Laura M
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lauramnaturephotos.bsky.social
Laura M
@lauramnaturephotos.bsky.social
580 followers 170 following 410 posts
Photographer from Colorado. All pics taken by me unless otherwise stated, using a Nikon Z9 and (most often) 800mm f/6.3 VR S

I support Canada and Mexico doing what they need to. I don't (usually) follow non-photog accounts back.
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Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #PerfectLighting, with an alt theme of #Finches. These hit both.
1. Blue Grosbeak
2. Black-headed Grosbeak
3. Pine Grosbeak
4. Common Redpoll

#PhotographersOfBlueSky #Birds
The Blue Grosbeak is a bright blue bird with its back facing the photographer, while looking back. The wings are patterned with black and reddish orange, and the back of the head and shoulders also have reddish orange feathers interspersed. Has a thick, black beak, and black eyes. The Black-headed Grosbeak has a bright yellow belly, with black head and eyes. The wings have white bars on them. The Pine Grosbeak is mostly red, with black eyes. The wings are black with white stripes, and part of the lower belly and under the wings is gray. The Common Redpoll is light overall, with some brown streaking on the head and sides. There's a patch of red at the top of its head, and a faint wash of red on the upper chest. The beak is yellow and the eyes are black.
March 2, 2026 at 3:59 PM
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One of my very favorite subjects! I spotted this gorgeous bull moose last September.

#Photography #NaturePhotography #PhotographersUnited #PhotographersOfBlueSky #Colorado
Photo is of a large bull moose, walking through the grass, with trees and a lake in the background.
March 1, 2026 at 10:57 PM
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New to this one but I'll give today's a go.

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #FourOrMore - these are Sandhill Cranes and Ross's/Snow Geese at Bernardo Waterfowl Management Area in New Mexico. Taken in Dec '25

#PhotographersOfBlueSky #Birds
Shadows of Sandhill Cranes in the foreground, and Ross's and Snow Geese in the background, during sunrise at Bernardo Waterfowl Management Area in New Mexico. The birds roost in water overnight as protection from predators, then take of as a massive flock to feed in the fields during the day. Shadows of Sandhill Cranes in the foreground, and Ross's and Snow Geese in the background, during sunrise at Bernardo Waterfowl Management Area in New Mexico. The birds roost in water overnight as protection from predators, then take of as a massive flock to feed in the fields during the day.
March 1, 2026 at 4:28 PM
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Red-tailed Hawk looks for food at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge in Colorado

#Photography #NaturePhotography #PhotographersUnited #PhotographersOfBlueSky #Colorado #Birds
A Red-tailed Hawk looks for some breakfast. It's perched on a branch, looking down and to its right side. The bird has a brown head with golden brown eyes, and a large down-curved black and yellow beak. Its belly is white, with a band of brown spots across the middle. There are light stripes visible on the tail.
March 1, 2026 at 4:10 PM
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Oof! It's been months since I posted here. Kinda forgot about this place. Can't promise I'll be consistent going forward, either, lol.

This photo was taken at Bosque del Apache in New Mexico, back in December. I've taken other similar photos, but love the colors in this one.
Wild grass backlit by the setting sun. I knelt in front of the tall grass, which is bushy on the top and swaying in the breeze. The sunlight behind it is a warm glow, fading to peach, and eventually a deep blue.
February 28, 2026 at 10:22 PM
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By now, the ultra rare (for Colorado) Wood Stork is well known. 🙂 It's the first recorded sighting in about 91 years, and it's been hanging out in a pond near me. Here it is (L) with a Snowy Egret (R).

#Photography #NaturePhotography #PhotographersUnited #PhotographersOfBlueSky #Colorado #Birds
The picture shows a juvenile Wood Stork on the left and a Snowy Egret on the right. The Wood Stork is tall and white, with pink legs. The forehead is very dark brown/black, with no feathers. The beak is long and orange, and curves at the tip. The top of the head and neck are light brown, fading to white as it nears the body and the eyes are dark. You can see a bit of black under the wing and tail. The Snowy Egret is smaller and more slender by comparison. It's white all over, with black legs and beak. The eye is yellow with a black pupil, and is surrounded by orange that extends to the beak.
September 2, 2025 at 10:27 PM
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Great Blue Heron with a crawdad for brunch

#Photography #NaturePhotography #PhotographersUnited #PhotographersOfBlueSky #Colorado #Birds
A Great Blue Heron has caught a crawdad to eat. It's a fairly tall bird with tan legs, medium gray in color overall, with black patches on the shoulder and belly. The long neck is a lighter gray with some very long feathers, and white and black stripes on the front side. The head is white on the sides with a strip of black above the eyes leading to a crest at the back of the neck (not visible in this photo). It has bright yellow eyes and a beak that's black on top and yellow on the bottom.
August 30, 2025 at 6:21 PM
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Went up to Rocky Mountain National Park a few days ago and came home the 'back way' (through Allenspark). I was excited to spot some Bighorn Sheep along the way.

