Well, not quite the back yard, but Manitou Lake is our close photo destination when all else goes wrong. But don’t let it’s closeness fool, you… the lake is a bird photographers paradise!
We had much bigger plans for the weekend trip, but unfortunately one of my little doggies needed a major procedure, and my Jeep sprung a leak. It was leaking gear oil out of the front diff, even though I replaced the inner seals about 20K miles ago. I applied a backyard fix to see if I could narrow down the cause of the leak, but I didn’t want to go very far without having an opportunity to check the fluid and refill if necessary.
So, Manitou Lake it was… although midsummer mornings there aren’t optimal. People start arriving with their fishing poles and boats right after sunrise, and it doesn’t take long for all the pelicans and herons to look for more private fishing spots.
The little birds pay little attention to the maritime activity on the water, and I was fortunate to capture this cute image of a Common Yellowthroat, a type of warbler that I had never photographed before. At first I thought it was a gold finch, but after getting home and running him though Merlin, I discovered that I had captured a new lifer to be credited to my eBird account! I’m always surprised when a common looking bird turns into a brand new discovery! A new discovery for me anyway.
A few American White Pelicans were getting nervous about the crowd of people when we first arrived, and sure enough, it wasn’t long before they were heading for quieter parts.
Fortunately I managed to capture a nice sequence of the flight, including this one with a bit of reflection in the water.
Here are a few more of my favorite images of the day, including an actual goldfinch, and a tree swallow!
If you are interested in learning more about photographing Colorado’s birds and raptors, please consider a purchase of one of my photo books now available on Amazon, including Seasons of the Raptor, One Year Photographing Colorado’s raptors!
Steven W. Krull is a renowned photographer and author who has been photographing and writing of the beauty and wildlife of the Colorado Rocky Mountains for over two decades. Please visit his website at S.W. Krull Imaging to view his work, including thousands of prints for sale, stock images for commercial use, and his library of published books.
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Colorado Photographer / Author | Steven W. Krull 