They live on steep, boulder-covered hillsides at elevations between 8,000 and 13,500 feet (2400m - 4100m). The pika is one of the animals that has no way to go if the effects of global warming continue. Their numbers are already on a systematic decline in many mountain ranges of the American West. If you like to read about why this is a matter of fact click HERE for a link to an article on the website of the National Wildlife Federation that explains it very good or click HERE for a video on the National Geographic website.

First I saw them a couple years ago in the Mount Rainier area in Washington and fell immediately in love with this animal. My pictures of this first encounter , hmmm, just sucked, and so this time the American Pika was at the top of my shooting list for our trip to the Rocky Mountain National Park. They were in process to harvest grass, sedges, and thistles for the winter, which they carry in their mouth, and they can move very fast between the rocks, making it a big challenge to capture a sharp image. Before you can see them you may hear their very vocal call that the pikas use to communicate and to warn each other. It helps to find them between the rocks and boulders on a mountain slope.

This photo was actually made along a relative busy trail. We went there again another day but didn't see a single pika. Wild animals have their own agenda and we are the intruders in their world. Patience and a careful approach is the only fair way to get the shot. It wasn't my last picture of a pika during this trip, but this is reserved for another post...