Stalking Whitetails

Photos by NB Hunter (November, 2017). © All Rights Reserved.

Small Farms and Cultivated Fields: Priceless

In late spring patches and ribbons of vivid colors are dominant in open landscapes. The spectacular, multi-colored bloom is Dame’s Rocket, a garden escapee gone wild.

Invariably, my interest in this wildflower opens my eyes to the visual resources beyond the bloom. Fields, mostly cultivated fields on local dairy farms, become a subject of interest.

Dame’s Rocket in full bloom 

Front to back: Dame’s Rocket, grain fields and woodlands (8June2017)

The appeal of cultivated fields is much more than the dynamic beauty of line, color and texture through the seasons. They’re wildlife magnets, providing critical habitat for a host of opportunistic birds and mammals.

Buck in velvet, foraging on new growth following the first cutting of hay (27June2017)

Hen turkey foraging in a hay field; there might be youngsters underfoot, chasing hoppers {1July2017)

Lingering storm clouds after days of torrential rains and damaging flood waters (1July2017)

Red-winged blackbird foraging in a field of barley (1July2017)

A hay field colonized by wild black mustard (30June2017)

Orchard grass, a common forage plant in hay fields (27June2017)

Photos by NB Hunter. © All Rights Reserved.

Farm Fields and Wildlife

An unusually warm and sunny September has lured me to local farms to watch and photograph wildlife. I have to share a few of the highlights from recent trips.

Sulphur butterfly on Teasel

Young buck, blinded by the late afternoon sun, relying instead on his nose and ears to evaluate my presence.

The difference between an adolescent, yearling buck and a mature, 4 1/2-year-old breeder can’t be fully appreciated until they’re seen in the same frame!

An adult doe and her fawn. The first of several deer hunting seasons opens on October 1 and the fawns will have lost most/all of their spots by then.

Three white-tail secrets for beating the survival odds:

1 — stay in the shadows

2—never let your guard down

3—-and, when all else fails, run like the wind!

A hen turkey and her small flock of youngsters foraging on seeds and insects. They have incredible eyesight but lack a deer’s curiosity and tolerance of humans; in other words, they’re unapproachable! This mother hen knew something wasn’t right, but chose not to sound the alarm and run…totally out of character!

“If we can teach people about wildlife, they will be touched. Share my wildlife with me. Because humans want to save things that they love.”   – Steve Irwin

September sunset

Photos by NB Hunter. © All Rights Reserved.

 

 

 

 

Does and Their Fawns

An evening on a dairy farm, watching fields of hay, oats (soon to be baled for straw) and corn.

Shadows

Matriarch

Heading for the ripening corn

Motherly duties and TLC

Photos by NB Hunter. © All Rights Reserved.

White-tails in Summer

It seems to be much too hot to do this but in the world of White-tailed Deer life goes on; business as usual. I’m sitting in a fence row, my back to a large old Sugar Maple tree. A strip of camouflage burlap draped over a line of parachute cord provides cover. I’m downwind of a huge dairy farm and the powerful aroma of liquid cow manure masks my scent. In this setting, my only predatory weakness is the annoying click of the shutter of my camera. On a quiet evening, with deer in close, it sounds like a chainsaw.

I’m watching a field of cut hay, hoping to see deer and other wildlife; would love to have a close encounter with a fox or coyote.

Young doe approaching a mature doe and her fawn; submissive posture

Yearling buck in velvet

Photos by NB Hunter. 22July2016 © All Rights Reserved.

Summer Meadows…and Deer

Wildlife watching is a global sport and ecotourism a major industry. At the local level, in a region where agriculture, deer and an extensive network of trails and secondary roads dominate the landscape,  deer watching is as much a part of summer as strawberries and sweet corn.

Buck  on the move, swamp to hay field, just before dark; 16July2016

A friend has been seeing does, fawns and bucks on his dairy farm and suggested I set up for photographs. I obliged, telling him it would be a difficult chore, but somebody had to do it. Actually, I was thrilled! It was my first opportunity to  see and photograph triplets, perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Triplet number one

Triplets two and three; mother has my scent and is nervous

Family portrait, just before mom ran off into the swamp, kids in tow

This doe and fawn appeared an hour later. Highway mortality, long winters and coyote predation take their toll on fawns. One or two fawns per mature doe is the norm, although sightings of mature does with no fawns at all are not unusual.

“We do not remember days, we remember moments” – Cesare Pavese

Photos by NB Hunter. © All Rights Reserved.

Late Spring Scenes, 2016

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.

Mammal Encounters

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.

Late October Bucks

The white-tail bucks that I’m familiar with are still showing pre-rut behavior. That is, they’re feeding heavily, often in darkness.

We’re still a couple of weeks away from the prime November rut, a time when deer and deer sign become prominent throughout the day and night and breeding males can lose 25% of their weight chasing and guarding does .

Photos by NB Hunter. © All Rights Reserved.

Happy Halloween!!!

Frosty mornings, foraging critters, flaming foliage, a bright moon lighting up the night sky, corn harvesting, piles of pumpkins, scary stuff…..yikes! There are so many choices for my photo journal and Halloween greeting from Central New York. I’ll present these fresh images, for no particular rhyme or reason. It just feels good!

Hunters’ Moon, early evening; 26Oct2015

Farmer and his truck, both a little tired

American Beech on fire, over a background of Red Oak

A chunky chippy, pondering the challenge of getting a 10-inch pumpkin into the 2-inch entrance to its underground burrow

Hunters’ Moon, late evening; 26Oct2015

Zombie White-tail

Photos by NB Hunter. © All Rights Reserved.