The first week of summer is all about birds, babies and lightning.  Late June is typically the first time that we can get into the high country to see pikas and marmots.  In 2013 we had a spectacular lightning display (with little rain). It was so dry in 2012 that a lightning strike started the Flagstaff Fire.  In 2011, when I was getting out of the car to grab my camera to take a picture of Piper in a downpour, I almost got hit by lightning!  Next time I'll just watch from inside the car!

The beginning of July is all about babies and growth. In 2022, Andy and I were lucky enough to witness a white-lined sphynx moth emerge into its final stage.  How amazing to literally watch it wings grow.  The 4th of July fireworks are always fun to try to photograph.

July is hot but it still seems like all the animals are out. This time of year is when Andy and I usually head up into the high country and it is fun to see the marmots and pikas.  While we usually think that bears are most active in fall, the beginning of July is often when we see them out an about during the day. 

The "dry" season typically begins to wane in mid-July.  Some years the smoke fills the air and colors the moon, other years the monsoon begins and plants green up a bit.  Baby birds are usually fledging at this time and parents of all types are busy feeding them! In 2012, I was lucky enough to see a mom mountain goat and her kids up on Mount Evans.

The end of July is usually when we see baby mule deer regularly.  Rufus hummingbirds are already migrating back from their breeding grounds further north. If the moisture is good, the flowers in the high country are at their peak.  If you look closely at the clues, you can already tell that the summer manic period is starting to wind down a bit.

Early August is so much fun for pictures.  It seems like the animals (especially the young ones) are so tolerant of me as a photographer.  The food is plenty and the variety of things to see is amazing!

By mid-August the monsoon rains have usually come.  Some birds are still fledging while some are beginning to migrate away.  The elk start losing their velvet.  Can it be that the run is only a few weeks away?

By the third week of August, the ground squirrels are almost ready for hibernation. It find it amazing how they can sleep so long but with a good layer of fat, they do quite well.  Some August's are wet and chilly while others, like in 2020, are so dry that wildfire smoke can make the sun dull like an eclipse.  In 2021, we were lucky enough to see two bobcats having a discussion at dusk!

By the end of August, the elk rut has begun.  While it can still be hot out, the light starts to soften a bit and sunrises and sunsets become interesting again.  In 2022, Andy and I visited the west side of RMNP and marveled at the destruction and regrowth of the East Troublesome Fire of October 2020. 

The beginning of September is definitely a time of transition. Mule deer have started to shed their antlers and almost everyone else is taking in as much food as possible before the winter season ahead.  This is also the time of forest fires.  In 2012, the smoke from western wildfires made the light from the sun so filtered that you could see sunspots!

By the middle of September, it seems like everyone is out -- bears, elk, deer, insects, and a wide variety of birds. This time of year is great for Milky Way pictures.   

The equinox is one of my favorite times to take pictures.  The elk rut is in full swing, insects are visible and tolerant and the light is usually softer. Even the bobcats seem to come around our house more often.

The last week of September is usually when the elk rut is most frantic.  The fall colors are also coming into peak!  In 2020, the wildfire smoke was so thick that it colored the moon. In 2015, we had a lunar eclipse.

By the beginning of October it is not uncommon to have frost and snow in the high country.  Lately, the fall colors have hit their peak at this time of year -- later than decades ago.  

By the beginning of October, fall is in full swing.  Snow can come at anytime in the high country and the colors are usually beautiful.  In 2022, we were lucky enough to spot a mink!

By mid-October the elk rut has subsided, but the deer rut is in full swing.  In 2020, the Cal-Wood fire blew up at the same time as the East Troublesome and Cameron Peak fires were burning.  

By the end of October there isn't much color or many hearty animals left in the high country.  In Boulder, however, the colors are peaking.  In 2014, we were lucky enough to see a partial solar eclipse.  

I always say that winter in Boulder begins on Halloween.  This is when the wind blows, the leaves fall and the colors fade.  By the beginning of November, snowshoe hares have already changed into their winter coats and snow can cover the ground. Since all the migratory birds have left the area, I really enjoy photographing whatever color wildlife are still out and about.

Can you tell?  There are a lot fewer pictures to share beginning in November. Where has everyone gone? Every few years we get lucky and the fall colors stay a little longer. In 2013, I was lucky enough to go to a photography workshop with "captive" raptors. 

By mid-November the light really fades. Some years we get lucky and the leaves are still colorful on the trees, though.   In 2022, a frustrated coyote alerted us to a mountain lion that was on a "kill" (of a elk calf).  Our first day-time sighting of a mountain lion!  

By the end of November, I'm usually struggling to come up with a picture for the day.  This is the time of year when I'll "make" a picture -- flames, lights and even leaves under water can become my muses.  Sometimes nature provides a picture, however, and that makes it all the more exciting.

I can't think of a theme for this time of year except to say that only the locals are still around in Colorado.  This is the time of year when the unlucky become dinner for the lucky, though. In 2011, we visited Hawaii and it was so nice to see a rainbow!  

Cold and darkness are themes for the beginning of December.  The flames from 2021actually come from a heated/pressurized side-walk washer.  It was mesmerizing.  I've been trying to duplicate the ice bubbles picture from 2017 but have yet to see conditions set up for it.  In 2011, a trip to Hawaii made for some great memories.

For most of the year, Abert's squirrels are pretty invisible.  Something about the beginning of December makes them easier to find.  In 2020, a bobcat family took down a mule deer in our neighborhood, the snow and cold couldn't take them away from their feast.  Winter sunsets are so beautiful!