I'm a big animal fan along with picture taking so here are a few of my wildlife encounters. I hope you enjoy them. ^_^
Dan told me if it was rutting season, I wouldn't want to get to close to the elk like that.... I'll take his word for it. :D
Here is one of a Humming Bird Moth These things are really cool! B)
Here is one of a Clarks Nutcracker I took in the Rocky Mountain National Park.
These things will eat anything.
Another reason their nick name is camp robbers.
Here is a cute little baby Ground squirrel.
He was sharing a hole with 3 other brothers and sisters. ^_^
Wow, great pics,,, but,, um,, are those harder to take than making little kids sit still for family portraits?
No Si, little kids are alot harder to get to sit still.
WWWhhhhooooo am I?
Oh deer....
Man, only when it ain't hunting season, I get within 30 meters of two sweet 4x4 bucks!
Great picture snowdog!
I only shoot them with my camera Carl, I leave that up to Dan.... :D
Plus you never know...maybe thats Santas reindeer scopping out the layout for next year.
Do housepets count? Here is my dog Fluffy. He is a little standoffish til he gets to know you.
Here is spike,,
The only reason birds land on me is they didn't think I looked human. <_<
For those of you who know me,, this was taken the season of the padlock story.
The neighbor's pit bull. nasty dog,, a biter too,,
would you scratch my ears?----right there --no over just a little --aaahhhhhh!!
Some are just sooo cute and cuddly!
Carl
<-------Falls out of the chair! ^_^
Those are great pictures! So you guys have been holding out on pets from us eh?.
Arizona wildlife
Here's another one
Let's go north to Wyoming
OOOps forgot to re-size that last one
Sorry Garry.....Had to do it.... -_-
Besides I wouldn't exactly call her "wild" life......
CP
Sorry Denise I already feel the SHAME..................... :(
GARRY!! And in my animal thread! :( Feel shame....
I resized your pictures for you.
This one is for Si ----it's the neighbors' little horny toad-- or so they tell me!!
You scratched my ears so I cloned myself--you do have two hands don't you?
Now that you met my brother Darryll and my other brother Darryll --it's time to meet me---you guessed it ---I'm darryll (three) too!!
6 A. M.--the sun is up and the dew is running off
This one is for C.P.---next time you are in the dog house you won't have to go to town and buy them --just print it off and put in vase!!
If you are only in a little " trouble " then you could use this one!!
Sorry Denise, I'm a very bad boy. :( I will try to do better But I have an excuse :o I spent all day yesterday with Russ B) It's all his fault :P
Shame on you for blaming that on Santa... ^_^
Beautiful Snowdog! This Humming bird will love them. :)
Can you see the fish?
Heres a hint.....
He does! :D
Sgaolson---this was taken 5 minutes earlier when she first got home from the hair dresser's-----or could this be one of Si' "Chupa Cabres" ?
these are for Mrs. C. P.
one last one----pink is always pretty!! double holly-hock
You must have a very good tele foto lens to get that close.
SDOG Your Killin' me
Want some used goat meat?
Carl
Here is a Mountain Bluebird.
They are so cool! This is the male bird. :)
Spring has to be here --bluebirds and daf-o-dils!!!!
So there I was, hunting the elusive yellow in Stanton AZ, and came across something that I can't explain...so I took his picture. He reminded me of a sasquatch but with somewhat of a shave and a name. He said he just came back from his first try at drywashing, and that he was hot, dirty, and hungry. I just figured that's the way he always looked.
His name?
BEHOLD THE EVIL ERNIE IN THE WILD!!!
Oh, one more thing, I did happen to find a little yeller, it's a little one, about 1/2 a gram. I'll get a pic post haste. But being this is a wildlife thread, I'll post one of my soon to be famous :P b&w's of my fav desert plant, the Saguaro Cactus.
I've seen that lovable creature before...hehe
Just dont try to take his equipment or his snuffer bottle, and you should be fine. :D
You run across some of them slobbering porch cows? You have to watch your water around them.
Snake season is upon us here in the desert. This one is sort of a big boy,, make a little fatter because he just had a big meal.
18 rattles I think. But he didnt cooperate very much,, shake shake shake,,, made them hard to count.
:o Eeeekkkk Si! Watch yourself out there! :)
looks like that guy had a full stomach.
This was our 7 am encounter today. :D
This is a Turkey Vulture. I got this pic of him today.
Man is he ugly. Its hard to see his red head.
my gold buddy max sleeping in my pan, he was just a lil pup then, i dont know if he could fit in the dredge now...lol
He's an adorable dog Wyodust.
Here is a pic I took last summer of a Blue Grouse, and they say this particular one is in the coastal region,
but I took this pic in the Rocky Mountain National Park at 10, 500' or so.
^_^ cool pic, i need to get max on the job..lol
:o Grouse bully!....
From my trip to Stanton- A bird on a cactus.
Another one from Stanton, take a guess on it!
my guess its your right boot!
Man, you should have seen that snake! Doing is hissing and coiling up....lol! Man, what a kicker! Everybody there enjoyed it! Well, execept for the snake, that is. He coiled up so far he flipped over on his back, STILL hissing!
Eeeekkkk! Kids, Do not try this!
Not safe Carl! Is that your hand taunting it?
