Catching the Glow

I found these little birds at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Preserve near Long Beach, CA. I've no idea what kind there are. If anybody can tell, please let me know.

What I like about this image is how the birds seem to glow in the light of the setting sun. The angle of the sun was perfect to illuminate the birds without lighting the ground; a good example of catching the moment. A little earlier, and the foreground would be lighted, a little latter, and the birds would be in the shadow. I was lucky to stumble upon this scene.

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Pelican

A Pelican coming in for a landing at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Preserve near Long Beach, CA.

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Happy Halloween!

My What Big Ears

Early this summer, a number of the local deer gave birth. We've been watching the fawns for weeks. This little family travels through our yard everyday.

For awhile, a doe would hide her fawn in a little copse of Grambel's Oak at noon while she fed. I discovered this by accident when I went out to take some pictures of a cactus bloom. It sure startled me when the fawn took off!

These fawns seemed to have doubled in size since I first saw them.

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Have any food?

This Steller's Jay accosted me while I was photographing some flowers in the Crested Butte area. These camp robbers are handsome, but always looking for a handout.

For more photogenic critters, head to Camera Critters.

Cormorant

Here it is 4:54AM. Ugh. I'll be leaving in a few moments to try the capture the sunrise at Garden of the Gods. What a week, I should be in bed. I'm still trying to catch up from last week!

A few weeks ago, we went up to Denver's Colfax Marathon. Kelly ran a leg of the relay, and I watched and cheered her on. The finish line was in the Denver City park. The park's Duck Pond has a little island with a big tree that is a cormorant rookery. Amazing sight. This photo is an individual that was nice enough to give me a fly-by.

Have a great weekend!

Fly over to camera critters to see other great animal photos.

Young'un

I'm guessing that this young mule deer was born last year. Hopefully we'll be seeing some new fawns soon - but probably, not as bold as this one.

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Butterfly

Butterfly at the Denver Butterfly Pavilion. Its a really fun place to go if you like butterflys and other bugs.

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Lyra

Meet Lyra - Lyra, meet the blogosphere. This is my nieces' "puppy". She's so lively and always looking for fun. However, she's not a cooperative model. Such a diva! If I remember correctly, we finally got this pose by tempting her with a plate of my sister-in-law's delicious triple-stacked enchiladas.

I thought Lyra would make a great subject for this week's Camera Critters. Be sure to visit!

Who's a good girl?

Meerkat

A Meerkat striking a pose and soaking up the sun on a cold morning. This photo was taken at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs. One of these days, I'd love to travel to South Africa and see them in their natural environment. Apparently, meerkats are believed to protect against werewolves. Good thing to know during the full moon...

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Edit: Fixed spelling of Meerkat (thanks Abby!)

Give Me Shelter

During a recent snow storm, I found these Pine Sisken hiding in a tree near our kitchen window. My wife calls this bird a 'zipper' bird due to its characteristic call a - "harsh, grating, upwardly inflected 'zreeeeeeet'" (Cornell Lab of Ornithology: All about Birds - goto this site to hear a sample)

This tree is a common hiding spot for a host of local birds. During one nasty windstorm, I counted at least 25 birds hanging on for dear life as tree whipped back and forth. It was an amazing sight and helped me appreciate just how tough these little guys are.

This is my first entry in the Camera Critter's meme. Check them out for some other great photos!

Have a great weekend!