#Photography #NaturePhotography #PhotographersUnited #PhotographersOfBlueSky #Colorado #BighornSheep
A Bighorn Sheep relaxes up on some rocks, in front of a tree. It's light brown with golden eyes and a white muzzle. This one may be a female, as the horns are not very large or curved.
July 26, 2025 at 9:36 PM
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Today, for #FridayFliers, I'm going back to March when I shot this rare (for Colorado) Eastern Bluebird. Adding a Western Bluebird that I took a couple of days ago for comparison.

#Photography #NaturePhotography #PhotographersUnited #PhotographersOfBlueSky #Colorado #Birds
male Eastern Bluebird taking off from a branch. You can almost see through the wing on the left side of the photo. He is bright blue, with orange throat and sides, and a white belly. He has a short black beak and dark eyes. The male Western Bluebird is a slightly darker shade of blue. Unlike the Eastern, it has orange patches on its shoulders and has a blue throat instead of orange. The belly is slightly streaky as well. Otherwise, they are very similar.
July 25, 2025 at 2:19 PM
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This lovely Blue Grosbeak was beautiful to both see and hear. His pretty song led me right to him, so I was obligated to take his picture, right?

#Photography #NaturePhotography #PhotographersUnited #PhotographersOfBlueSky #Colorado #Birds
This male Blue Grosbeak is sitting on a branch with green leaves in the background. He's facing away, but has his head turned back towards me. He's bright blue overall, but his wings have orange and dark gray/brown bars on them. He also has a bit of dark gray on his shoulder area (do birds have shoulders?!) and on his tail. His eye is dark, and he has a black outline around his thick, grey, beak.
July 24, 2025 at 10:34 PM
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I find it impossible to not take photos of chipmunks!

#photography #naturephotography #photographersunited #PhotographersOfBlueSky #colorado
A chipmunk sits on a rock to eat its breakfast of wild grass. He has a white belly, while his sides are more orange. The top of his head is brown, as are his lower leg and tail. His back and face are heavily striped, his eyes are dark, and he has small, rounded ears.
July 21, 2025 at 8:55 PM
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This Double-crested Cormorant was having a great time splashing away in May. You can still see its bright blue eyes among the water droplets.

#photography #naturephotography #photographersunited #PhotographersOfBlueSky #colorado #birds
A Double-crested Cormorant splashes while bathing. It's a medium sized black bird with bright blue eyes and a black and yellow face. A Double-crested Cormorant splashes while bathing. It's a medium sized black bird with bright blue eyes and a black and yellow face.
July 17, 2025 at 6:04 PM
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I don't post flowers too often, but the Silky Phacelia looks like a flower form of fireworks to me. And, it's my favorite color, lol.

#photography #naturephotography #photographersunited #PhotographersOfBlueSky #colorado #rockymountainnationalpark
The Silky Phacelia flower has vibrant purple clusters. Five petals per flower, which are more white in the center, intersected with long dark purple stalks that have yellow on the very end. The Silky Phacelia flower has vibrant purple clusters. Five petals per flower, which are more white in the center, intersected with long dark purple stalks that have yellow on the very end.
July 12, 2025 at 1:29 PM
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I saw this absolute unit of a bull elk the other day up at Rocky Mountain National Park. What a handsome boi!

#photography #naturephotography #photographersunited #PhotographersOfBlueSky #colorado
July 9, 2025 at 6:48 PM
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Mr. and Mrs. Bobolink with food for the babies. They live in in uncut fields and pastures.

#photography #naturephotography #photographersunited #PhotographersOfBlueSky #colorado #birds
Male Bobolink sitting on a flower stem, with a mouth full of caterpillars (or something). He's black overall with a white wing bar as well as a stripe of white down his back to his tail. The back third of his head is cream colored, and he has dark eyes and beak. Female Bobolink sitting on a tree branch with a grasshopper. The Mrs. is a slightly yellow- leaning cream color, with a narrow brown stripe behind her dark eye. Her back and wings are brown, and she's got a small cream spot on top of her brown-crested head. Her beak is pink, versus the male's black.
July 8, 2025 at 11:43 PM
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I really struggle with swallow photos. They're so erratic in flight that they're nearly impossible for me to capture. So, when this Violet-green Swallow perched nicely in Estes Park, I took full advantage!