When im out taking pictures of wildlife, I only interact with them with my camera. I never mess with them. I have had animals react to the shutter on the camera and if at the wrong time of the year, It might cost ya. :o Be careful out there Carl. We prefer you without bite marks. :D
Nah, I have been bit by one of them blowsnakes. Ain't fun and fairly slow healing. Too bad I couldn't have seen a rattler, a number of us was looking for some snake steak.
ok no jokes on my skinny legs now ^_^ max at about a year and a half, hes bigger still...lol my legs arent
a little feller i ran into while deer hunting last fall, luckly the wife was with and she had her camera with, otherwise i would of been forced to shoot it with my 300 win mag, so i could have pics taken of it
Okay, so it's not really wildlife, but, it gave me a chuckle
A man walked into a quiet bar.
He carried three ducks, one in each hand and one under his left arm.
He placed them one beside the other upon the bar.
He had a few drinks and chatted with the ducks, and with the bartender.
The bartender was surprised, but experienced enough to have learned not to ask people about animals they bring into the bar, so he didn't mention the ducks.
They chatted for about another 30 minutes before the man with the ducks had to go to the restroom.
He left the ducks there on the bar.
The bartender was alone with the ducks.
There was an awkward silence as they all looked at one another.
The bartender decided to break the ice and try to make a little conversation.
"Say, what's your name?" he asked the first duck.
"Huey," replied the first duck.
"How's your day been, Huey?"
"Great. Lovely day. Had a ball. Been in and out of puddles all day! What else could a duck want?" said the duck.
"Oh. That's nice," said the bartender.
Then he said to the second duck, "Hi. And what's your name?"
"Dewey," came the answer from duck number two.
"So how's your day been, Dewey?", he asked.
"Great. Lovely day. I've had a ball too! Been in and out of puddles all day myself. If I had the chance on another day I'd do the same again" said the duck in reply.
So the bartender turned to the third duck and said, "So, you must be Louie?"
"No," SHE said, "my name is Puddles."
"And don't even ask what kind of day I've had.".
LMAO!!!!!!!!
Ack Garry!
And here i thought you added a cool animal pic. :P
Hey Denise, speaking of pics....
...here you are showing a pic of what's fer dinner! :P
Carl
You have Prairie Dog on your plate Carl? hehe
This little guy gave me a scare today..... But this Garder snake is harmless.
Dan helped him pose for the picture.
Here is a pic of a Horny Toad . :)
^_^ dan cleans up well.....
tell me what this is ^_^
hope this one is smaller sheesh
try this again ^_^
:P
Great pic wyodust! Petrified wood? Sure is pretty! ^_^
I zoomed in on the first pic of it for you. I hope you dont mind. :D
lol i dont mind.....ok about what it is, i was told it is a petrified tree truck, that had a gyser spraying through it, now i dont know if its true or not, but it sure is a petrified tree trunk.....looks good in the flower bed...lol
sure looks like a giant petrified jelly roll to me! kinda makes me hungery thinking about it! haha
Movement in the tree. Its alive!!! ^_^
Here is a pic of an elk peeking at us...hehe
She was not happy we were looking at her. :D
Living out on this harsh summer desert, I put out a water dish for the creatures. Soon it beat taco bell as the big place to hang out. Critter central. So my next plan was to put a webcam right by the dish to see how it went. Following are about 10 minutes of activity. I'm still playing with the setup to reduce the glare.. Hopefully later pics will have better quality. Anyway,, first the bunnies. There are currently 7 to 10 who hang by the dish. All but one drink as a bunny should quick , furtive, all business, they just drink. But this one pictured is a little off. he stands in the dish itself and sort of bites the water, and unlike the others who scram when they finish,, this one has to check out the camera <_<
Then the bunny sets up by the dish to stand guard. The only problem is he is facing away and 30 quail sneak up behind him and start drinking. He has no clue til a quail flutters a wing jostliing for position. The bunny about jumps out of his skin.
Quail mob!!
Finally,,, Heck,, It's too hot to fight,, how about we just share? ;) :D ^_^
Great pics Si!
Glad to see the new webcam is working good.
;)
Here is a Marmut that we saw in Alma.
We had a black bear in the yard yesterday, so I took his pic. :D
Its the Horrible Spineless Vicious Plant Eating Washington Banna Slug hehehe
Gat.
Now thats just plain gross how did you get that close or are they really that big? shhheeeesshh!!!
The fun part is sprinkling salt on the slugs! makes'em taste better!
Thats an Extremely cool slug Gat! B)
I really like the detail. I wish there were slugs like that here,
But ours are onlya couple millimeters long :P
Did you eat him after?
Here was an ant encounter.
proof that denise will take a pic of anything :P ...good pic tho ^_^
Not so! She ain't got a pic of me yet! YEEEE HAW!
Carl
umm... Actually I do have a pic of you Carl. From the RMMR...hehe
It was at Vic's. :D
Ok, let's see it!
Carl
In the wildlife encounters thread? .....hehe
Ok! Here is Carl in the wild.
You were to busy to look at the cam and smile though. :D
^_^ shouldnt that pic be in the "things that make you go hmmmmm" thread
yep thats carls happy cheeks! hahahaha
I have a few of Carl in the wild also.
^_^ ever heard the saying..."be careful what ya wish for" carl?
Yeah Wyo, yer right on that one! Just goes to show that I gotta get more sun! :D
carl
More sun?....... You already look all burned up other than your legs....
