June 2014 Monthly Competition Winners

Subject
Little Bee-Eaters

Location
Chobe River, Botswana

Description
The bee-eaters flew into the early morning light and clustered tightly for warmth.

Subject
Prairie dog puppies

Location
Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge

Description
One prairie dog puppy has a different opinion on what's interesting than the rest of his litter.

Subject
Great Blue Heron

Location
Estero Bay, Florida

Location
Sprague Lake, Rocky Mtn. NP

Subject
Mountain Goats

Location
Mt. Evans, Colorado

Description
A nanny goat and her kid share a loving look near the summit of Mt. Evans, CO.

Description
Agama lizard posing on a rock in the Serengeti

Subject
Green Head

Location
Prospect Park

Description
Mallard taking a bath

Subject
Canada Goslings

Location
Belmar Park, Lakewood, Colorado

Description
These gosling siblings seemed to have a contentious relationship. Before this photo was taken, they had been nipping at each other's beaks.

Subject
Great blue herons working on nest

Location
Belmar Park

Description
The male gathers sticks and ceremoniously presents them to the female so she can build their nest. When she stretches her neck straight upward, she's saying, "Let's make babies."

Subject
A lone rock splits the swirling waters of the South Platte River

Location
South Platte Park

Description
A lone rock splits the swirling waters of the South Platte River

Location
Mt. Evans, CO

Description
Just before sunset in the Serengeti the dramatic sky created a nice backdrop and contrast to the yellow grasses and lone acacia tree.

Subject
Morning sun filtering through trees in South Platte Park

Location
South Platte Park

Description
Early morning sun filters through trees in the Northern Wildlife Area of South Platte Park

Subject
Water flow through a crack in the slick rock

Location
Subway, Zion NP, Utah

Subject
Great Horned Owl In-flight

Location
Sonoran Desert Museum, Tucson, Arizona

Description
A great horned owl flies in silence and with stealth. The Arizona Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson conducts predator free flights. In these sessions trained predators respond to the commands of their handlers. No tethers are used. This beautiful great horned owl swooped in silence just a few feet over my head and landed on a cactus stalk 10 yards from where I was standing. In between heart palpitations and rapid breathing, I was able to remember to take this picture.

Subject
Cheetahs

Location
Denver Zoo

Subject
Orangutan

Location
Sacramento Zoo, Sacramento, California

Subject
Great Horned Owl

Location
Near Longmont, CO

Description
A portrait of a great horned owl.

Subject
Preening Pelican

Location
Fort Myers, FL

Description
This image was made during my February photo tour to capture the birds of Florida. It was a still morning, the pelican came in at early light, he began to preen, and everyone was making lots of images.

Subject
American Kestrel

Location
Longmont, Colorado

Description
A male kestrel bringing a mouse in for his kids.

Subject
Lioness and Cub

Location
Serengeti In Tanzania

Description
This image of the snarling lioness with her cub mimicking her behavior was made during my April 2014 photo Safari to Tanzania. It was made at one of the kopjes near the Sametu Tented Camp in the Serengeti.

Subject
Wildebeest

Location
Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

Description
I took this image early one morning at a very small river crossing. The crossing had a concrete spillway, used by vehicles, that the Wildebeest did not like and rather than step on it, most chose to jump.
The Migration surrounded us day after day giving plenty of photographic opportunities, this shot turned out to be one of my favorites.

Location
Bisti Wilderness, New Mexico, USA

Description
I had discovered this formation earlier during my stay under solid cloud cover and returned to photograph it with the much more interesting clouds shown here. It is a 7-exposure HDR to capture detail from the shadowed under side of the wings to the bright clouds on the right.

Subject
Snow capped mountain reflection

Location
Swiftcurrent lake, Glacier N.P.

Subject
Flamingo

Location
Denver Zoo

Subject
Goshawk and Sharptailed Grouse

Location
Central Montana

Description
A falconer's bird hunting grouse. I was extremely lucky to be in the right place at the right time.

Subject
Harris' Hawk

Location
Longmont, Colorado

Description
This is a falconer friend's bird. I made this image at one our raptor shoots on the property Rob Palmer and I used to live in.