#photography #naturephotography #photographersunited #PhotographersOfBlueSky #colorado #birds
The Violet-green Swallow really lives up to its name. The top of its head, the upper half of the back and wings are vibrant shades of green. Some is yellow-green, some more blue-green. The feathers do have an iridescent quality to them, however, so sometimes there will be flashes of purple in there, too. The lower half of the back is shades of purple and magenta. The wings are very long, extending past the tail. The area above and behind the dark eyes, the neck and all the belly are bright white.
July 4, 2025 at 2:15 PM
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Broad-tailed Hummingbird in Rocky Mountain National Park makes its opinion of me clear. 🤣

#photography #naturephotography #photographersunited #PhotographersOfBlueSky #colorado #birds
A Broad-tailed Hummingbird sits on a branch, with its very long tongue sticking out. It's tiny, with green feathers over most of its head, back, and wings. The outer edges of the wings are brown and you can also see a bit of orange peeking through near the tail. The chest is white with pale red/orange on the sides, and the chin is white with iridescent scales (called the gorget) showing. They look green in the photo but they are changeable depending on the light. The black beak is long and slender and the eyes are black.
June 27, 2025 at 10:31 PM
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Bighorn Sheep ram, captured in May

#photography #naturephotography #photographersunited #PhotographersOfBlueSky #colorado
A bighorn sheep ram looking at the photographer from across the road. It's brown with a white nose, big curling horns and beautiful orange/brown eyes.
June 27, 2025 at 12:41 PM
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Colorado has had a lost Anhinga for awhile now. Super fun bird and, naturally, it's gotten a lot of attention. They don't have waterproof feathers so they have to spread their wings to dry after fishing.

#photography #naturephotography #photographersunited #PhotographersOfBlueSky #colorado #birds
The Anhinga is frequently nicknamed the "snake bird" due to its long neck resembling a reptile when it's poking out of the water. It's black in color with beautiful white accent feathers, a long curvy neck and a long yellow beak. The webbed feet are also yellow and the tail is long and curved at the end. The Anhinga is frequently nicknamed the "snake bird" due to its long neck resembling a reptile when it's poking out of the water. This one has just caught a fish and is in the process of swallowing it. It's facing away from the camera.
June 26, 2025 at 9:36 PM
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This Burrowing Owl has decided that if he *must* be the subject of the paparazzi, then he's going to mug.

#photography #naturephotography #photographersunited #PhotographersOfBlueSky #colorado #birds
a Burrowing Owl stands on one leg at the burrow wearing a goofy, hunched up expression as if to taunt the photographers watching. He has yellow eyes, and is brown with white spots/streaks over his head, back, and wings. The belly is white with rusty brown spots.
May 16, 2025 at 1:15 PM
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Yellow-headed Blackbird with a small worm snack at Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge in Colorado

#photography #naturephotography #photographersunited #PhotographersOfBlueSky #colorado #birds
A Yellow-headed Blackbird stands in the rocky shallows of a pond, after having caught a little worm. The bird is well named - black with a vivid yellow head and a black mask.
May 15, 2025 at 8:11 PM
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Male Greater Sage-grouse can gulp up to a gallon of air into their esophagus, allowing them to "boom" their air sacs as they call to the females. Photo taken the end of April '25.

#photography #naturephotography #photographersunited #PhotographersOfBlueSky #colorado #birds
A male Greater Sage-grouse struts his stuff in an attempt to woo a female. His head, back, wings and tail are dark brown with thin white stripes. The tail is sharply pointed when he displays. There's a tuft of feathers at the back of his neck, and he has bright yellow eyebrows. The chest is fluffy white, and contains 2 air sacs that he inflates and smacks together (called booming) while calling. A male Greater Sage-grouse struts his stuff in an attempt to woo a female. His head, back, wings and tail are dark brown with thin white stripes. The tail is sharply pointed when he displays. There's a tuft of feathers at the back of his neck (not shown in this photo), and he has bright yellow eyebrows and golden brown eyes. The chest is fluffy white, and contains 2 air sacs that he inflates and smacks together (called booming) while calling. In this photo, the sacs are deflated but still slightly visible.
May 15, 2025 at 4:16 PM
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While on my trip to see Greater Sage-grouse several weeks ago, I stopped at Sand Wash Basin for the first time. I'm not really a 'horse person' but wild mustangs just draw me in.

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A beautiful wild mustang passes by me out in the open range of Sand Wash Basin in Colorado. He's a deep, glossy brown, with a white stripe down his nose, and black mane and tail.
May 14, 2025 at 7:05 PM
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The Burrowing Owls did not disappoint yesterday. Always a treat to see them.

#photography #naturephotography #photographersunited #PhotographersOfBlueSky #colorado #birds
A Burrowing Owl stands on a metal post. These are small owls that nest in prairie dog burrows. It has gold eyes, and is brown with white streaks/spots over the head, back and wings. The belly is more of a cream color with rusty brown stripes.
May 14, 2025 at 4:08 PM
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It's bison calf time at the Rocky Mountain Arsensal in Colorado. 🥰

#photography #naturephotography #photographersunited #colorado #bison
A bison calf, appropriately nicknamed a 'red dog', moves over near what I presume is its mother. There's another calf behind it and another adult in the background, grazing on bright green grass.
May 14, 2025 at 2:39 PM