Thanks for sharing the pics Leonard. :D
max when he was just a pup
Nice looking dog Dan...hehe
Here is a pic I got the other day.
Wildlife thread wyo? Uh,, Max doesn't look too wild,,, in fact he looks like he likes the same medicine Elvis did,,
In fact,, the government could use that picture to make ads,,,, this is your dog,,, this is your dog on drugs,,, :P
<_< dont diss my puppy....... he does look like he just had a doggie downer, ya have to see him on pheasants now tho, simply amazing
He IS a cutie,, and I take back the remark about the drugs. But just remember, next time you run out of Alpo,, beer wasnt a good substitute for dinner. ^_^
I wonder tho if that is where the term,,"maxed out",, came from,,
si si si *shakes head* ^_^
heh heh heh! Good one Si!
Carl
well si, im glad your bunnies ate your watermellon patch now.... :P
Hehehehe,,, touche,,, ^_^
Well this isnt quite up to you guys standard but interesting, This is a very tired honey bee that was on top of a flower nearly dead ,i gave it a drink of water & honey and off it went.
its perking up a bit
looking for more
and off it goes
you hero type you, awesome pics <_< better not come sting me, i'll know who to blame
Fantastic bee pics Cornwall! ^_^
Your pics are very much up to standards here.....hehe
Good job, and thanks for sharing them with us.
B)
Ladies and gentlemen,, may I present the new chairman of the board.
(the previous chairman was a foot shorter)
(just goes to show,, size does matter,,)
yikes....yup i guess ...because with that size it would of gotten my attention as well
Thats a pretty big snake Si!
Here is a pic I got lastnight.... Can you see him?
yup hes handsome, i know one place he'd look even better, but i wont say it ^_^
brilled over a hardwood fire with a bit of garlic salt!
Alaska Spruse Hen male
Young Bald Eagles in Alaska
my wildest wildlife picture is burnt into my memory! no camara could possibly capture the expression and look of fear on my face while i was ridding with carl at the RMMR. good thing i had a big rum and coke to ease my nerves! haha sorry carl!
cool pics gat....but could you make them a lil bigger....lol...just kidding, the grouse pic is awesome...denise knows what i think of grouse
That's ok Russ! There's always tomorrow! :o
Carl
Great pictures Gat. I resized them a bit for you.
I know wyodust, you think they are very tasty.
Or was that Max thats thinks they are?
:D
<_< is everyone in here gonna diss my dog
lets just say....WE enjoy them
WyoDust, fine men like you and myself, fine men that love dogs, don't go around "diss'ing" another man's companion.
Carl
Wyo, it's a little known fact that there are other ways that dogs can go bad, besides taking drugs. For instance,, do you check your phone bill for 900 numbers?
<_< ok thats it, im heading to new mexico to take the cages off your late melon plants :P
Too late Wyo, the bunnies took out my last plant yesterday :(
well now si, im sorry to hear that
<_< but max isnt
wyoming sunset
heres a billy antelope that kinda lives on our place
and a new pic of max...rawrrrr hes wild ^_^
Wow, I heard designer drugs would make your eyeballs glow,, I had no idea how brightly tho
:P -_- :)
Hear we go. hehehe Joe
Hello Si and Joe,
This is just so unfair, unreasonable and un-American of you(I'm choking here) ----- to tell a Wyoming man that his State looks like s--t is one thing and could be excused as jest, but, to tell him his "best", and probably only, friend is a druggy is beyond the joke. Now, when I stop laughing, I respectfully suggest that we all apologise for our un-deserved merriment at this "poor-mans" expense ------ shameful and scandalous in the extreme --- choke --- HEHEHEHAHAHA,
Kind Regards(snigger)
Michael Thornberry.
ok you win, im done posting pics
Don't stop putting your pixs' on the web as all lot of like to see them I for one love the one of the antelope.
dont worry i wont.....
i dont give in that easy B)
No reason to worry when you see Si's dog.... :o
Thats not my dog,, that's the Taco Bell dog, after he started mutating from eating too much of the mystery ingredients in the fire sauce. I think he ultimately will look distressingly similar to a pop star who lost one glove.
Fantastic pics Dan! Im a sucker for a good sunset.
Thanks for sharing them with us. :)
;) i know you are.... :P the picture didnt do it justice either, one of the prettiest ive seen....got to share it with wifey tho
Star from chat sent me this picture. Im not sue where she got the pic from,
but WOW! Now thats a big bear!
heres a rooster pheasant i got a couple years ago
a hungarian partridge, max's first ever bird ^_^
Hey Si, you wanted some "Dial a Cat" numbers, right? Here ya go!
**********
**********
**********
:o
There's plenty for you to try!
Carl
I edited your post Carl. I didnt think you putting in your girlfriends #'s was needed....
Just kidding...hehe
Here is a pic I took this summer.....Sorry, Im missing the warm weather a bit.
It was -6 here yesterday, with wind chills at -30 in some areas.....bbrrrrr
I went for a walk the other day and I was being followed.
Kind of scary because he was in rut..... :D
He followed me for quite a ways, and when I would stop, he would stop...
and as soon as I would start to walk again, it would follow.
Actually was pretty cool. :)
Here is a pic of him.
And no you cant shoot him Wyodust!! lol
BTW....Cool pics of your house decor...hehe
Mmmmmm....backstrap....(drool).... :P
momma moose and twins - Wood River Valley - South of Meteetse Wyoming
Thanks Carl. That was really intelligent. <_< Guess you thought you were at a dfifferent kind of forum,
because this one doesnt need posts like that.
