Owl Watch update

Today the baby owls left the nest tree and ventured off to some neighboring trees. With the chicks out and about mom and dad were vigilant. A Raven showed up and was threatened by a bunch of hooting from the female. This shot was during a photo safari with Cindy and Lynne from Boulder. For more info on Estes Park Photo Safaris

This was shot with the Nikon 500mm AF-S II + 1.7 teleconverter is the mother before the raven showed up.

Great Horned Owl nest update

Its been just a super pleasure to watch two separate nests of Great Horned Owls raise chicks this spring. In 5 years I only ever saw a handful of owls, now this year there are two nests! Daily bird watching in its finest form. This shot is of a chick that is only a few weeks from fledging. They are practicing with their wings and doing some exercise as they leave the nest a bit. Mom is always nearby though incase of any trouble. Estes Park Wildlife Tour Info

This shot was with the Nikon 500mm AF-S II with a 1.7 teleconverter.

Chasm Falls, Estes Park Photo Safari Tour

Yesterday Katlin and Kim headed out on a Photo Safari and the highlight of the trip was hiking up the 1.5 miles to Chasm Falls on Old Fall River Road. The mist was thick near the falls but we were able to take a few great shots. Many other good shots came as well, great water at the Alluvial Fan, the Big Thompson. We then spent time hitting other great locations making some nice landscapes, and ended the day shooting the baby Great Horn Owls. Estes Park Tour Info

Here is Katlin’s shot of Chasm Falls.

Elk Calf Photo

On May 30th I took out Rob and Marie Fields on a Photo Safari. Sunrise was very nice, good color on the mountains, then we headed up to Sprague Lake. We were greeted by some new arrivals, elk calves less than a week old. The calves are just being born, and will be over the next few weeks. Estes Park Photo Safari Info

Here is Rob’s photo as they cross the lake backlit.

Sunrise and Sunset: The Best Kind of Estes Park Tour

A few days ago I took out Jason and Billie Jo Dorris for sunrise and sunset over two half day tours. The evening was a good learning time for them but like usual the morning was  just wonderful.

We shot Moraine Park with some good sunrise light and the mid morning light was great on Longs. Here’s a shot Jason took. Click for more info on Photo Safaris and other Estes Park Tours.

Early Summer Flowers, Photo Safari with Patty Leek

Yesterday I took out Patty Leek, her husband Len, and their two friends. This was the 4th trip I took Patty on, but the first using my camera gear. Prior it had been all point and shoot training. She said they wanted to see sheep, so right away I took them to see a small flock of 8 Big Horn Sheep Rams. They were very far off, over a quarter mile, but we did get some shots documenting them. The best shots came later as we focused on some Macro photography and flowers. For more information on Photo Safaris or other tours Yellow Wood Guiding offers visit the Yellow Wood Guiding website.

Here is Patty’s Shot of a Hooker’s Easter Daisy. In real life its about the size of a quarter.

Good Day Out Before the Storm

Today I had a great tour with Marty and Jeanne, owners at the Rams Horn Village time share. We saw Big Horn Sheep, Elk, and Mule Deer, but the highlight of the trip was in one spot in moraine park we found Jeanne two life birds, Red Crossbills and Pine Grosbeaks, and Marty had a great encounter with a very cooperative Abert’s Squirrel. So much so I had time to grab my camera and take this shot. For more information on Yellow Wood Guiding Tours and Photos visit: YWGuiding.com

Big Rams

Its rather rare to find the big rams in Rocky Mountain National Park at a close distance to photograph. Yesterday however the big guys were along the hillside and were really putting on a show for guests. My clients Nancy and Frank got some great shots both with their camera and mine. Below is an image of one of the larger rams up on the rocks from my Nikon 200-400 lens. For more information on Big Horn Sheep or to book a tour visit www.YWGuiding.com

Great Horned Owl

Rocky Mountain National Park has a good number of owl species but they are very elusive. Over the last few days I’ve been able to observe a Great Horned Owl sitting on a nest. I can’t wait for the chicks to show themselves.

Media Day with Yellow Wood Guiding

Yesterday I took out Kyle Wagner, Travel Editor for the Denver Post and her friend for a photo safari. As soon as they pulled in the snow started to fly but we still had a great time taking photos and discussing photography technique.

Also Sunset Magazine did a short piece on Yellow Wood Guiding Photo Safaris which can be found on Page 34 of the May edition.

Here’s a shot from yesterday at the Alluvial Fan.