Gallery

AUTUMN STORM

October 1, 2022. Dark storm clouds loom over autumn's bright colors as October arrives on the mountain. “I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” — L.M. Montgomery from “Anne of Green Gables.”

PERFECT TIMING

September 22, 2022. The Aspens are starting to change right on cue this year as the first day of fall arrives on the mountain. (Taken this morning in the back yard.)

FEEDING TIME

August 10, 2022. A Violet-Green Swallow brings insects for its young. Every year a pair of swallows, sometimes Tree Swallows, sometimes Violet-Green Swallows, make a nest in the soffit just above my bedroom window. I see them fly in and out constantly, at first carrying nesting material, then later, various types of insects as they feed their growing brood. As the nestlings grow, their faint chirps for food become louder and I can hear them from inside the house. Three of the nestlings fledged last week and were closely following their parents through the trees as they continued to feed the remaining nestling. That nestling fledged this week and all have departed for parts unknown. I will miss them.

NATURE'S FIREWORKS

July 4, 2022. Mother Nature provided a spectacular show of her own for our 4th of July celebration. No gunpowder required.

BLACK FOX

So close and yet so far… This Black Fox (aka Silver Fox) was getting a drink at the heated bird bath on the deck when he spotted a squirrel on the ground far below, and far out of reach. Still, he was intently focused on the potential meal for quite some time before finishing his drink and moving along. Black (or Silver) Foxes are a color variation of the Red Fox. They are fairly rare (only about 10% of Red Foxes have this melanistic color variation), so we are very fortunate to have seen them often here on the mountain. I captured this image through the window and couldn’t quite tell if this fox was suffering from mange. Unfortunately, this disease (caused by parasitic mites) swept through the fox population here several years ago and their numbers dropped significantly. For a long time, sightings of any foxes were rare. They seem to be making a comeback, however, and more sightings are being reported. So happy to know they are once again beginning to thrive.

WINTER'S BEAUTY

February 3, 2022. Winter has at last arrived! We've had several decent snowstorms in the past few weeks, covering the ground and trees with a beautiful, soft blanket of white. The latest storm ended yesterday, leaving bitter cold temps behind. The snow was crunching loudly under my feet as I captured this scene in my yard. I love that sound!

YULETIDE

YULETIDE. Winter solstice, the start of the solar year, is, above all, a celebration of light and the rebirth of the sun, a time of hope and faith during the hardest months of the year. For 12,000 years the longest night of the year has been celebrated by many cultures across the globe in various ways, including filling the long dark nights of winter with light. During the ancient Norse celebration of Jul (meaning circle or wheel) huge bonfires were kept lit all night long to ward off spirits, a large log was set afire to burn for 12 days, and small villages would compete to become the brightest light in the darkness, lighting candle after candle. There were even lights hanging in the trees. The traditions of this ancient pagan festival are still very much with us and can be seen almost everywhere you look during the Solstice Season, including many commercially produced displays of light like the incredible spectacle at the Denver Zoo where this photo was taken.

THE HEADLESS VULTURE

A Black Vulture spent quite a bit of time in my backyard last fall, resting, soaking up some sun and preening. Here his (or her) head is twisted around as he preens his back feathers, making him appear headless. A perfect pose for Halloween. 🎃 (I added a sepia filter and an overlay for a spooky effect.) Black Vultures range from the northeastern United States to Peru, Central Chile and Uruguay in South America. The black vulture is a scavenger and feeds on carrion, but will also eat eggs or kill newborn animals (livestock such as cattle). In areas populated by humans, it also feeds at dumpsters and garbage dumps. It finds its meals either by using its keen eyesight or by following other (New World) vultures, which possess a keen sense of smell. In person and close up they are huge and beautiful and interesting—and far from spooky. It's always a treat to see them soaring high overhead but really special to see them right in your own backyard.

AUTUMN BEGINS

“Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.” — Lauren DeStefano. Autumn. A time for preparation. The short, cold, snowy days of winter are soon to come. The garden must be harvested, wood cut and split, the house and car winterized, the sweaters taken out of moth balls (does anyone use those anymore?), the hummingbird feeders grudgingly put away (but not until the Hummers are long gone!), the chimney must be cleaned… So much to do in these last days before winter, usually which comes early at 9800 feet. Fall is also a time to take notice. Of everything! For it really does seem as though all of nature is bursting with beauty, putting on a spectacular show everywhere one looks. And Aspens like these in my backyard are the highlight of the season.

FEMALE RUFOUS AT REST. These aggressive little Hummingbirds migrate over 2000 miles through the Rockies during May to September from their winter homes in Mexico. They arrive at our house sometime in mid-July and spend a month chasing off the smaller and more timid Broad-Tailed Hummers from our feeders, even though they appear to fly more slowly than the other birds.

FROSTY PERCH. Pine Grossbeaks are frequent visitors to our feeders in winter. These large finches live in coniferous forests of the far north and high mountains of the west, but can also be found in the northeastern U.S. in winter. Males are pink to bright red while females and young males are gray with touches of yellow or orange. (This photo was chosen as a finalist in the "Seasons of Our Mountains" calendar competition.)

MOST GLORIOUS SEASON. Fall. My favorite time of the year. The crispness in the air, bright and beautiful foliage, the earthy scent of fallen leaves crunching under foot, foggy, misty days, and of course, all things pumpkin spice. What’s not to love about it?

LAST HURRAH. The Rocky Mountain Asters are more abundant than usual on the mountain this year. They are the last of the summer flowers to bloom.

TERRIBLE BEAUTY. Smoke from the terrible wildfires burning to the west make for beautiful sunsets here on the mountain. Summer of 2020.

CURIOUS CHICKADEE. One afternoon this curious little Mountain Chickadee had to examine my tool of choice for bird watching.

RED MOUNTAIN MOON. I’ve always loved seeing the moon during the day but seeing it over Red Mountain near Ouray, CO, was even more special.

GRATEFUL. I never get tired of this view out my window each and every day. Always new, always changing, never the same, and always beautiful.

CRITICAL POLINATOR. This white-lined sphinx moth (Hyles lineata) along with birds, bats, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, wasps, small mammals, and bees, are a vital part of every ecosystem and are responsible for pollinating at least 180,000 different plant species and more than 1200 crops. Many pollinator populations are in decline, mostly caused by a loss of feeding and nesting habitats, pollution, the misuse of chemicals, disease, and changes in climatic patterns.

DOE EYES. This sweet mule deer doe was making eyes at me from the back yard one cold winter morning.

ROAD TO NOWHERE. One of the most haunted places in Denver is said to be Cheeseman Park, the site of a late 19th century cemetery. When, in 1890, the land on which the cemetery stood was to be converted to a park, undertaker E.P. McGovern was hired to move the bodies to another cemetery in the city. In an effort to earn extra money (he was being paid for each coffin) thousands of bodies were disassembled and strewn about, with body parts separated and placed haphazardly in random tiny coffins, therefore producing more coffins than were actually needed. He was finally caught, putting a stop to the gruesome activity, but the remaining bodies were never removed. To this day they rest beneath the park...but hardly in peace. This photo of a former street was taken during a ghost tour of the park.

BACKYARD BOBCAT. This beautiful Bobcat lingered in my back yard for a long time one spring day. He/she was stalking the many chipmunks that make their home there but never did catch one.

ASPENS IN MIST. On display through March 31st as part of the Colorado: Delirium of Beauty exhibit at The Evergreen Gallery.