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Kort Duce

@kortduce.bsky.social

I have been a professional photographer and artist for over 25 years. I have worked at newspapers, magazines and now freelance. I love art. www.kortduce.com Longmont, Colorado

11590 Posts5165 Follower 1282 Folgt

Kort Duce @kortduce.bsky.social · 6h ago

A Canada goose floats through the reflected glow of an early morning sunrise at a nature area in Longmont, Colorado. #BirdOfTheDay #RedOrDead #ECK #bird #birds #birdphotography #photogrsphy #BirdsSeenln2026 #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography

Kort Duce @kortduce.bsky.social · 6h ago

A double-crested cormorant perches on the wooden nub of a submerged tree at a nature area in Longmont, Colorado, surrounded by colorful reflections created by nearby construction equipment. #BirdOfTheDay #RedOrDead #bird #birdphotography #ECK #birds #birdsofbluesky #wildlife #wildlifephotography

Kort Duce @kortduce.bsky.social · 7h ago

A belted kingfisher perches above St. Vrain Creek as it fishes in Longmont, Colorado. #BirdOfTheDay #RedOrDead #ECK #bird #birds #birdphotography #photogrsphy #BirdsSeenln2026 #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography #kingfisher

Photo by Kort Duce

A belted kingfisher perches above St. Vrain Creek while fishing in Longmont, Colorado.

In this vertical color photograph, a belted kingfisher perches among reddish, leafless tree branches in the upper-right quadrant of the frame. Its shaggy crown feathers stand slightly erect, adding to its distinctive appearance. The bird is framed within a pocket of shadow, while the softly blurred background reveals green foliage and the dark, layered depths of the riparian forest. A few weathered brown branches hang behind the kingfisher, adding texture and depth to the composition.

This intimate portrait captures a quiet moment of the kingfisher within the riparian habitat that is so vital to its survival.

Kort Duce @kortduce.bsky.social · 16h ago

Good night, Bluesky! It has been a long day! #BirdOfTheDay #FabulousWaders #bird #birdphotography #ECK #birds #photography #birdsofbluesky #BirdsSeenIn2026 #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography

Kort Duce @kortduce.bsky.social · yesterday

An approximately 2-month-old killdeer chick runs along the shoreline of a pond at a nature area in Longmont, Colorado. #BirdOfTheDay #FabulousWaders #bird #birdphotography #ECK #birds #photography #birdsofbluesky #BirdsSeenln2026 #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography

Kort Duce @kortduce.bsky.social · yesterday

After almost 18-months of construction the city is filling this pond with water again. So exciting! A great blue heron fishes at sunset in Longmont, Colorado. #BirdofTheDay #FabulousWaders #ClassicMono #Monochrome #BW #BlackandWhite #ECK #bird #birds #nature #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography

Photo by Kort Duce

A great blue heron fishes at sunset in Longmont, Colorado.

In this horizontal black-and-white photograph, the heron appears partially silhouetted and perfectly reflected as it leans over the pond, poised to spear a fish beneath an arched log. This environmental composition reveals the broader scene, with still water mirroring the trees along the opposite shoreline and the curved log that emerges from the water at center-left before dipping back beneath the surface near the right side of the frame. The symmetry created by the log and its reflection, combined with the heron's graceful form, creates the illusion of a face when viewed from the left. Some viewers even see a resemblance to the Grinch from Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Kort Duce @kortduce.bsky.social · yesterday

A great blue heron appears to be running across the water with a fish at a nature area in Longmont, Colorado. In reality, it is taking flight after plunging into the pond to catch its prey. #BirdOfTheDay #FabulousWaders #bird #birds #birdphotography #ECK #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography

Photo by Kort Duce

A great blue heron appears to be running across the water with a fish at a nature area in Longmont, Colorado. In reality, it is taking flight after plunging into the pond to catch its prey.

In this vertical color photograph, a great blue heron fills the frame with its back toward the camera and a large fish held securely in its beak. Its wings are thrust downward to generate lift as it launches into flight. Its right leg and claw have already cleared the water, while its left leg remains submerged, sending a dramatic splash into the air.

The background consists entirely of the pond's surface, which appears dark because it lies in the shadow cast by the rising sun.

This striking action photograph captures the split-second moment a great blue heron lifts off after a successful hunt, showcasing the speed, power, and precision of one of North America's most accomplished wading birds in the wetland habitat that is vital to its survival.

