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Mountain Bluebird Photography, Mountain Bluebird Way, Denver, CO (2026)

07/14/2024

Summer in Colorado means Wildflowers, and I invested in a macro lens to make the best of those wildflower photos. Truth be told, I haven't gotten far a field this summer, but that doesn't mean you can't find good photos close to home, especially when flowers native to the area put on such a good show. In fact, some of these flowers aren't all that wild, and are growing right in my yard that I purposefully planted while others are from a nearby hike. Can you tell which ones are wild and which ones are not so wild?

I particularly enjoyed watching fat native Huntsii Bumblebees stuffing themselves into Penstemon Strictus!

In Order:

Arnica cordifolia - Heartleaf Arnica
Cerastium arvense - Field Chickweed
Helianthus pumilus - Dwarf Sunflower
Penstemon strictus - Rocky Mountain Penstemon (with Hunts Bumblebee)
Helianthus maximiliani - Maximillian Sunflower (with European Honeybee)
Linum Lewesii - Blue Flax
Gaillardia grandiflora - Blanket Flower
Asclepias tuberosa - Butterfly W**d

05/12/2024

There was a celestial phenomenon all over the country this weekend? Did you happen to catch it?

Following a mass coronal ejection, the largest reported since 2005, the Aurora Borealis was visible as far south as Texas and part of the Caribbean! Here in Colorado, we were suffering from overly cloudy skies and I initially made no plans to go witness, but around 9 PM the cloud cover broke and I quickly found myself in the car headed for the dark, dark skies of Northeastern Colorado, away from the light pollution of Denver.

I'm very glad I made the trek and accepted the cold evening, the Aurora Borealis was one of the most incredible things I've ever witnessed! It was intensely dynamic, changing color, intensity, shape and height in as little as 10 seconds. I thought for sure those videos of the aurora dancing was a long time lapse, but it is the real deal!

I was out until about 1:30 in the morning taking photos, and it was well worth the sleep deprivation the next day. I can't wait to experience them again!

03/23/2024

It may not be the Color of the Month project anymore, but it is March, and look who finally cooperated!

The Mountain Bluebirds are back in Colorado, and my namesake was kind enough to flock together and strike some poses up close for me!

March is the typical arrival for Mountain Bluebirds as the migrate back north before settling in both higher latitudes and higher elevations for the spring breeding months. I took the opportunity to rise early and make my way to Chatfield State Park for another attempt at hanging with my favorite crew, and was greatly rewarded with their presence, plus a bonus Redwing Blackbird singing for me.

These guys were fun to watch, sitting on poles and branches and keeping an eye for bugs to swoop down to catch before returning back to my pole. They're so fast that my autofocus refused to keep up while on the wing, so I'm thankful the offered me plenty of opportunity with their waiting in between meals.

01/02/2024

Happy New Year!

To commemorate the start of 2024, enjoy a summary collage of my 2023 Color of the Month Project.

Top Left: White January
Top Center: Pink February
Top Right: Green April
Left Center (Above): Tan May
Right Center (Above): Purple June
Left Center (Below): "Black" July
Right Center (Below): Gray August
Bottom Left: Yellow September
Bottom Center: Orange October
Bottom Right: Red November
Center: Blue December

For those keeping track at home, yes, March is missing. Uncooperative Subjects, those being birds, followed by travel left me without a photo for March.

12/31/2023

The Color of the Month Project: Blue December

Well friends, we've made it to the end of the year, and with it, the end of the Color of the Month Project. For Blue December, uncooperative Stellars Jays and COVID got the better of me, so I'm digging into my archive to post some previously unshared photos of Mountain Bluebirds I took from March in 2021.

Coincidentally, I had originally planned for March's Color of the Month to be Blue, but I couldn't get the Mountain Bluebirds of 2023 to cooperate with me either! Between those pesky Bluebirds and traveling, I ended up missing March all together and saved Blue for another month. Who would've thought that birds would've given me the slip multiple times? I'll need to get a longer lens! Or maybe just start waking up earlier...? Nope, definitely a longer lens.

