Celebrating Earth Day with images from April, 2018.
Starlings searching for spilled grain on an active farm
Mallard at rest on a wintry spring day
Ring-billed Gull foraging in a flooded field
Mature whitetail after a long, cold rain
Turkey Vulture cleaning up a road-kill
White-throated Sparrow with a kernel of corn
Breeding Wood Frog in a vernal pool – today – a month behind schedule
Wild turkey (a young gobbler or “jake”)
Photos by NB Hunter. © All Rights Reserved.
Skunk Cabbage leaves unfolding
Chippy after a field trip to the bird feeder
The female flower of a Norway Spruce tree
Eurasian honeysuckle, an invasive shrub, in full bloom
A mature doe reaching above my protective fencing to nibble on the new growth of a young apple tree; deer are losing their winter coats and look pretty ragged
Morels in a maple-hemlock woodlot
A fat and happy Red Squirrel framed in dandelion seed heads
Osprey after an incredible 30 meter dive into the shallow water of a large pond
Gone fishing………………………………….
Photos by NB Hunter. © All Rights Reserved.
White-tailed deer are social animals, and multi-generational family groups of does and fawns are the norm. That said, this young doe has been alone since last fall (I see her once or twice a week while trail walking) and is now including the bird feeders in her daily routine. I suspect the family group was broken up due to hunting season or highway mortality.
Photos by NB Hunter. © All Rights Reserved.
Leaves falling, geese honking overhead, frost in the air, deer hunting season around the corner; time for one last colorful meadow story before moving on and embracing autumn.
The aster bloom, a wonderful palette of white, blue, lavender and purple, follows the goldenrod bloom, with just enough overlap to create a memorable finale to the wildflower season…..
The September bloom, brilliant when the sun is just right, frames idle nest boxes,
Fuels late season butterflies,
A “Comma”, one of the anglewing group of butterflies
Hides a fawn,
And its alert mother as well!
Photos by NB Hunter. © All Rights Reserved.
Becoming immersed in the continuum of spring scenes from March to June is a bit like viewing a blog post that features an endless gallery of world-class images. Each phase of spring has exceptional, defining visual qualities and it’s virtually impossible to pick favorites.
Young Red Squirrels are maturing rapidly, but still show the fearless curiosity of a juvenile.
Buttercups are in full bloom…
As are the Dame’s Rockets…..
Tiger Swallowtails, our most common, large butterfly, liven up the June landscape as they follow the sequence of bloom.
Tiger Swallowtail on hawkweed
And it’s not all about youngsters and flowers: large herbivores seize the moment, feasting on succulent new plant growth (throughout the day if undisturbed).
A young doe (yearling) foraging in a brushy meadow
Photos by NB Hunter. © All Rights Reserved.
I walk often, usually traveling short distances on local trails. Late Spring is a wonderful time to do this because there’s so much going on in the world of wildlife.
Wildlife populations are approaching their annual peak as new recruits arrive daily!
Juvenile Red Squirrel
Goslings
Songbirds are in various stages of nesting: some are building nests, some are sitting on eggs, some are feeding young. Regardless of the species, males can usually be heard singing on the nesting territories.
Chestnut-sided Warbler above a dense thicket of shrubs and young trees
Great Crested Flycatcher nesting in a “Bluebird” box (1 of 3)
Reptiles and amphibians have come alive in the summer-like heat. This American Toad has claimed my compost pile as home.
Photos by NB Hunter. © All Rights Reserved.
Surprise encounters with the wonderful world of mammals must be shared, even if there is no particular theme to tie it all together!
Serious birders know that a slice of orange attracts orioles to backyard feeders. My orioles are still singing and foraging in the tree tops!
Cottontail at rest in the protective cover of a fencerow thicket
This groundhog was caught off guard and didn’t have a clear path to its den. It hid under a log, then came out to see if I was still a threat. Had I been a fox or coyote, it would have been dinner.
The gestation period for White-tailed Deer is about 200 days. This doe will soon be giving birth to a fawn or two. The lush herbaceous vegetation of stream bottoms is preferred habitat for fawning.
Photos by NB Hunter. © All Rights Reserved.
The doe was feeding along the edge of the trail, about 40 or 50 meters ahead of me. As she was about to disappear into the thick brush, I bleated like a fawn to get her attention. She turned and paused – just long enough for a snapshot.
Photo by NB Hunter. © All Rights Reserved.
The hunting season for deer is well underway and the survivors know the value of dense cover, especially during daylight hours.
This doe was feeding and resting in an old field habitat dominated by goldenrods (until they collapse under heavy snow) and thicket-forming shrubs. She was eating dried, persistent leaves (including blackberry leaves) and the small red berries of Multiflora Rose.
Young White-tailed Deer feeding and bedding in dense cover (goldenrods, Multiflora Rose, Buckthorn, dogwoods, Viburnums, White Ash seedlings, other) 20Nov2014
Multiflora Rose fruit in winter; this is an invasive species
Photo by NB Hunter. © All Rights Reserved.
We had our first real snowfall of the year yesterday, a couple of inches of wet, heavy stuff. This post is dedicated to all of my friends who have either moved or migrated to warmer places … and are longing to see November snow! The pleasure was all mine!
The last of the aspen leaves
Blackberry
Snow reflections in a tiny stream
Wild Japanese Barberry, escaped from cultivation
Mature White-tail, doe
Photos by NB Hunter. © All Rights Reserved.
Nick's Nature Pics 