Bull Moose Grazing, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

This may be the same moose I photographed last summer at Sprague Lake. Moose shed their antlers annually in late winter – I can’t wait to see him again this fall wearing a new set!

Great Horned Owl, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

I recently spent a morning in Rocky Mountain National Park with Jared Gricoskie of Yellow Wood Guiding. Last spring my wife and I joined Jared for a field seminar through the Rocky Mountain Nature Association where we learned about Beavers. We had a great time and learned so much. I’ve since run into Jared around the park on many mornings and this winter I made plans to photograph sheep with him in April.

Normally, April is an excellent time to see Bighorn Sheep at the lower elevations in Rocky Mountain National Park, but this year has been anything but normal. Since the sheep have already moved to higher elevations and also since I’d had the good luck to spend some quality time with some rams in Roosevelt National Forest earlier in the season we picked an alternate plan – owls!

My wife and I had a great time – she especially loves owls! We saw quite a few other species throughout the day, including Wild Turkey, Mountain Bluebirds, plenty of Elk, Mule Deer, a Coyote, Mountain Cottontail, Wyoming Ground Squirrels, Pine Squirrels, Chipmunks, and even a few Bighorn Sheep (ewes)! If you are visiting Rocky Mountain National Park and want to learn more about the ecology of the park, have the best chance of seeing critters, and get some great photography tips to boot, Jared is your guy!

When you think of wildlife in Colorado you might think of bull elk bugling amidst quaking aspen, or maybe even pronghorn and mule deer grazing on the short grass prairie. Regardless, I’m willing to bet that one critter you haven’t considered is the turtle!

There are five species of turtle native to Colorado. Four of them are aquatic; the Western Painted Turtle, Snapping Turtle, Yellow Mud Turtle, and the Spiny Softshell Turtle. The sole terrestrial turtle is the Ornate Box Turtle.

Western Painted Turtle

Western Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta bellii) Sawhill Ponds, Boulder, Colorado

The Western Painted Turtle is the most common of the Colorado turtles and happens to be the Colorado State Reptile. They are easy to identify and can frequently be seen on logs or rocks in wetland areas.

Snapping Turtle

A Pair of Snapping Turtles, Sawhill Ponds, Boulder, Colorado

The Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) can be up to 20″ in shell diameter and is equipped with a pair of sharp and very strong jaws. It has a rough, jagged shell and a long tail that looks a bit like an alligator tail. They can be seen swimming in ponds or lakes and also crossing roads in the springtime when they may travel several hundred yards from water to nest. It should be pretty obvious that this turtle is capable of inflicting a nasty bite so don’t try to pick one up unless you know what you are doing. Watch for the tail cutting through the water as the Snapping Turtle swims just beneath the surface.

Snapping Turtle Tail, Sawhill Ponds, Boulder, Colorado

Yellow Mud Turtle

Spiny Softshell Turtle

Ornate Box Turtle

I have not yet observed or photographed these species in Colorado. They are found mostly along the eastern margin of Colorado. If you are interested in learning more about these species, visit the Colorado Division of Wildlife Nautural Diversity Information Source page about turtles.

A beaver swimming on the Little Thompson River.

We’re heading up to Estes Park today to participate in a field seminar with Rocky Mountain Nature Association. We’ll visit some beaver dams, learn more about the species, and hopefully see some critters!

(Not an actual moose)

After seeing a bull moose last night at Long Lake I had hoped to photograph him in the daylight this morning.  None such luck.  I’m going to keep looking for him this week.  

In the mean time here is a photo of a plastic moose toy posing on a rock at the west end of Long Lake.

A mountain goat checks out the facilities at Mount Evans.  Shortly after I took this photo the goat was ticketed for not paying the recreation fee (just kidding).

Just returned from the Black Hills.  Baby bison are pretty cute…and then they grow up.

The mother fox brought this mole back to the den for her kit.  She looks lean and hungry as she watches over her young.

Baby Fox (known as a kit, cub, or pup). There are currently many dens scatttered around Boulder with kits that are getting to be about 2-3 months old.