consworld

Western bluebird and two hungry mouths to feed. The nest is high in an old aspen. I cropped away more than half the image I was able to capture from a respectful distance with my telephoto zoom extended to 400mm.

Birds

Along with the afternoon rains this month, we’ve also had a good bit of lightning. I like photographing the storm clouds above the mountain horizon.  This capture was done through a double glazed window since it was raining too hard for me to take the camera outside. I focused out and beyond the rain spotted glass to capture the horizon just in time for the lightning.

rain

Birds

Birds

Summer’s finally here and so are ducklings. My first sighting of the tiny yellow and brown swimmers was on an early morning walk around the lakes at Lower Lake Ranch.

Clouds overhead reflect white in the dark water while low morning sunlight traveled up the valley to light this straggler.

The reflections changed as I moved around the lake. Light changed, too, cloudy one moment, a bit of bright sun the next.

Birds

I woke up early this morning dreaming of photographing flowers.  It was a good day for working the flowers alongside the bees and hummingbirds. The columbines around my home are taller and have many flowers thanks to all the  rain we have had this year.

wildflowers

I looked up the hill to see a fox staring at my cat in his cat run. After the first capture the she looked away as if to hide her interest in him. But, the tongue licking the lips told the truth. I’m glad my cat is always safe inside our house or the cat run.

fox

Goose with goslings, one of the images I’m printing for bookmarks this year.

Birds

Lions Head, clouds

At my house we love the aspen color in the spring. When the leaves unfold they are shiny and bright. As they grow into summer the color dulls, of course, so I have been trying to capture some of the spring color now.

spring, trees

It’s a normally a busy time of year and this year even busier. At least it’s been raining so we don’t have wildfires to worry about - yet.

My pigment ink printer stopped working a couple of weeks ago while I was preparing for June shows. I was very annoyed by this at such a busy time, but am now extremely happy with the new printer bought to replace the old one. The epson pro 3800 fits in the same space my hp b9180 did, but can accept wider papers. And most importantly, the prints are perfect.

I’ve also been busy uploading photos to my new portfolio site at zenfolio and quite happy with it, too, though I haven’t accomplished as much as I’d planned. You can see what I’ve on display there so far.

Going to a BBQ in the rain today! After that, more printing, cutting, matting, and framing. First show is next Sunday at Buffalo Creek, Colorado.

clouds

beaver

goslings nibbling grass by the lake

This morning at Lower Lake Ranch I found the Canada goose still sitting on the nest I’ve been watching. Then, I wandered around looking for something else to photograph and found a family of geese with six goslings near the creek. The parents didn’t want me close to the kids but I managed to get a few images without troubling them too much as they moved between the creek and lake. There are three pairs of adult Canada geese staying at the ranch ponds this spring.  I wonder how many goslings will be there tomorrow.

My field guide for N. American birds says they nest in Alaska and Canada. But then I checked the breeding map and saw an area along the southern and central Rockies in the U.S. marked as a breeding area for them as well. They must like it here as much as I do.
 

 

cute baby on the creek bank

Birds, I and the bird

Georgia, spring, trees

clouds

western bluebird

flicker on dead aspen

flicker, full image

Birds

barn storm

Captured while snow shoeing on Lower Lake Ranch at Elk Falls during the storm. As I worked my way up the creek the snow fell harder and the camera only left the bag to make quick image here and there.

picnic, anyone?

To go or not?

snow, spring

male mallard

This beautiful couple stood on an icy pond just before sunset yesterday evening.

female mallard

Birds

ponderosa

It was a bright sunrise after an April snow, but only for an hour or so. By late morning it was snowing and blowing again. Spring snows are much wetter than our winter ones.

 

more snow

spring, trees

spring snow

An overnight snow fall last week made a perfect morning for a walk on the guest ranch in the valley below my house. Light snow was still falling as I began my walk.

bridge over elk creek

Weak sunlight begins to filter through the clouds as I photograph the barn with lions head soft in the cloudy background.

 

at the barn

spring color along the creek

 

 

two geese on upper lake

two newcomers

The 2nd pair continue to circle and call,

circling pair

then land on the snow covered ice at the other end of the lake.

geese landing

The lead goose lands gracefully followed by a sliding partner.

still sliding

As the clouds lift and the sun rules the sky, I move up the creek to photograph lions head from a couple of other favorite locations.

Near crop rock:

ponderosas and lions head

And, from lion’s foot.

snow