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Showing posts with the label wild

The Dedisse Bridge - Into the Wild

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The Dedisse Bridge Hidden discreetly in Bear Creek Canyon, the Dedisse Park Bridge is an arched gateway into the remote shadowlands concealing the north face of the Three Sisters Peaks. The structure easily spans Bear Creek and its simplicity in form and color enable it to blend smoothly into the riparian environment. Despite its close proximity to the crowded Evergreen Lake, the quiet swale remains relatively unknown to most local citizens. During the summer, bright sunlight streams through the abode and explodes into shattered bits of color, reflecting the excitement and energy found in a vibrant forest. Wintertime is a much different story as the chilly atmosphere is expressed by a scheme of blues and grays. Big storms stall out over the mountains and fill the narrow gorge with extraordinary amounts of snow. The lower, clear light still finds a way through the dense foliage creating irregular shadows that perfectly trace the deep, undulating drifts. Composed from a divers...

Swainson's Hawk - A Graceful Buteo

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Swainson's Hawk Soaring majestically on summer thermals, the Swainson’s Hawk is a graceful buteo of the Great Plains. It gets its name from an early 19th century illustrator of natural history, Englishman William Swainson. Found mostly east of the Continental Divide, the species’ light phase is quite elegant. This narrow-winged hawk has dark flight feathers, white underwings and belly, a finely barred tail and a handsome rufous bib. Once a mated pair finds a site near the top of a solitary tree, they build a large stick nest and aggressively defend their isolated home. They feed the chicks a steady diet of rodents, rabbits and reptiles. When not in breeding season they voraciously eat a large amount of insects. They devour so many that in some rural regions of North America they are referred to as a grasshopper hawk or a locust hawk. The most remarkable behavior displayed by this amazing raptor is the astonishing, yearly migration to Argentina. In late summer they floc...

Green River - A Wild Spirit

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Green River, Utah The Green River is a muddy waterway that flows through the desolate desert of eastern Utah. Its steep banks are lined with lush vegetation and yellow wildflowers. Everywhere around the verdant stream, waves of dry heat rise into a steamy, blue sky. Beyond the pale cliffs, purple storm clouds promise moisture for the parched landscape. Born in Wyoming's Wind River Mountains, the Green is wide, deep and powerful. Most of its route occurs through the Colorado Plateau where it has carved some of the most spectacular canyons on earth. During Westward Expansion, most of the main emigration routes had to cross the Green at some point. Because of the river's ferocity, ferry crossings were established to enable pioneers to continue their transcontinental journey. Conquered by American Progress, the resilient river still retains much of its rugged beauty. Today, the tributary appears to be tamed but as it meanders into the remote Canyonlands, the Rio Verde ...