Fourth Day in a row in December

This Tuesday morning was my 4th visit to the park in as many day. It's a great start to December considering I visited only 4-6 times in previous months with a lot nicer weather. The cloud cover from the last few days had dissipated, making it even colder today. Today was December 7th (Pearl Harbor Day) and oddly enough I took only 7 photos my entire walk. I'm guessing the temps were just too low yet for much wildlife to be active. I saw no deer and barely even any birds. Interestingly one of the birds I did see was a Blue Jay, who have been eluding a good closeup from my camera lens for a long time. I settled on a long distance shot as there was no way I was going to wait around for him to get closer in these cold temps. The creek was serene today with a blue sky and blue shadows on the snow. I did stop here briefly to watch for wildlife, but again nothing was moving. It was just quiet and cold everywhere. With 4 visits now this December, maybe I can beat my 7 visits from last December. Still have not seen any Owls yet this winter but it shouldn't be long.

Hawk chasing

With a couple extra days off from work, I was planning to visit the park again this Monday morning. Today however I didn't see a single Deer and the temps were even colder than yesterday. I think it was roughly 6 or 7º above zero. As I was coming around the north side I was looking out way in front of me, generally looking upwards for the first Owl of the season. I realized how well I've come to know the park as the tree branch up ahead of me had one too many bumps on it. I quickly got out my camera to take some long range pics and realized it was the odd looking Hawk I'd seen yesterday. What made him odd looking was that his head and shoulders were mostly light colored, almost white, giving him the appearance of a Bald Eagle. I always have a hard time identifying Hawks as I think they're all so similar. According to my field guide though, a bird of this size would likely be a Red-tailed Hawk. It also says they can have a wide variety of colors ranging from dark brown to nearly all white, so maybe that explains the head. Knowing he would spook easily I walked slowly and as quietly as I could on the loud snow covered path but eventually scared him off again before getting too close.

Quiet & Cold Sunday

After taking 135 pictures yesterday, I took only 12 today -and even these 12 aren't too interesting. The park was just all around quiet today. There were still flurries in the air, adding to the already heavy branches of pine trees and any thick shrubs that caught the snow. For most of my walk it was the only thing I noticed. It definitely makes the woods seem thick again even without leaves. I did end up seeing a few deer, but all Does today. They were generally far off and I had a hard time catching one decent photo, especially as the snow started falling harder. They were already looking higher up for food versus trying to find anything beneath the 6-7 inches of snow on the ground. Later I spotted an interesting looking and very large Hawk but he would scare off anytime I got within a hundred feet.

White Duck and Two Big Bucks

On Friday afternoon it started snowing like crazy and it continued through the night. By the time I arrived at the park on Saturday morning we had a fresh blanket of at least 6 inches. Though walking was tough, it was a great visit with a surprise around every corner. I'm not sure if it was because of the snowfall but everything in the park seemed to be active. I know for sure that I almost doubled my previous record of most photos per visit, taking 135 pictures today! After taking in all the beautiful scenery, I noticed an odd-duck, literally among all the Mallards in the water near the southwest side. This Duck was pure white with a bright orange bill and it stuck out like a sore thumb. I don't know if it's a different species or maybe an Albino. It seemed to be accepted and get along just fine with the other Mallards. Right before the bridge on the north side I spotted a couple of Deer on the other side of the Shingle Creek, along the high banks. They definitely spotted me too when I hit the un-plowed bridge which echoed loudly under my steps. There was a Doe and a Fawn that seemed cautious at first until I stopped mid-way on the bridge. I watched them for only a minute or so before the Doe jumped was startled forward by something other than myself. I thought this strange and until I realized what was coming up behind her. From behind the hillside of the creek bank, a massive Buck suddenly appeared and held motionless. Though I'd been solid as a statue while watching the Doe and Fawn, he was obviously aware of me and made little to no movement after first appearing. After I decided to move closer he trotted off behind the other two but reappeared as I rounded the corner after the bridge. Here I got a straight on shot him and his enormously wide antlers. Seconds later he trotted back towards the high creek bank where he immediately found interest in something tasty up in the trees above him. He was half on the hillside already, angled upward but eventually leaned back to stand up on only his two hind legs. I've only seen deer do this one other time and it's kind of funny looking -but to see a big Buck do it was a real treat. He must have been near 8 feet tall -especially with his massive antlers. I watched for a long time but only after looking at my photos on the computer did I realize that he must have been after the black berries above him. After he lost interest in those, he actually started heading my way again, stopping here and there to paw at the snow. Eventually he walked as close as he got to me and posed for some better pictures. When I saw him in the park I was sure he was roughly a 12-pointer. After studying the photos more closely the rack has a defined 10 points for sure. After taking my share of photos of this guy, I was plenty satisfied and went on my way. Only about 3 minutes later down the trail I spotted another single Deer. Thinking I'd already seen my only Buck of the day, I didn't even slow down at first until I noticed yet another set of decent antlers. It's such a rare occasion to see 2 Bucks in one visit that at first I thought it had to be the same Deer. But unless he was walking right behind me, it could not be. This one though had a distinctively symmetrical 8-point rack. I watched him for while as he made his way through some thick brush, even closing his eyes to avoid poking his own eye out. Eventually he walked right out into the open and crossed the field near the drainage ditches on the north side. I can only think of one other time that I've seen 2 Bucks in the same visit. Be sure to click on the photos for a larger view!