Kort Duce @kortduce.bsky.social · yesterday

A great blue heron wades across St. Vrain Creek as it fishes and hunts at a nature area in Longmont, Colorado. #BirdOfTheDay #FabulousWaders #bird #birds #birdphotography #ECK #BirdsSeenln2026 #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography

Kort Duce @kortduce.bsky.social · 2d ago

A great blue heron is silhouetted as it perches at sunrise on a small submerged tree in a pond at a nature area in Longmont, Colorado. #BirdOfTheDay #bird #birdphotography #ECK #birds #photography #birdsofbluesky #BirdsSeenln2026 #wildlife #wildlifephotography

Photo by Kort Duce

A great blue heron is silhouetted as it perches at sunrise on a small submerged tree in a pond at a nature area in Longmont, Colorado.

In this vertical color photograph, the viewer looks down and across a pond as the early morning sun reflects off the rippled water, creating a broad swath of shimmering glare. In the lower left quadrant, a great blue heron stands on a small submerged tree, its many bare branches extending across the bottom of the frame. The heron faces the camera with its head and neck turned to its left, revealing the right side of its face. Its neck forms a graceful "S" curve, and its head is slightly bowed with its beak pointing downward.

The water throughout the image is textured with ripples created by a gentle breeze. The opposing shoreline occupies the top of the frame and remains in deep shadow, creating a striking contrast with the brilliant sunlight. Just below the top of the image, the sun's reflection breaks through the darkness and stretches downward across the pond, bathing the scene in warm golden and amber tones that evoke the tranquility of sunrise.

This beautiful portrait captures a poised and majestic great blue heron in its natural wetland habitat, an ecosystem that is vital to its survival.

Kort Duce @kortduce.bsky.social · 2d ago

A double-crested cormorant suns its wings while a second bird preens on a fallen dead snag at a nature area in Longmont, Colorado. #BirdOfTheDay #ECK #ClassicMono #Monochrome #BW #BlackandWhite #bird #birds #birdphotography #BirdsSeenln2026 #nature #wildlife #wetland #wetlands

Photo by Kort Duce

A double-crested cormorant suns its wings while a second bird preens on a fallen dead snag at a nature area in Longmont, Colorado.

In this horizontal black-and-white photograph, a tranquil pond stretches across the scene, with the opposing shoreline lined by lush vegetation and trees. In the foreground, a fallen dead snag extends into the water from a small island, its weathered branches reaching in every direction across the frame.

Perched on a branch jutting from the water in the lower left quadrant of the image, a double-crested cormorant faces the camera with its wings fully outstretched to dry in the sun while its head is turned to the left. A second cormorant perches on a higher branch behind it, quietly preening its feathers.

This peaceful landscape highlights the natural behavior of double-crested cormorants within the wetland habitat that is so vital to their survival.

Kort Duce @kortduce.bsky.social · 2d ago

Two male northern flickers face off in a territorial dispute at a nature area in Longmont, Colorado. #BirdOfTheDay #bird #birdphotography #ECK #birds #photography #birdsofbluesky #BirdsSeenln2026 #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography

Photo by Kort Duce

Two male northern flickers face off in a territorial dispute at a nature area in Longmont, Colorado.

In this vertical color photograph, two male northern flickers cling to the trunk of a tree during an intense territorial confrontation. One bird faces the camera, while the other has its back to the viewer with its head turned to the left. The rivals repeatedly squared off, alternating between prolonged stare-downs and brief skirmishes as they pecked at one another with their beaks before eventually tiring and flying away.

The background is rendered as a soft blur of green vegetation, isolating the birds and drawing attention to their dramatic interaction.

This image captures a fascinating display of territorial behavior between two male northern flickers within the riparian habitat that is essential to their survival.

Kort Duce @kortduce.bsky.social · 2d ago

A curious female brown-headed cowbird at a nature area in Longmont, Colorado. #BirdOfTheDay #ECK #bird #birds #birdphotography #BirdsSeenln2026 #nature #wildlife #wetland #wetlands #cowbird #cowbirds

Kort Duce @kortduce.bsky.social · 3d ago

A great blue heron portrait at a nature area in Longmont, Colorado. #StunDay #BirdOfTheDay #BestOfJuly #bird #birdphotography #ECK #birds #photography #birdsofbluesky #BirdsSeenln2026 #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography

Kort Duce @kortduce.bsky.social · 3d ago

A turkey vulture perches high in a dead snag along St. Vrain Creek as the moon sets in Longmont, Colorado. •Focus stack of two images. #StunDay #BirdOfTheDay #BestOfJuly #bird #birdphotography #ECK #birds #photography #birdsofbluesky #BirdsSeenln2026 #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography

Photo by Kort Duce

A turkey vulture perches high in a dead snag along St. Vrain Creek as the moon sets in Longmont, Colorado.

