Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR, October 2026

I was reminded of two truisms about wildlife photography on Saturday.  First, golden hour light is the best light.  Otherwise uninteresting scenes become something magical right after sunrise and right before sunset.  Second, animals are also more active during those times.  I can gripe about why it's inconvenient to shoot at those times, but that won't make more animals appear or the light better outside those times.

The Mile High Wildlife Photo Club knows these things.  That's why when we planned an outing to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge yesterday, we met at 6:40 a.m.

And I'm glad we did. :)

Nine of us gathered and split into different vehicles.  I hopped into the back of one, which afforded me the opportunity to move from the left to the right side of the car depending on where the shots were.  Like this little White-tailed Deer lady having some breakfast...

...and this other doe doing the same.

The American Bison were out in force, although a good distance away and not in great light.

The deer, while far fewer in number, were closer and bathed in golden sunshine.

Prairie dogs are always plentiful.  On my visits now I'm mainly looking for group shots or cute behavior.  This trio gave me both.

I'm not exactly sure what the birds are on the back of this lone bison.  I suspect Brown-headed Cowbirds.

The light on this Red-winged Blackbird revealed some stunning colors and textures.

I love how there's just enough texture in the clouds to add a little extra visual interest to this otherwise stark scene.

We got an unexpected sight when a group of bison passed running full tilt.  The dust they were kicking up works well with the backlight.

This Ferruginous Hawk had attracted quite a bit of attention, as we had only seen one other raptor on two circuits around the Wildlife Drive.  Three cars had stopped to take its picture, which not surprisingly it eventually tired of and flew off.

By 9 a.m. the sun was high, the light harsh, and we'd seen about everything we felt likely to see.  Two hours at the right time of day sure presented more quality sights than we would have probably seen in significantly more time later in the day.  So a great visit!

Related Links:

• Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR, June 2026
• Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR, April 2025
• City Park & Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR, July 2019
• Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR: Mule Deer and Sunsets
• Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR Hawks: December 2015
• Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR: November 2014
• Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR: May 2014
• Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR: October 2012

Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR, June 2026

I made my eighth trip to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge earlier this week to take some animal photos.  Full disclosure: None of these trips have been great.  I haven't gotten that amazing Bison photo, or even seen Burrowing Owls, much less a Black-footed Ferret.  That said, I've also never had a bad trip.  Taryn joined me a couple of times when she was young.  I've seen (and shot) pretty sunsets, feeding hawks, baby owls, and plenty of deer and prairie dogs.  This visit was another good one.

A leisurely circuit around the Wildlife Drive was all I had planned.  This White-Tailed Deer doe showed only mild interest in me before returning to her grazing.

This doe seemed even less intrigued, which I honestly find kind of impressive.

Western Meadowlarks are pretty much another slam dunk on a RMANWR visit, though I usually see them closer.

The Black-tailed Prairie Dogs never disappoint.  These scuffling youngsters were especially adorable.

This Grasshopper Sparrow had a song in his heart that he was only too happy to share with the world.

Desert Cottontails are also just about a lock to spot.  Munching greens was just as important to this rabbit as it had been to the deer.

I hope one of these two can be the first to say that they're sorry.

Prairie dogs eating > Rabbits and deer eating, because prairie dogs grab their food in their cute little paws.

Like I said, another good visit!  I did see the bison herd, but they were a good distance away and backlit.  No owls or ferrets.  I imagine I'll take another shot soon!

Related Links:

• Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR, April 2025
• City Park & Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR, July 2019
• Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR: Mule Deer and Sunsets
• Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR Hawks: December 2015
• Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR: November 2014
• Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR: May 2014
• Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR: October 2012

Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR, April 2025

I didn't get many wildlife shots in 2024.  That was due in large part to not going to any of my slam-dunk wildlife spots -- Waterton Canyon for Bighorn Sheep, Mt. Blue Sky for Mountain Goats, Brainard Lake for Moose, and so on.  I wanted to get some wildlife shots, so what better place to go for some than a National Wildlife Refuge?  I'd had success at RMA in the past, and this past Friday had the added bonus of falling snow adding a little something.

American Robins were hunkered down in still-dormant bushes right near the start of the Wildlife Drive.

A female Mallard stayed close to the shore of Lake Ladora.

This Canada Goose looked pensive to me, just sort of taking it all in.  But if you've ever met a goose, I don't the word "pensive" actually applies.

This was probably the closest I'd seen the American Bison at the refuge.

I don't think the bison actually noticed it was snowing.

I had my windows down and was driving slowly enough to try and pick up sounds.  I heard this Western Meadowlark before I saw him, loud enough to know that he was close to the road.

Frankly, the meadowlarks were the most active wildlife I saw.  Alone and in pairs, their yellow chest plumage made them fairly easy to spot.

This Swainson's Hawk is flying off in a huff.  I got too close to the tree he was perched atop, and he gave me an earful when he finally decided he'd had enough of me and took off.

I did a second loop on the Wildlife Drive to see if the bison had gotten any closer to the road.  They hadn't.

The Black-tailed Prairie Dogs had emerged on my second circuit, though.  The wind and snow had abated a bit, which may have drawn them out of their holes.

