RMNP Trail Ridge Road Mammals - August 6th

Yellow-bellied Marmot

There was a whole family living under the back side of the Alpine Visitor Center. I had worked my way around to scan the snowfields and a few of them would brave the rock ledge just below my feet.

Elk

There were a group of four bull Elk just off the side of old Fall River Road. I had been looking uphill at some Pine Siskins when this fellow appeared from behind the ridge grazing his way towards me.

Elk

Always memorable in the early light.

Yellow-bellied Marmot

This little guy and a few of his kin were working hard cleaning the pad where the dumpster sat.

Moose

Finally, I have been trying for a photo of a Moose for as long as I have been taking pictures of nature. I have seen Moose, and I have taken many pictures, but until I saw a group of three bulls just off the side of the road outside Grand Lake I hadn't been able to combine the two.

Moose

A good karma story. No more than 20 minutes before I had been driving along the Colorado River headwaters, and had pulled aside when I saw stopped traffic, - a sure sign of Moose. Here comes a guy with a fully extended tripod around the back of his vehicle, as a cow Moose went past the front. The guy then closed on her in the middle of the road, leaving the somewhat blind of his vehicle and I guess trying to get even closer than the few dozen feet of range he was already at. Fortunately he only chased the cow into the woods - never getting his own shot and ruining the moment for the rest of us - not to mention disturbing the Moose in her environment. Had she had a calf following her from where she had come he might have placed himself between them, and been in a real bad spot. I choked back some rage knowing that I at least respected the animal I had missed a shot of, and consoled myself with the hope that I would be rewarded in due course.
Talk about immediate gratification. Three bulls, who were doing there own thing, and not disturbed by my unobtrusive presence. I got to see their faces, (although obstructed), and he hopefully only got a blurry shot of a fleeing backside.

Moose

Again, if you have Moose in your area, or visit one that does, enjoy - but do not approach. They are massive, and while generally docile may decide to hold their ground rather than moving away as you approach.

Elk

Last shot, this Elk was at Windy Gap Reservoir. Windy Gap is a wonderful bird trap just outside Grandby, Colorado; featuring more waterfowl in one place than I had possibly seen in the previous month. Unfortunately, I was looking south at mid-day, and got a bunch of horrible shots from distance. Had it not been for this Elk I would have been disappointed, but it dashed out onto a mudflat, obviously under attack by many biting insects. As it went it couldn't resist scattering Pelicans and Cormorants that were perched along the edge, before plunging into the water itself. It swam to an island and had a good 'stick-your-tongue-out' shake before settling back in to graze. Good times.

RMNP Trail Ridge Road Birds - August 6th

juvenile Red-tail Hawk

Just a fast recap of a sample of the birds I saw a couple of weeks back when I drove over Rocky Mountain National Park's Trail Ridge Road on my way to western Colorado. After the colorful, crisp birds I saw on the last day of that trip, these photos fell to the bottom of the to do list. With travel and work craziness they had been put off for far to long now.

American Pipit

Dawn, (or close to it) at the Alpine Visitor Center is a great place to be. There are no other people, and the rising sun which seems to be shining from far below lights subjects in an unexpected way.

American Pipit

I scanned the snowfields for any sign of Rosy-Finches, but struck out once again. Maybe this weekend.... Notice the difference between the two American Pipits, from checking around a bit I understand that there can be both 'darker' and 'paler' adults, and their non-breeding plumage show varying amounts of streaking.

White-crowned Sparrow

Who needs wings? That little sparrow has some hops!

Lincoln's Sparrow

Next post... Mountain Mammals.

Spectacular Sunrise

Guess where I started my day on Friday!



Here's another clue.

I'll have more pictures from one of my favorite visits to this popular destination coming soon....there are a lot of pictures to sort through.

Spring and Winter

I started off Friday in the Ft. Collins area trying to see a Eurasian Wigeon. Apparently they are quiet rare here, and not being familiar with the lake where it had been found I took a shot. I learned that at that lake a scope is needed to see waterfowl clearly from the side of the road. So unfortunately I came up empty handed in my wigeon hunt. I then swung through Boyd Lake State Park on my way to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National.

Boyd Lake was popping with signs of spring. I heard the Western Meadowlark above before I saw him, but shortly after I did see him mid-song.

After seeing the meadowlarks and some great Bald Eagle and Red-tailed Hawk flyovers I headed up to the mountains for a bit of a day trip and some hiking.

Just after entering the park I had a treat as a Coyote crossed the road just ahead of my car. The local news media continues to air stories from the Denver area where concerned citizens are looking for answers to a recent uptick in aggressive behavior and encounters. Despite all that I still get excited when I see a Coyote while driving to work or in a setting like RMNP.

I took a nice little 2 mile hike in the Glacier Gorge area of the park. It was so much fun to go from a cool sunny springlike day to snow showers in an hour or so. The birds were scarce, only a pair of Townsend's Solitaires would perch in anything resembling good light, but the scenery was spectacular as always.