Beautiful picture nebraskadad. Thank you for sharing it with us. B)
I did a reply yesterday, but apparently I goofed and it didn't get posted.
I agree it's stupid and feel free to delete the post.
Carl
me at a old mine by douglas creek
took some pix from around the house...my horse laying down with a buddy
^_^ then some more friends flew in for a visit
same shot, from a different perspective :P
Great pics Dan! Nice to see your kitty likes birds like you do..
Strange how the bunny likes the horse.
Guess friends come in many sizes.
^_^
Here is a pic of a friendly Fox. ^_^
Ah ,thats the resident fox denise, lock up your chickens or he will be coming over for dinner.
wow, you really got some milage out of this post! nice pictures!
Dont have chickens anymore Cornwall, but If I did, you know I would...
Thanks!
This is one of my favorite threads Russ. ^_^
Thats a great winter coat he has it would make a fine rug.
i can arrange that cw..... ^_^ new toy to try out.....sooooooo puts arm around denise......where was that pic taken ;)
I dont think that even you you can sweet talk denise into giving you that location
wyo.
cp already told me cw ;)
Here is a pic Dan took on his way to work.
Here is the pic he took before he scared it off.
nice picture of carl! hehe!
awwww, now what did that poor sheep do to you to deserve that comment Russ?....hehe
what i hope to come by this elk season...lol
Great picture Wyo! Shame it isnt yours.... ...hehe
Here is one I took.
October Road Invaders.
here's a neat pic from our fourth of july camp
This is a rare daytime photo of the blue and black land Manatee, this rare creature is usually only on land at nite, preferring the cold depths of a creek by day, we were able to lure this one out with a box of chocogiles and a bottle of crown royal, dont get to close!
out our back window
Its beautiful Wyodust!! Thanks for sharing the pic with us.
If that rooster was out my back window he would have a .22 heartattack. Then off to the corck pot. Joe
no way joe
MMmmmm! Diiiiiinner!
I did make a couple of friends though- the morning after hauling the dredge out I went down again to get misc. stuff and when I climbed that steep bank I startled this buck and he jumped back about 10' and stood there lookin at me broadside. I went right into my routine of "Hey Buck, how's it goin? Doin any good lately... He just stood there- stuck his nose up and smelled- figured I didn't smell human so mozied off slowly with me following still talking to him wishing I had my camera on me at the first. I got to my camera and tracked him down close to camp but after that first 10' encounter closest I could get was 20' but still got a good pic. Meet Buck
and here is one of our more sociable guests- I could hold the feeder and she would still eat- though the male even though more colorful was not nearly so tame haha. Here's my pet Hummingbird for the week.
Mark
i had an encounter with a mule deer buck
it lost
oops, sorry i forgot to resize the pic dan
Mick i have a correction for you, that is a "TAGGED" blue and black manatee. it has been marked on the lower right apendage for critter controll!haha
ooooo Love the humming bird pic Mark!
Cant wait till they come back........Should be soon, spring is here.
Here is a picture of a Pronghorn........"the fastest mammals in North America-
They can run over 50 miles per hour (80 kph)."
This one was taken when I was out with my guys.
Lifes much better, when you have someone special to enjoy it with.
I dont have any "wildlife" pictures but old Speck is pointed on a covey of quail ; )
He was a fine quail dog until he passed in 06.
Fantastic picture Jon! Old Speck looks like he did very well at his job.
Thanks for sharing it with us.
Guess I wasnt the only one wondering if there was gold in the pan...hehe
great point! im sure you miss him a lot! good looking dog!
This is one encounter Im glad I didnt have.
The hole going into the web was bigger than a quarter.
Have no fear.......I'll send in this wild mountain cat to chomp that big spider.
(Blurry picture due to the creatures fast movements)
Ok.....
Guess he just seems like a wildlife encounter sometimes.....hehe
He is good at eating those pesky spiders for me though. Even on command.
This one is thinking.....Shhhhhhhh, dont move and she wont see us.
How many can you see?
i see several deer! one is back in the creek line and one is up front behind the bush.
There are 3 in that pic.....2 behind the bush to the left (resting)....and 1 behind to the right.
Here is another pic after they got irritated with me and decided to leave. 4 In this pic.
I tend to have that effect...but usually with people....hehe
Here are a few pictures Trevor in western Australia (TWA) sent me of some of the Koalas that have been forced into peoples yards due to the lack of water for them right now.
Pics taken by several people who have had Koala encounters.
Sheesh! Im the only one who thought those pics were cute?....sigh
Thanks for sending us the pics Trevor. I loved them!
Here are a few yard intruders....hehe
Rocky Mountain weed eaters?
Who needs a lawn mower with them around.
PEEPS AND SHEEPS...
[attachment=3321:CO_sheep.JPG]
Too funny!
Very cool picture Johnny! Whats the story behind the peeps with the sheeps?....hehe
I would love to hear.
Here are some furry rock tenders.....hehe
Marmots can be found in the high country.
These were above 10,000 feet.
Lets see your wildlife pictures.
We have been putting the http://www.coloradoprospector.com/cp_webcam.html on the bird feeder.
Here are a few kinds of birds you may see....Pics pulled off the webcam page.