I love how this guy is sitting on his haunches and holding the stalk of grass on which he's nibbling in his little paw.

The trip scratched my wildlife photography itch for the time being, but I do plan to hit some of my regular spots again this summer!

Related Links:

• City Park & Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR, July 2019
• Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR: Mule Deer and Sunsets
• Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR Hawks: December 2015
• Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR: November 2014
• Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR: May 2014
• Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR: October 2012

City Park & Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR, July 2019

I spent one of my days in Colorado meeting various friends for coffee, lunch, and dinner in downtown Denver. I had plenty of downtime in between, and fortunately it's not necessary to head up to the mountains to find wildlife.

A mid-morning stop at Denver City Park yielded the normal collection of Double-crested Cormorants at Duck Lake.  As usual, I saw no actual ducks.

I didn't get any memorable images of individual birds in flight, but oddly did get this shot that I like of a whole group of birds deciding to take off.

Late afternoon saw a fierce thunderstorm roll through as I was headed to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge.  After the rain ended the overcast conditions persisted for a while.  But creatures like this young lady were already out and foraging.

Two fawns were doing what they do best -- blending in.

A Western Kingbird looked for insects from its perch on a millet stalk.

When the sun eventually did come out, temperatures remained cool.  You wouldn't know it from looking at this dramatic Desert Cottontail, though.

These Black-tailed Prairie Dogs knew how to take advantage of the pleasant afternoon.

Small groups of Mule Deer bucks dotted the Wildlife Drive landscape.  I'm not sure what was going on with this guy's right antlers.

This fellow had a much more traditional rack going, which promised to be pretty impressive when the velvet came off.

Knowing the area turned a day downtown into another fine photo safari!

Related Links:

• Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR: Mule Deer and Sunsets
• Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR Hawks: December 2015
• Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR: November 2014
• Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR: May 2014
• Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR: October 2012

Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR: Mule Deer and Sunsets

My visit to Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge was off to a great start with my pair of hawk encounters. As the light faded and I continued my drive, I had a couple of more great photo opportunities still to come.

The first was with a small group of mule deer just north of the Wildlife Drive Turn-Around at the end of 64th Avenue.  They were back in the trees, too far and too obscured for great pictures.  So I sat and waited.  I had the luxury of time -- no plans, nowhere else to be.  And lo and behold, their grazing eventually brought them closer and closer to me.

Of course, everyone else who had stopped to shoot them had long since driven off -- something I'm far too often guilty of myself.  This was to be a case study in the benefit of being patient with wildlife when the opportunity allows.

The prize of the group was an eight-point buck who wasn't just back in the trees.  He was lying down so that only his antlers showed, teasing us.  And like the rest of his little herd, he eventually got up and began to feed.

Slowly the group came toward me and then kept going, past me and across the street.  I was shooting from inside my car at this point so as not to spook them, and had to quickly (and awkwardly) shift to my passenger seat for the best view.

One little fawn hurried to keep up with the others.

Once the deer had crossed the light for continuing to try and shoot them was all wrong.  So I went off in search of a good view of the looming sunset.  I hiked a short way along the Bluestem Loop until I reached this view.  While nice, I thought there must be a better spot.  So I returned to my car and headed back west along the Wildlife Drive.

I had it in my head to try the Ladora Loop for something with the lake in the foreground.  I do love my water reflections.  But power lines really hurt the view.  So I returned to the Wildlife Drive and caught sight of the Denver skyline, beautifully backlit by vivid oranges and yellows off the mountains.  This was the spot.

Speaking of power lines, this shot originally had six of them.  I dusted off my long-dormant Photoshop skills and did, I think, a respectable job taking them out.  Software is scary.  But this scene is definitely NOT scary. :)

Four stops, three of which yielded some wonderful photos.  A terrific Colorado winter day!

Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR Hawks: December 2015

After missing my planned sunrise shot due to my own boneheadedness, my New Year's Eve Eve Day (that's Dec. 30) had gotten much better. First the unexpected bald eagle sighting in TrailMark, then some time with the bighorn sheep in Waterton Canyon. My "photo finish," if you will, was to spend the afternoon at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge.

Bison and raptors topped my wish list of subjects.  The bison eluded me yet again; I've yet to get a great shot of one after six visits to the refuge.  But I had better luck with the raptors, beginning with what I believe is a light morph red-tailed hawk on the north leg of the wildlife drive.

I was able to sit and watch him pretty patiently, but didn't get the takeoff photo I was hoping for as he moved from tree to tree.  Still, this shot is better than a stick in the eye.  Oh, wait -- that's exactly what it is.  A STICK IN THE EYE.  Too bad about that branch, because I otherwise love the stare.

I watched this adult red-tailed hawk have a successful hunt for a mid-afternoon snack, then bring it right back to a tree near where I was parked.  It was easy enough to maneuver my car into perfect position, then clamber halfway out the window to record his meal.

So I possibly should have warned before this shot that the images do get a little graphic.  Hawks are not dainty eaters.

He didn't waste much of what he caught.  I watched intestines and even pelt go down the gullet.

When finished, he appeared to wipe his beak clean on a branch and prepare to take a little siesta.  With the show over, I drove on.

More to come!