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Last night Andy reminded me that there was a lunar eclipse. It was cloudy the last time there was one so I wondered if it was worth setting the alarm. I decided to drink a big glass of water and take my chances. Unfortunately by 11pm I was awake. Luckily I was able to go back to sleep and nature called me again at 1:50am. I quickly opened the shades to see the moon and it was incredible! Wow! Fumbling in the dark I gathered my tripod and camera and set everything up. After a few pictures I noticed that I didn't have a disk in the camera! Oops! After more fumbling everything was set. My pictures weren't as "sharp" as I usually like to get them but the wind and the moon's darkness were new to me. Here's my best shot. You can certainly see why they call it a "blood moon". It took me several hours to settle down (and warm up) after I was done at 2:45am but it was definitely worth the sleepless night...  There are a couple of owls that live in some cottonwood trees near a trail in Gunbarrel (near Boulder) and for the past 4 years they have raised their babies there. All the local photographers know about the location now so I had to join in on the fun. I've visited several times and have never been disappointed. Even in daylight they hoot to let you know their presence! The oldest owlet fledged the nest yesterday. I didn't see it but in the afternoon he was still super cautious to be so high up in the tree. After looking at his wings I could see why! While he still has some maturing to do, his siblings are glad to have a bit of extra space. I know there are way too many pictures but here they are. (click on any image to enlarge and see slideshow). This year Andy and I stayed in Boulder the entire winter so by March we were ready to head south for a few days over spring break. We had trouble figuring out where to go so I said to Andy, "Pick a race!" He chose the Carlsbad 5000, a "world record" fast course and the trip was set. On our first day we had a great time exploring the San Diego Zoo Safari (formally called the San Diego Wild Animal Park). No cages at this zoo! We saw gorillas being gorillas (including a new mom nursing her 2 week old baby who was born via c-section and had required incubation so had just been reunited with her mom). The lions and elephants where incredible, too. Below are some of my favorite pictures of the park. (click on any image to enlarge and view as a slide show)
For the past two and half years now I've taken a "picture a day" and since I mostly like to take wildlife pictures, and I'm an accidental wildlife photographer, my encounters with new animals is sometimes limited. So, one of my friends suggested that I take pictures for the Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center (http://greenwoodwildlife.org). What a treat! I get to take pictures of awesome critters who need a little help getting back on their feet and the center gets some (hopefully) good pictures to use in their marketing materials.  Greenwood is located just east of Lyons, CO. The first day I toured the facility I was blown away by how prepared they were for the over 2,000 animals (over 130 different species) they expect to receive during the year. Everything in it's place and a resident bunny outside waiting for the party... (click on any image to see larger versions of all images in this section)      On my second visit I got to see baby squirrels being fed by volunteers. They were so small their eyes hadn't opened yet! I also photographed a Grosbeak who had a broken wing... (click on any image to see larger versions of all images in this section) Note that all of the scratches on the volunteer were not from the squirrels... or at least not from these ones!     On my third visit I photographed (and attended) a training session about squirrels. The baby squirrels had opened their eyes and were becoming feisty. Here Greenwood staff members show how to feed and handle the baby squirrels. (click on any image to see larger versions of all images in this section)   |
