I took this image last Friday evening and as you can tell we still had smoke sitting along the Rocky Mountains. However the smoke does give the setting sun a red glow.
Smokey Sunset
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A red sun over the Rocky Mountains -
Even though I’d forgotten
Glowing Sunset Last Friday evening was to be a full moon. I forgot. But things worked out for me anyway. Friday was a day filled with clear blue skies, nary a cloud to be seen and hot. Even with that in mind I jumped in the car to drive out east on some country dirt road for some quiet and open space. I spent a good hour taking everything in, refreshing my soul, as they say. Without clouds to reflect the sun there was no red sky.
I started home around 8:30 pm, after the sun had dropped behind the Rocky Mountain horizon. My route home was to drive south south on County Road 13. Just as I crested the ridge about a quarter mile down the road, I was greeted with a gorgeous view of the rising full moon in the east. I raced ahead and stopped at a couple of places where I figured I could get a decent photo. I have one decent image but, stopping, turning off the engine and taking it all in was what I needed. I was given a wonderful gift for a short period of time, even though I’d forgotten it was to be full moon.
Full Moon -
I Had Visitors Come to Colorado
After Sunset This past week I had the chance to meet up with fellow photography Tom Dills and his wife Kathy. They were on vacation, exploring Colorado for the first time. The last part of their itinerary included a few days in Fort Collins. I gladly took them for a short tour of the Colorado Front Range and the eastern plains. Our landscape is very different from the wooded area in North Carolina. We also met for dinner a couple for nights as they explored the town of Fort Collins. We enjoyed dinner at a couple restaurants in town. They are good people and I enjoyed visiting with them. There were only a couple of times when Tom and I wandered off in our conversation about photography gear and software, leaving Kathy to listening mode.
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Building Storm Clouds over Fossil Creek Reservoir Colorado State University is having their graduations this weekend. Since I live only four blocks from campus I decided to vacate the area and avoid the traffic. I spent the earlier part of the day at the Fossil Creek Reservoir Nature Area. It is a massive area of almost 1,400 acres reserved for birds. You will find geese, eagles, grebes, hawks, ospreys, meadowlarks, robins and those cute little birds that dart everywhere. I walked to one of the viewing sites and just spent quiet time there. Later on in the afternoon I drove out east for more quiet and to have a grand view of the mountains and our afternoon storm clouds. It’s been a good month for clouds. Each and every day we are given a new set of clouds to enjoy.
The second image was farther east along a farmer’s field. You can see the rain falling as the system moves eastward.
Rain Clouds -
Storm Clouds
Storm Clouds in the West The weatherman was right. They predicted thunderstorms for yesterday afternoon and sure enough clouds built up in the west over the mountains. It began to rain along the foothills then moved out out to the east. I took the above image at the Cathy Fromme Nature Area then drove out east in anticipation of some good clouds. But I watched the storm build up and obscure the mountains with a refreshing half inch rain. And the plants are loving it. It was all good and the weatherman was right.
Blue Flowers -
Last Nights Concert
Sunset over Timnath Reservoir Went to the concert at Timnath Reservoir along County Road 13 last night. Performing artists were by the Red-winged Blackbirds, Yellow-headed Blackbirds, meadowlarks, at least two grackles, and croaking frogs. I pleased to see for the first time a special performance put on by several Western Grebes.
Western Grebes in a “rushing” courtship I witnessed several pairs of grebes rise in the water and scurry across as in the image above. Excuse the poor image as they were beyond the reach of my lens. This dance was a new experience for me. As it is a mating time I guessed it to be some courtship and had to look it up when I got home. This courtship happens entirely in the water and is known as “rushing,” where two birds turn to one side, lunge forward in synchrony, their bodies completely out of the water, and race across the water side by side with their necks curved gracefully forward. It was awesome and a great way to finish my day.
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Unusual Color Cast
Sunset Along Front Range Back on November 6th was a full moon. I happen to notice the rise of the full moon was forecast for 5:04 pm and the sunset was forecast for 4:59 pm. I needed to find a place to experience this. I chose County Road 13 which is a dirt road about 10 miles east of town. It was a bit cooler than I expected but I was dressed for it. There are a couple of trees that I enjoy using in my sunrise images so I thought I’d use them for the moonrise images. After quickly setting up I began the wait. For some this is a boring time but I sort of enjoy it. I listen to and watch the birds near me. I was setup to catch the moon on the eastern horizon but all the activity in nature was happening behind me in the west. On the west side of the road were the gulls, ducks, geese, red-winged blackbirds, a huge owl, a red-tailed hawk, and about a dozen pelicans were having a party on and along the shores of Timnath Lake. I didn’t get the email about the party.
