Colorado Photographer / Author / Wildlife Advocate | Steven W. Krull
Renowned Colorado wildlife photographer and author advocating for our wild living legacy
Summer isn't giving up yet in Eleven Mile Canyon, or probably anywhere in the Colorado high country. Osprey and great blue heron, and even a bald eagle were enjoying the morning along the rich fishing waters of the South Platte River, and many took the time to stop and pose for our cameras on Friday.
Action with the great birds in Eleven Mile Canyon got off to a slow start on Friday morning. Crowds of fishermen arrived early, filling the canyon with dust, and scaring away the birds. As we were repeatedly passed by anglers from the city roaring up the canyon, we knew our morning was going to be limited.
Many mornings as I sip my coffee, I try to think of locations where I might find new adventure and capture amazing scenes that I haven't yet experienced. Most of the time nothing comes to mind, and I just head out to my nearby trail for some exercise. However, I'm also often astonished at the surprising experiences I encounter there.
I love this time of year in the canyon. Young wildlife is past the newborn stage and are just now experiencing the joy of their new legs and wings. Young osprey are especially excited about their newfound powers and unlike their more mature parents, they spend much of their day in flight. They don't realize it yet, but their games are preparing them for a 4000 mile journey that will begin in about a month.
A sure sign of the advancing season is the arrival of juvenile osprey to the canyon. Each spring our osprey nesting pair returns to mate and raise a new family of chicks. They travel thousands of miles from their winter vacation to meet at the same nest and greet their lifelong partner for the joyous event. As August nears, their young gain stength and skill and finally take flight in a burst of energy, hope and a bit courage too I imagine.
I know my July newsletter is a bit late, in fact tomorrow will be August. Summer photography is a struggle for me, the sunrise is way too early, all the good wildlife locations are crowded with tourists, and the animals scarce. However, in just the last few days beautiful song birds have returned to my usual hikng location, and the pelicans have reappeared at Manitou Lake. Stay tuned to my blog though, on the 1st of August, we will be visiting the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Area in search of burrowing owls and snowy egret!
May was a great month for wildlife photography in the Pikes Peak region. Many birds have returned to the Pikes Peak region, including mountain blue birds, many species of sparrow, hummingbirds, swallows and much more. We are still looking forward to the return of the snowy egret, which we have yet to spot this season.
Finally getting to my May newsletter, after a month of hard work on my new substack account. May has been an exciting month, with the end of the long Colorado winter, and the return of many species of birds to the high country rivers and lakes.
Even though I knew it was going to be too cold, I decided to check on our bald eagle nesting pair anyway. When I arrived I was glad to find them both near the nest, guarding over their home for the next few months.
Beautiful day of bird and Rocky Mountain Winter photography by #swkrullimaging
Colorado Photographer / Author / Wildlife Advocate | Steven W. Krull 