Posted by Rod Chandler on June 24, 2011 at 2:50 PM
Yesterday I drove up to Pawnee Buttes National Grasslands. This was my first time there. I found a lot of wildlife, including these two girls. The antelope were skittish but nowhere near as frightened of me as others along the Front Range and in the prairie.
Posted by Rod Chandler on June 24, 2011 at 2:51 PM
I know, doves are as common as robins but this one had such pretty color and that EYE.
Posted by Rod Chandler on June 24, 2011 at 2:53 PM
I saw a number of nighthawks, both sitting and flying. These are incredible birds in flight and I found, at least yesterday, impossible to shoot in flight. I will continue trying. Man do they make a noise when they dive.
Posted by Rod Chandler on June 24, 2011 at 2:55 PM
These guys live there too. I was warned to keep an eye open for rattle snakes which I do anywhere in the prairie. The nice thing about these critters is that they are more afraid of me than I am of them. This one kept trying to crawl away. I was hoping it would coil but it never did. It just wanted me to go away so, after a few shots, I did just that.
Posted by Rod Chandler on June 24, 2011 at 2:59 PM
One thing I really did NOT like about Pawnee Buttes was all the cows grazing on the grasslands. I thought this was a protected monument. You are much more likely to step in a cow pie than on a rattler or in a prairie dog hole. I'm going to write our senators and belly ache. I would urge others to do the same. As for the windmill and the clouds, this image was made at about 7:00PM. A black cloud rolled in and blocked the sunset color so I shot this, hoping you might find something about it to like. I tried this in B&W but liked it better in color.
I really like the night hawk photo! I was out there about a week ago and there weren't many wildflowers. Seems like it's hit and miss and I can remember other years when it was good.
It has always seemed to me like Pawnee has been mis-managed. Not only the cows and grazing, but the wind power sites surrounding the Buttes, and there is some pretty intense gas development on the eastern edge. I guess grazing is allowed on a lot of forest service managed areas, but in the grasslands they are eating what makes the area special, the prairie shortgrass.
Posted by Bill Brennan on June 25, 2011 at 10:16 AM
Nice shots, Rod. The clouds and windmill image gets my vote.
Great series of shots Rod! Love the rattlesnake....I cannot get them to sit still for 2 seconds! Also really like the nighthawk and the last shot with the clouds and windmill. Very nice stuff!
What a cool, varied, set, Rod! Very cool--im partial to the ssssnake.
Im with you on the cows (though id also like to reduce the U.S population by about 90%...)
Nice set, Rod - the cloud and windmill and rattlesnake images are outstanding. There's no point in writing senators or anyone else - Pawnee National Grassland was created during the Depression and land was purchased to give an assist to families who had nowhere to go and no income. Some stayed, and they're still grazing cattle on the grassland. I'd encourage you to look at it another way. The cattle barons are long gone and those that are out there now are conservationists ranchers, rotating cattle to mimic the migratory movement of bison, and living with the land. It's an important distinction. Grasslands must be grazed to be healthy ecosystems and cattle aren't inherantly evil if managed as part of the ecosystem. Cattle graze grass low and enhance habitat for mountain plover, and 50% of the global population uses the Pawnee Nat'l Grassland for nesting and raising their young. The bigger issues are habitat fragmentation, including ranchettes that are overstocked and overgrazed, and agricultural conversion, which always makes grassland poorer.
Discussion
16 repliesLove the night hawk and rattler! Gotta watch those cow pies too.
Any flowers blooming out there, or is it too late?
It has always seemed to me like Pawnee has been mis-managed. Not only the cows and grazing, but the wind power sites surrounding the Buttes, and there is some pretty intense gas development on the eastern edge. I guess grazing is allowed on a lot of forest service managed areas, but in the grasslands they are eating what makes the area special, the prairie shortgrass.
Bill Brennan
Im with you on the cows (though id also like to reduce the U.S population by about 90%...)
@Dave - Great info, I was not aware of that!