The one on the left is a male red house Finch, and his mate is to the right.
Here is a better picture of his colors.
This one is a bit larger. Lets see who knows their birds.
Can anyone tell me what this one is?
Enjoy the webcam!
Here is another kind of feeder with another kind of bird. Im talking tiny.
This Broad-tailed Hummingbird is only 4 1/4" big. This pic was pulled from the webcam page.
This is a picture of a Rufous Hummingbird, even smaller at 3 1/2" big. The males are a bright copper color, with red throats.
They are very agressive little birds.....and yes......He is as mad as he looks.
Some crazy woman was in the way of his feeder.
Furry rock tenders?
Nice birds honey
Here are a family of doll sheep we spotted recently out stashing a club geocahce.
Don't usually see 3 youngsters the same age in one family group but this mama seems to have triplets.
Think she may have been given us the ol' evil eye warning too.... Then off down the very steep hillside they went.
Here's one critter we saw yesterday out scoutin' around. Was way too close of an encounter as I stepped only a foot or so from it. Good thing it wasn't any closer but my heart still skipped about 3 beats! No bite thank you, I'll just go this way instead.
Prarie rattlesnake, short tempered too, only tried a few pics and it started coming toward us.....time to go.
Yes, it's a tad fuzzy, told ya' my heart was skippin'!
Cp - In all the years I've been hunting on the eastern plains - antelope, prairie rats, coyotes, birds, etc - I've never seen a rattler in the wild. As close as that one was to you, I hope I never have that "opportunity". I think we'd have a call go out for "wet cleanup on aisle 1". Where did you come across that guy?
It was close to a "wet clean up on aisle 1" Rich
This snake was at about 8,250 ft elevation in the San Luis Valley near Penitente canyon. Late in the afternoon when the temps were begining to drop down a bit from the heat of the day. We were in very thick underbrush about waist high, perfect snake habitat.
They say for this type situation to carry a walking stick and prod a bit ahead of you, this will let any snake know your coming and gives you a better chance to see it earlier than I did that fellow.
I've also seen rattlers at about the same elevation much further north in the Cache La Poudre canyon too, dang near jumped right in the creek that day. In truth there are lots more snakes out there and we are all usually lucky enough not to have those close encounters.
Stay safe out there everyone.
CP
There are some pretty mean critters out there.
Here is one on the smaller side, but looks like he can handle himself.
You all know me, If I see a good photo shot Im going to take it!
This was a great spot with the water reflection perfectly still.......I get the shot all ready and take it. But wait a minute, the water doesnt look so still now. Seems this little beaver decided to play games with me.
It was only as long as my forearm and was hidding in some brush against the water, but now it had something fun to do. Very determined to ripple the water as best as it could, it swam out to the deeper part of the water and began to play peek-a-boo with me.
Mtn. almost looks like part of Alamosa Canyon
Cuy......and yes, I ate it;
Gads!! Flame broiled guinea pig, or rattle snake steaks?.........
I'll pass thanks!
Nice to know Im not the only one enjoying Colorado's scenery.
Sweet picture Johnny! Love the wildlife encounter pictures. Here is one I took of a baby buffalo with its momma. We actually saw the baby the first time moments after it was born, but didnt want to stress momma out too much being around taking pictures. This picture was taken about 5 days later. Moving in close for a good shot was a chore, as my camera doesnt have the good zoom power as Swizz or Johnny's camera does. I said out loud to her as I moved in closer, "just one more picture pretty girl". As soon as I said that, she shook her head really hard as to say "NO". I was thinking to myself........ If I was the mad momma, this puny little fence wouldn't hold me back so surely it wouldn't her.......So I stopped right there and took the shot. It was well worth the time and effort I think!
How about this picture, it sure has alot going on in it............Makes me think..........The time to "spring" into action.
This is one dig you dont want to race up on!
If one does, they might get to meet Mr. Badger up close.
Notice the badger scat on the ground between the tailing and the bush behind the hole?
Here is one that I took on an outing the first week of April. I was walking into the opening of an old mine pit when I noticed there were snakes everywhere. I was surprised to see I had almost stepped on several that I had passed. I could see where they were coming out of a crack in the mine shaft. I did not see any visible minerals but watching a group of Gardner Snakes come out of hibernation was worth the hike up to the shaft.
Hi all,
Took a few bird pics today while I was out and about.
These are migratory birds which stop by each spring but I'm not sure what they are.
Pics aren't professional quality but ok... variable light conditions with a big lens and no tripod.
Maybe a knowledgeable bird person could help ID them.
Meadowlark?
This was a hard bird to shoot, spent most of it's time under water.
Spoonbill?
Not sure what this is, but cool bird... about the size of a chicken
Great bird pictures Chris! Not sure on ID's, I would have to get my bird book out to know for sure.
Don't you just love the spring time?
We've had several bunnies coming to our place to drink water and eat the bird seed.
They are pretty funny to watch! One bunny was chasing the other around like he was a bunny caboose. She would just turn around and smack at him. After all the chasing around, he decided to get a drink but she had other plans. She procedded to drag the water bowl away from him. Guess he wasn't water worthy. I had to bury the bowl into the ground a bit so sharing wasn't an issue.
I'm going to try to get pictures, or maybe even have them on the webcam.
HAAA! You need to get a vid of those bunnies!
I have identified two of my birds so far.
The first pic is not a Meadowlark.... it's a Yellow-Headed Blackbird.