In this horizontal color photograph, a turkey vulture perches atop the forked branches of a dead snag, its head turned to the right as it surveys the landscape below. Positioned in the left side of the frame, the bird stands against a brilliant blue sky; a signature of Colorado's more than 300 days of sunshine each year. In the upper right corner, a Waning Gibbous Moon hangs above the horizon. This lunar phase follows the Full Moon, with the illuminated portion gradually decreasing each night.

This photograph is a focus stack created from two separate images. The first photograph was focused on the turkey vulture, while the second was focused on the moon. When using a super-telephoto lens, it is not physically possible to render both the nearby bird and the distant moon perfectly sharp in a single exposure because of the extremely shallow depth of field. By carefully combining the two images during post-processing, both subjects appear in sharp focus.

An incredible portrait of a turkey vulture perched along the riparian corridor of St. Vrain Creek with a setting Waning Gibbous Moon; a scene that highlights both the beauty of Colorado's natural landscapes and the habitat so vital to this remarkable scavenger.

Kort Duce @kortduce.bsky.social · 3d ago

A bald eagle pants while perching in a dead snag along the shore of Flathead Lake in Montana. The mountain in the background is Wild Horse Island, a 2,164-acre state park. #BirdOfTheDay #BestOfJuly #bird #birdphotography #ECK #birds #birdsofbluesky #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography

Kort Duce @kortduce.bsky.social · 3d ago

A great blue heron perches on a submerged tree in a pond at a nature area in Longmont, Colorado. #StunDay #BirdOfTheDay #BestOfJuly #bird #birdphotography #ECK #birds #photography #birdsofbluesky #BIF #BirdsSeenln2026 #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography

Photo by Kort Duce

A great blue heron perches on a submerged tree in a pond at a nature area in Longmont, Colorado.

In this horizontal color photograph, the viewer looks through a dense stand of cattails toward a great blue heron perched on a partially submerged tree just right of center in the upper-right quadrant of the frame. The heron faces the camera with its head turned sharply to its right, revealing the left side of its face. The background is shaded at sunrise, creating a dark backdrop that contrasts with the softly illuminated bird. Blurred cattails fill most of the frame, forming an abstract pattern of yellows, browns, and greens against the deep, nearly black background.

A beautiful portrait of a great blue heron in its natural wetland habitat, an ecosystem so vital to its survival.

Kort Duce @kortduce.bsky.social · 4d ago

A great blue heron looks skyward at a nature area in Longmont, Colorado. #BirdOfTheDay #OverTheRainbow #bird #birdphotography #ECK #birds #photography #birdsofbluesky #BirdsSeenln2026 #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography

Kort Duce @kortduce.bsky.social · 4d ago

A double-crested cormorant perches on a wooden nub from a submerged tree at a nature area in Longmont, Colorado. #BirdOfTheDay #OverTheRainbow #bird #birdphotography #ECK #birds #photography #birdsofbluesky #BirdsSeenln2026 #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography

Kort Duce @kortduce.bsky.social · 5d ago

A great blue heron portrait at a nature area in Longmont, Colorado. #BirdOfTheDay #EgretsAndHerons #ECK #ClassicMono #Monochrome #BW #BlackandWhite #bird #birds #birdphotography #BirdsSeenln2026 #nature #wildlife #wetland #wetlands #heron #herons

Kort Duce @kortduce.bsky.social · 5d ago

An American goldfinch pauses while preening as it perches above St. Vrain Creek in Longmont, Colorado. #BirdOfTheDay #Yellow #ECK #bird #birds #birdphotography #BirdsSeenln2026 #goldfinch #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography

Kort Duce @kortduce.bsky.social · 5d ago

A great blue heron poses for a portrait at a nature area in Longmont, Colorado. #BirdOfTheDay #EgretsAndHerons #ECK #bird #birds #birdphotography #BirdsSeenln2026 #nature #wildlife #wetland #wetlands #heron #herons

Kort Duce @kortduce.bsky.social · 6d ago

A double-crested cormorant perches on a snag from a submerged tree at a nature area in Longmont, Colorado. #BirdOfTheDay #YourChoice #bird #birdphotography #ECK #birds #photography #birdsofbluesky #BirdsSeenln2026 #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography

Kort Duce @kortduce.bsky.social · 6d ago

A 2-month-old killdeer chick pauses while walking along the shoreline of a pond at a nature area in Longmont, Colorado. #BirdOfTheDay #YourChoice #bird #birdphotography #ECK #birds #photography #birdsofbluesky #BirdsSeenln2026 #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography

Kort Duce @kortduce.bsky.social · 6d ago

A great blue heron fishes and hunts along St. Vrain Creek in Longmont, Colorado. #BirdOfTheDay #YourChoice #bird #birdphotography #ECK #birds #photography #birdsofbluesky #BirdsSeenln2026 #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography

Photo by Kort Duce

A great blue heron fishes and hunts along St. Vrain Creek in Longmont, Colorado.