I appreciate everyone that has followed along with me this year. I really enjoyed this project, it got me out more frequently and made me more appreciate of what the State of Colorado has to offer, especially our State Parks! I've learned new skills during this project like focus stacking, and spent time to create compositions that weren't immediately obvious to me. I'm not sure what next year will bring quite yet in terms of my goals for growth and adventure in the world of Landscape Photography, but whatever I discover and where ever I explore, I'll be sure to share along the way!

Have a Happy and Healthy 2024!

11/30/2023

The Color of the Month Project: Red November

Well, I am wrapping up the fall color triumvirate with Red November, but I promise it's not more leaves! But, once all the leaves have fallen off the trees here in Colorado, how do you go about getting a good red colors as winter starts to creep in and bold colors start to fade away? Easy, you go to Roxborough State Park and take pictures of splendiferously, astonishingly red rocks.

We took a hike the day before traveling for Thanksgiving through the striking and other worldly rock formations found throughout Roxborough, as the sun and clouds swapped positions of dominance, making for some interesting lighting in midday. It wasn't a strenuous hike, but rather leisurely with plenty of red scenes to stop and admire along the way. I had some fun in post processing as well, desaturating photos of anything with just red, while others were more lightly touched just to get the red to pop on the screen. I think the results all turned out pretty nicely, and I hope you agree and enjoy!

10/29/2023

The Color of the Month Project: Orange October

With October being the official month of spooky season, Halloween, jack'o'lanterns and pumpkin spice lattes, how could it be anything other than Orange? While two of the photos are actually from September 30th during my trip out at Grand Mesa, I think that's pretty close to October to get entrance into this post without two much penalty.

The other photos are from a recent visit at Chatfield State Park in Littleton, where I was fortunate enough to witness really amazing cottonwood reflection in an ridiculously high flood water state for the reservoir, and a mind boggling sunset that didn't disappoint. For the sunset photo, I did little in the way of post processing other than adjust some contrast and touch the vibrance slide just a smidgen, it was just great lighting and awesome colors the camera was able to capture with great fidelity. The final picture of the cottonwood in a reflection I took lots of artistic liberty to get just the look and pop I wanted, and it was a fun photo to edit!

10/08/2023

The Color of the Month Project: Yellow September (Day 3)

For my final hike during my fall color outing; I took an stroll along West Bench trail just by my campsite; that morning the weather started to turn a bit; the temps were cooler, clouds were rolling through, and the wind had picked up. It made for the perfect fall day. As aspens were stripped of their leaves, I walked through a constant leaf fall of yellow and golds; it was what I must imagine living in a magic fairy forest must feel like. I was met with constant small, fun scenes along the hike, a big contrast from the previous day.

My ultimate goal was a small, secluded lake totally surrounded by aspens and pines; unfortunately when I arrived I found it and the stream had mostly dried up. I suppose it's seasonal, but I can't be too sure, I didn't read anything about it being so. However, I was greeted with plenty of amazing meadows in full autumn glory, and beautiful, towering tunnels as aspens along the way. By my return to the trailhead, a thunderstorm was threatening and a light rain had started, but rain can really help those fall colors pop! My final shots were picturesque scenes of gently meandering stream backdropped by colors from both the aspens and the underbrush as the sunlight attempted to peek out from billowing clouds; a fitting end to my trip!

10/05/2023

The Color of the Month Project: Yellow September (Day 2)

My second day hike of my autumn colors hike was also my longest. Grand Mesa isn't specifically known for the jaw dropping, sprawling fall color vistas one would expect from someplace like Telluride, but I was determined to find some, and enjoy myself in the process.

I went on the Crags Crest trail, which was certainly one of the cooler hikes I've done, fall colors not withstanding. A roughly 2 mile section is spent along a relatively narrow ridge high above the rest of the mesa, with views out to the horizon on either side, and the changing of the seasons was entirely prevalent. Perhaps the most interesting part was the contrast of the verdant, aspen filled mesa backdropped by the dry, jagged badlands that surround the mesa!

Mountain Bluebird Photography

07/14/2024

05/12/2024

03/23/2024

01/02/2024

12/31/2023

11/30/2023

10/29/2023

10/08/2023

10/05/2023

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