The last pic is of a Glossy Ibis.
Still haven't identified the the other two, but I know "Spoonbill" is incorrect.
I love the bird you thought was a spoonbill, but I still can't figure out what it is.
Well the bunnies didn't like the fact that I was out there with the camera and not the seed, but..........
Look out Hugh Hefner, the CP's have hot bunnies on cam!
Well, hot enough to want a drink anyway. I guess Im lucky on this Friday the 13th.......I have several rabbit's feet!
Ok, Timmy wanted me to clarify that NO BUNNY WAS HARMED FOR THAT JOKE! All feet are still intact, see.
(Note the little white feet at the top of the photo)
The cat on the other hand had different plans when I set up the cam.
He moved in behind the cam and sat there as if to say..."OK, action!"
He was promptly removed..
Thanks Chris, I wasnt able to locate my bird books so it was driving me nuts not knowing what they were. The American Avocet sure is a beautiful!
The swimmer was really hard to tell since it was mostly under the water. Dan said he must have been plenty full!
Even with the distinctive bill, I couldn't figure out what it was. I googled the swimmer (Pied-billed Grebe) and went through several pages before I found one mostly underwater, and it was a baby. Good shot you took!
Thanks, I do love my furry friends alot! I just wish they all could get along!
Here is a picture of the cat hoping to be part of the camera crew.......I think not!
Here is a cute little lizard that was in the yard yesterday.
That looks like a species of Horny Toad. Very cool, I didn't know we had those in Colorado.
Great pic!
Dan thinks maybe a Horned lizard? I can't seem to find out what it is, but definately moved like a lizard.
This one was friendly enough to let you touch it. Hard to believe that these little guys squirt blood out the corners of their eyes as a defense.
Colorado definately has some cool lizards!
This visitor, on the other hand is NOT WELCOME in my yard!
Only as thick as my index finger and not even 12" long. As you can see, it is still so young that its tail tip (the rattler) is still black.
Even scarier than an adult rattlesnake, and im sure it has brothers and sisters.
wow Denise, definitely a scary little critter there.
I'm not sure if it's fact or not, but I think I've heard that baby Rattlers can be more venomous than adults?
Snakes in general don't freak me out but anything venomous gets my attention.
One of the bonuses of living at altitude is little or no Rattlers up here thankfully... I've never encountered one. No Black Widows up here either but lots when I lived in Eldorado Springs years ago, don't like them.
Fascinating markings on that Rattler... maybe a small hatband or bracelet?
Took this pic early this spring on the way to Drake of some bighorn sheep coming down to drink from the river.
Hey Denise, Maybe that little feller was just out searching for his long lost cusion. I think I found him, here he is.
Fantastic picture Hoose, looks like it was a great day to be out exploring!
I had to put him in a box till I could deal with him. This was taken last year in Kuwait. I was opening the door to a porta-potty and noticed a movement at the base of the door. He was probably about 6 inches from my foot. I'm not one to kill wildlife unless I am going to consume or use it but this one defiantly did not need to be hanging out in our only latrine. So I put him in a box and took him out in the desert. I think it was a Puff Adder or Death Adder, not exactly sure. He had some baby blue on his markings. Kind of neat. Woody
I saw this ant attacking a caterpillar as it was crawling out yesterday. If you zoom in close, you can see the ant's stinger!
Nice pics everyone!
Here's another slithering traveler we saw recently. A 3ft bull snake out looking for a snack, thought it was cool in the pic it was doing it's rattle snake impression by compressing it's head muscles in an attempt to look more like a vipers head.
I saw some mud-eroded Cougar tracks on my claim today but wasn't positive on the ID
.... until I followed the tracks and found this
Ewwwww, well don't touch it! Hope you packed in some hand sanitizer.
Is that a feather with it by your hand? Hard to tell by the picture, but is that bone in there or is that feather also?
Inquiring minds want to know.
It is large cat scat with feathers and bones in it.
Pretty old stuff so I wasn't too concerned... but yes, washed my hands.
Even better than hand sanitizer!
That snake Dan pictured above had me worried for a bit. The day after I saw it, I was telling him about it and where I had seen it.
He looks at me and says "like that" and then points out the window..........
There it was again! Hey, I don't recall giving him frequent slitherer miles through our yard!!
It slithered through the yard past the water dish for the bunnies and stopped to smell the board that I put bird seed on, then moved along. I watched the next day, but I haven't seen it again.
Now having to deal with a HUGE pissed off female black widow.....sigh
Bet she is protecting an egg sack somewhere close.
hmmm... remember that 70s hit by Jerry Reed "I Don't Like Spiders and Snakes"?
I actually like Bull Snakes. I got to know them quite well when I lived in ElDorado Springs. Some that I encountered there were in the 7-8ft range but mostly docile and fun to observe. I don't care for spiders in general but do my best not to harm them. Harmfully venomous spiders are my enemy and I destroy them if they have set up shop in my living space, otherwise I leave them alone. ElDorado Springs also has a healthy population of Black Widows unfortunately. I was always careful where I stuck my fingers and toes.
What an ordeal it has been trying to make sure the cat and dog don't harass the bunnies that have been coming in.
It's to the point now that when I go out to fill the water dish and put out bird seed, one of the bunnies comes running in at me following me around till I'm done.