In this horizontal color photograph, the viewer looks upstream as St. Vrain Creek winds into the frame from the upper center. Lush green grasses, shrubs, and trees line both banks of the creek, with a few leaves beginning to turn yellow as summer gives way to autumn. Their vibrant colors are beautifully reflected in the calm water.

In the lower left quadrant of the frame, a great blue heron wades through the shallow creek along a gravel and rock bar dotted with tufts of green grass. The bird quietly searches the water for fish and other prey, blending naturally into its riparian surroundings.

This scenic landscape photograph highlights a great blue heron in the healthy creek habitat that is essential to its survival.

Kort Duce @kortduce.bsky.social · last wk.

A red-winged blackbird stomps and sings atop a post supporting a sign that reads, "Habitat Area – No Access Beyond This Point," at a nature area in Longmont, Colorado. #BirdOfTheDay #MultiColour #ECK #bird #birds #birdphotography #BirdsSeenln2026 #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography #blackbird

Kort Duce @kortduce.bsky.social · last wk.

A great blue heron flies across a pond blanketed with cottonwood seed at a nature area in Longmont, Colorado. #BirdOfTheDay #EmeraldBackdrop #bird #birdphotography #ECK #birds #BirdsSeenln2026 #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography

Kort Duce @kortduce.bsky.social · last wk.

A female yellow-headed blackbird sings while perched on a bike rack at a nature area in Longmont, Colorado. #BirdOfTheDay #EmeraldBackdrop #ECK #bird #birds #birdphotography #BirdsSeenln2026 #wetland #wetlands #blackbird #blackbirds #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography

Photo by Kort Duce

A female yellow-headed blackbird sings while perched on a bike rack at a nature area in Longmont, Colorado.

In this horizontal color photograph, a female yellow-headed blackbird perches on one of the arched tubes of a black metal bike rack, whose repeating curves create an abstract pattern. The bird faces the camera with its head turned slightly to its left and its beak open mid-song. Its feathers are slightly puffed, giving it a soft, rounded appearance. Emerald-green grass fills the spaces between the arches, providing a vibrant backdrop.

A beautiful portrait of a female yellow-headed blackbird singing from a bike rack, highlighting the unexpected harmony between wildlife and a subtle human-made element in a natural setting.

Kort Duce @kortduce.bsky.social · last wk.

An eastern phoebe perches on an exposed tangle of tree roots along the bank of St. Vrain Creek in Longmont, Colorado. #BirdofTheDay #Grey #bird #birdphotography #ECK #birds #phoebe #phoebes #birdsofbluesky #BirdsSeenIn2026 #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography

Photo by Kort Duce

An eastern phoebe perches on an exposed tangle of tree roots along the bank of St. Vrain Creek in Longmont, Colorado.

In this horizontal color photograph, a chaotic network of exposed roots and overhanging earth fills the frame with darkness.

Just left of center of frame, an eastern phoebe pauses while hunting, scanning for its next insect as it perches about a foot above the creek, where insects swarm.

Eastern phoebes typically build their nests in sheltered niches or beneath overhangs, where their young are protected from the elements and relatively safe from predators. They avoid damp crevices and instead favor dry locations tucked close to the "ceiling" of an alcove. This natural overhang along the creek provides an ideal nesting site for the species.

This portrait captures an eastern phoebe within the riparian habitat that is so essential to its survival, highlighting the intimate connection between the bird and the creekside environment it depends upon.

Kort Duce @kortduce.bsky.social · last wk.

A turkey vulture portrait along St. Vrain Creek in Longmont, Colorado. #BirdOfTheDay #bird #birdphotography #ECK #birds #photography #birdsofbluesky #BirdsSeenln2026 #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography

Kort Duce @kortduce.bsky.social · last wk.

A great blue heron flies across a pond at a nature area in Longmont, Colorado. #BirdOfTheDay #Grey #bird #birdphotography #ECK #birds #photography #birdsofbluesky #BIF #BirdsSeenln2026 #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography