I started monitoring wildlife dens, nests and babies in late April. A Red Fox den was my first exciting project but it wasn’t long before there were kids everywhere and I longed for the ability to be set up in multiple locations simultaneously. There were fuzzy little killdeer the size of golf balls scurrying around in cultivated fields (Blog post on May 30, 2019: “The Shorebird Everyone Sees (or Hears!)”, a rabbits nest in the blueberry garden, a vulture nest and chicks in an abandoned hunting shack in the woods, a newborn whitetail fawn in a hay field, fidgety little red squirrels at the bird feeders, eaglets in a huge nest at the edge of town, tiny turkey poults disappearing in the tall grass in search of mom.
Better late than never; I must share the joy of watching the growth and development of these adorable youngsters.
Three of four red fox pups playing under the watchful eye of a parent; 25April2019
Young cottontails (three in all) about to leave the nest that they have outgrown; 29May2019
Just hours out of the nest – one of the bunnies from the previous image; 30May2019
The gang of three, continued: now 17 days on its own, but not far from the nest site; 15June2019
A newborn fawn (one of two), nearly invisible in a field of uncut hay; 27May2019
Fawns wanting to nurse, but mom giving them the boot; 14July2019
Wild turkey poults or chicks, foraging on insects and trying to keep up with mom; 17June2019
Young red squirrel on a threat learning curve: run, hide, or freeze in place?; 19June2019
Eaglets jockeying for position in a crowded nest; 23June2019
Vulture chicks, four weeks after hatching on the floor of a shack in the woods; 28June2019
The vulture chicks with more adult plumage….and hissing loudly!; 8July2019 (flight in 3 weeks?)
Photos by NB Hunter (April 25 – July 14, 2019). © All rights reserved.
Nick's Nature Pics 