Surprisingly, the dog only wants to watch them while she lays in the shade. She has sat before under the bird feeder watching, while the birds almost land on her. One bunny even hopped over to her as to say "what are you going to do about it", but she just watched, never moved. She enjoys the wildlife also.
The cat on the other hand acts like he just wants to watch, but when a bunny or bird makes a fast move, he jumps up like hes going to pounce. Don't worry, I have this cat under control. He had his chance to be a good boy, but he blew it.
I seen Jim do this song in a concert at Paonia way back in the late 70's or possibly 1980. It was at the Annual Cherry Blossom Festival they have there every year. Or at least they used to. I don't know if they still have those. It was a great time for us kids. Thanks for the freebie trip down Memory Lane, Woody.
Your welcome Woody, nothing better than a free trip down memory lane with music as the ticket to get you there.
Silly me, and here I was thinking/hoping that those "mini mine shafts" were made by the Jerusalem cricket, but Timmy also found one with a big spider climbing out of it.
When Woody mentioned that Colorado also has a version of the camel spider, curiosity almost got the best of me but I couldn't bring myself to ask you to elaborate.
Guess some things are best learned hands on.
Its all Woody's fault we are seeing these things now!
Spiders should not have hair!! Its just not right.
Female wind scorpion.....
Good question OklaPony, but Im not sure spiders dig deep enough to get a good sample.
I remember at an outing in Fairplay after checking out the area, Dan made a comment about testing the dirt from a huge ant pile in a good location.
Sounds silly, but those guys started to dig and found nice gold.....all the same size.
Pop quiz!
Who can tell me why all the gold found in the ant hill was the same size?
No one wants to even take a crack at the answer?
It's pretty interesting information I think.
You’re killing me here smalls,
I've been patiently waiting to hear the answer to the ant question. All the while I have been trying to come up with a sound, "witty" response. And once again, I got none. The only thing I can come up with is this,
Is it because they are all genetically the same size and strength and they all want to move the best/heaviest material that can find. Therefore making all the material uniform in weight?? Just my guess, Woody.
Today's encounter.
I didn't have my dog or pea-shooter, but thankfully at least I had my camera this time! Thank God my dog wasn't there, would not have been good.
Took this while I was chinking one of the small cabins at the ranch today (ever get that feeling someones looking at you? ). I weigh-in at about a buck seventy... and I'd put this cinnamon Black Bear easily at twice my weight and then some. Definitely one of the largest I've seen and it wouldn't scare off. He lumbered away when he felt like it... I need to change my "go away Bear" routine to something more fresh .
I took a bunch of shots but my adrenaline was full tilt and this is one of the few with good clarity.
Starin' at me like a plate of pork chops?
Starin' at me like a plate of pork chops?
No , not like pork chops but more like Swizz Chops!
Great looking Bear Swizz. I hope you were able to have a good look at his tracks. In compairson, they should of been noticably larger than the ones we saw two weeks ago. If I see this one during Archey SeasonI'd go ahead and take him. Nice Picture, it kind of looks like he wanted to talk to you. See you on the weekend, Woody.
Great shot Swizz!
Nice to have the camera ready when a nice shot like that comes along.
The bear looks calm, just curious I would guess. No agressiveness about him. I bet that shot will crop down to a very nice protrait.
I just picked up a used d200 for my bag and I have AF lenses that go from 28mm out to 1000mm
Diickb
Fantastic picture Chris, even has wildflowers!
Dang, when you said you were a bear magnet this year you weren't kidding. Your encounters have Dan and myself thinking that there may be more to it than meets the eye. Lets break this down a bit shall we......
Well we know you like to get out there in remote places and enjoy this great land of ours.
We also know you love to prospect and fish.
But wait
Bears love fish!
Could you be mixing the two causing you to have a "fish smell" on you when you are out prospecting ......like your hat or coat that you wear when you fish and prospect that doesn't get washed as often? Bear's have great sniffers and it wouldn't take much of a smell to bring them in. Just a thought.
Any more guesses/answers on why the gold from the ant hill was the same size? Lets hear them now so we can put poor Woody out of his misery.
I also took an encounter picture recently, but it gave me an idea for another fun thread.
Thanks yous guys!
Denise, I like the fish theory... that may hold water.
However... I don't think that was the case in either of my encounters this year. I think this Bear is the Ranch trouble-maker... caretaker said a Bear's been flipping over dumpsters at night. The Ranch is way off the grid and there isn't civilization for miles, large property surrounded by many miles of NF. I bet that Bear has laid claim to that turf cuz it's the only party in the woods. Odd to see him in broad daylight though... scarier at night I bet.
My other Bear encounter this spring was also in broad daylight but a worse scenario, it was in interested in my dog tied up at camp. Bear was on the other side of the creek facing her with front paws in the water until it saw me. Lulu was fired up and ready for action on this side of the creek with her paws in the water snapping and such... Jesus that was a panic. It was all I could do to furiously untie her from the tree and scramble to drag her into the safety of the vehicle. I then faced the Bear and it stayed there for a while after I secured Lulu... listening to me yelling at it... then it walked upstream and disappeared. That was spring and I suspect that one had not been out of hibernation long. We made eye contact for a while (10 seconds?) and I'm really curious what that one was thinking. It didn't give me the impression that it was hostile but I have to wonder what would have become of my dog if I wasn't there. I didn't see any cubs around but ya never know in a situation like that. It was an adult but not as big as the one I just took pics of.
