Genesee Park Bison

I headed to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge on New Year's Day to take some wildlife pictures.  Unfortunately, the refuge was closed.  So after getting over my annoyance at whoever decided to close what is mainly a drive-through area on a holiday, then my annoyance at myself for not checking beforehand, I had to decide my next move.  I had about three hours before I was scheduled to meet Zak for dinner in Golden.  After briefly considering Denver City Park and Kountze Lake, I realized I'd never shot the American Bison in Genesee Park.

It took me a little driving around to finally find the road that let right up to where the herd was hanging out on the south side of the highway.  They were unfortunately not very close to the fence, and the light was pretty bright and harsh.

Two youngsters playing is cool in any light, though.

In a stroke of good fortune, the herd caretaker drove up.  He noticed me shooting and asked where I'd like him to feed the bison.  I checked the light and made a suggestion, he gave me the thumbs-up, and I thanked him profusely before he unlocked the gates and drove in to pick up some alfalfa.  The herd slowly followed him to the barn, clearly knowing what coming.  Then they more quickly followed him back down to where he proceeded to onloaded and cut open the bales.  Last of all was this big bull, who clearly felt no need to rush since he knew everyone would get out of his way once he arrived.

I got to leisurely take plenty of shots as the gentle giants proceeded to chow down.

The light was now working in my favor, providing nice contrast on their shaggy profiles.

Extreme close-ups are easy when your subject has no interest in moving.

And since I'm still a child, I still like pictures of animals sticking out their tongues.  Using that tongue to clean their own nostril is a bonus.

Lemons into lemonade yet again!  And I arrived for dinner in plenty of time. :)

Related Links:

• Badlands National Park: Bison (2013)
• Yellowstone Wildlife 2023
• Wind Cave National Park (2013)
• Wyoming Wildlife, Part I (2010)

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

Denver City Park: July 2016

It's nice to be back in Colorado, enjoying high temperatures in the 70s again. I spent most of today seeing old friends, but squeezed in a quick stop at Denver City Park to see what was going on at Ferril Lake.

The answer was that not a lot was going on.  The little island where I'd seen so many nests last year seemed a little less populated.  I don't know if having less moisture this spring was a factor.  But the one bird I saw in abundance were Black-crowned Night Herons, which I appreciated since I have trouble getting clear looks at the ones who roost at the UT Southwestern Medical Center rookery back in Dallas.

I spent a while watching this one try and choke down what looked like a juvenile Snowy Egret.  Early on I thought he had no chance.  But in a testament to perseverance, it eventually disappeared down the hatch.  The persistent diner then didn't move for quite a while while digesting.

Fortunately, another flew down to give me a slightly more animated subject.

I like the composition here, with the bird facing to its right and allowing me to bring in the shore rocks.

There were some juvenile Black-crowneds in the trees, but generally obscured by branches.  I did see a young Snowy Egret clearly enough to get a portrait.

Skies were generally overcast; light only peeked through briefly.  I take the raised leg to indicate that this guy was enjoying his moment in the sun.  HA!  See what I did there? :)

The lake did have quite a coating of algae, which most folks probably don't care for but I thought added some interesting texture to the background.

I only stayed for 30 minutes, but was pretty pleased with what City Park had to offer!

Denver City Park: July 2015

Another photographer at Kountze Lake tipped me off to the nesting birds at Denver City Park. Having never made the trip when we lived there, I thought it was a good destination for my photo outing last Tuesday.

Most of the nesters can be found on a small island on the south side of Ferril Lake.  I was delighted to finally get a Black-crowned Night-Heron in decent light!

This Cattle Egret had the youngest babies that I could see.  She never strayed too far from the nest.

These two fledgling Black-crowned Night-Herons had a brief squabble, possibly over whose turn it was to perch on the good branch.

The earlier cattle egret in a rare moment away from her chicks.

Snowy Egrets continue to grow on me more and more.  They're typically quite elegant, though not so much in this moment.

When they fluff out their breeding plumage is when they really make an impression.

Some juvenile Black-crowned Night-Herons were testing their wings a bit, taking tentative walks out on branches ...

... and making short "hops" -- I can't really call them "flights" -- a bit closer to the ground.

This is a flight.

Duck Lake is home to a huge population of cormorants.  With all their coming and going, they provided many opportunities to practice flight photography.

At least one duck came by to remind that the lake was, after all, named after them.

A winged denizen of the invertebrate variety -- Eastern Pondhawk, I believe.

The two lakes provide wonderful visibility to the birds.  A shame I didn't visit sooner!

Denver City Park: July 2015

Another photographer at Kountze Lake tipped me off to the nesting birds at Denver City Park. Having never made the trip when we lived there, I thought it was a good destination for my photo outing last Tuesday.

Most of the nesters can be found on a small island on the south side of Ferril Lake.  I was delighted to finally get a Black-crowned Night-Heron in decent light!

This Cattle Egret had the youngest babies that I could see.  She never strayed too far from the nest.

These two fledgling Black-crowned Night-Herons had a brief squabble, possibly over whose turn it was to perch on the good branch.

The earlier cattle egret in a rare moment away from her chicks.

Snowy Egrets continue to grow on me more and more.  They're typically quite elegant, though not so much in this moment.

When they fluff out their breeding plumage is when they really make an impression.

Some juvenile Black-crowned Night-Herons were testing their wings a bit, taking tentative walks out on branches ...

... and making short "hops" -- I can't really call them "flights" -- a bit closer to the ground.

This is a flight.

Duck Lake is home to a huge population of cormorants.  With all their coming and going, they provided many opportunities to practice flight photography.

At least one duck came by to remind that the lake was, after all, named after them.

A winged denizen of the invertebrate variety -- Eastern Pondhawk, I believe.

The two lakes provide wonderful visibility to the birds.  A shame I didn't visit sooner!