The ants are actually very strong for their size. Although much of what they use to build their colonies are heavier than each ant, they can move/lift up to 30 times their own weight. Imagine if you weigh in at 100 pounds, you could lift 3,000 lbs......
So we'd have to assume weight isn't the factor.
Size of the gravels comes from the requirements of air circulation and heat/temp regulation within the colony. Each species of ant uses only a certain size range of materials and very intricately designs the colony to stay a certain temp, drains off water, etc.....all just for the sake of the colony/larvea's exsistence.
When in gold bearing dirt, the ants there (which ever species) will gather any gold pieces that fit their size range and use them along with all other gravels found of that size. Smaller ants like black ants will have tiny gravels where as some of the larger carpenter ants (red and black) will gather much larger gravels and the gold found on those will be nice little chunkers not flour! And don't worry, ant's float well they'll just walk of the water after wards and rebuild.....it's what they do.
CP
And when dealing with gold less than 2.5mm in size on a placer claim, the ants are your best friends.
When you are working your claim, assess the gravel size & frequency. IOW out of a cubic yard of bank run, how much is 6" or larger, 3" to 6", 1" to 3", <1", etc., and then calculate the amount of material you would have to move to equal the work the ants have performed. If the anthill is 3.5' dia. and 8" tall, you have approx. 1.68 cubic feet of material you can test, if bringing the hill level to the surrounding terrain.
If on a 20 acre claim you find 45 ant hills (not unusual, but conservative), you now have 75 cubic feet of material to test and map. Calculate the equal man-labor to do the testing and calculate the expense you would incur to do the testing. There's your proof of labor.
So when you see an anthill, pay them for their efforts.
Fantastic picture Dean! Hummingbirds are tough to get pics of in flight but you nailed it. I would love to see more of your photography.
Thanks for sharing the photo with us and keep up the good work.
No gold found from these ants!
This is a cool piece of wood that the carpenter ants made a home from.........We were told that if we feed the uninvited guests uncooked grits for breakfast, that they won't be a problem anymore.
Here is a picture of the ants........
Carpenter ants are one thing, but it's a whole different story when you hear your child yell out "RATTLESNAKE!!!"
It's even scarier to get there and find a Mojave (green) rattlesnake right up against your place shaking it's thing.
Beautiful lime green color, but had to go!
I have never personally killed a rattlesnake....or any snake for that matter, so CP took the opportunity to give Timmy and myself a lesson while we both were there. He's a great hands on teacher!
Gads!! Was like a scene right out of a horror movie! I have heard stories of what happens when you kill them, but it's alot different seeing it for yourself. Enough to give a person nightmares!! I have to say that Timmy was officially freaked out, but now has more knowledge on how dangerous they really can be.....even dead!
Thanks for the lesson CP!
I'm guessing it went something like this:
LOL! That must've been some fight!
Here is a cool Dragonfly that survived the cold and the snow. Poor thing seems to have an issue with it's upper right wing, so it wasn't able to fly. I found it a good spot to hang out and warm up.
This was a little encounter we had. It's not wildlife but If it didn't get out....he may have had a wildlife encounter himself that evening. He was sure fighting to get out, but his front legs wouldn't move.
We reported it to one of the locals that said they would call it in. Hopefully they got it out, because temps that evening reached a low of 6.......brrrrr.
The water is not a place one wants to get stuck in for the evening.
A change in the weather as you an see. The bunnies we're sleeping in this morning, but the birds still venture out to get a drink and some seed.
Looks like Prancer is getting some well deserved rest after all his hard work from Christmas.
Nothing better than relaxing with the ladies in the sunny San Luis Valley.
Happy New Year Everyone!!
Here is a cute little video I took of a couple of bunnies showing part of their courting ritual.
They usually get out into a clearing and almost looks like a bull fight.....and when the one charges, the other jumps up into the air and the other runs under it. They land and turn around and repeat. It looks really cute to watch.
Enjoy!
Bunny_Funny1.wmv ( 2.16MB )
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Good bunny flick Denise!
Here's a pic of my lunch partner during my last log chinking project.
It's adorable! It almost looks like it was posing for you.
(hey, speaking of "adorable"....)
What a nice surprise spring has brought to the homestead this year..... Fox pups!
They are clumsy and really funny to watch playing.
In about 10 seconds Mom came strolling up with lunch and I left immediately
As I was turning I noticed Dad close and giving me the stink-eye! He's not making a happy-face (you can tell by his ears).
Those are fantastic pictures Chris!! The mother is beautiful!!!
Don't you just love this time of year!
Love seeing the wildlife babies! Those fox pups sure are cute!!! Here is one of many little baby kits (bunnies) that have been in the yard lately. This one was playing hide and seek from me under a pallet. It is small enough to fit in my hand.
HAAAA.... what a mug!
The babies are growing quick. Bet those fox pups are also. Here is a picture of one (out of 4) of the baby bunnies that was enjoying the new spring foliage.
This baby bunny thinks 80 is hot enough to take a break in the shade for a bit......I agree!
what the?????
That one is also from the Groucho family.
Have you ever been out having fun with your friends and you decided to take a picture? And of course there is always someone there in the back ground just trying to mess up the shot for you. Well that happened to me two weekends in a row.
Here take a look at these and you will see what I mean ~lol~
Oh "deer" Woody! Don't you just hate when that happens.
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