Lots of Deer and Birds

Today's walk was a bit more interesting than yesterday. The sun had disappeared and as usually happens, there was a lot more wildlife to be seen. The first was a group of four Deer back by the drainage ditch. Lately I've been adding this small offshoot of the trail to my normal routine as I can just about count on seeing Deer there. On my way back to my normal route, there were four more Deer heading in the direction I'd came from. One by one they stepped out into a clear spot before heading back toward the thick stuff. On the northwest side there were tons of birds making tons of noise so I decided to venture in closer. I thought the birds making all the noise were Purple Finches, but now think they were House Finches. Among the ruckus I could hear more unique birds and I found myself walking further into the woods. There a third group of 7 more Deer walked past me -making for a total of 15 Deer today! A short time later I caught a glimpse of what I thought I'd recognized by sound, a Red-bellied Woodpecker. I decided to stalk him for a while in hopes of getting a better photo but it was tough given how thick the woods are here. The only thing I could keep my eye on as he bounced around from tree to tree was his bright red crown. Eventually he settled into a real thick area of trees out in front of me with just barely an opening in my view. The photo shows the rosy red belly patch for which the bird is named. I tried many more times for a Finch photo but eventually gave up and headed back. On the way I heard something above me and looked up to find this Gray Squirrel barking at me.

Sunny first visit in March

When I'd left for the park today, the temp at home was reading 41º and the sun was shining against a bright blue sky. I thought it was warm enough not to wear my usual scarf/hood for a change but after about 1/3 of the way around I realized my "spring fever" had diluted my judgement. My face was freezing but I toughed it out the rest of the way. On the north side I noticed quite a few unfamiliar birds that seemed to be either mating or just chasing each other, flying extremely low to the ground before swooping upwards again to the next tree or bush. I had a terrible time getting a photo due to their erratic movements but after reviewing what I did get, I think they were Dark-eyed Junco's. As I made my way around the park I saw little else of interest. There were a group of Robins past the bridge who were busy eating berries laying on top of the snow but that was about it. I was really expecting a lot going on today but it was ironically very quiet. The only other birds I spotted were Cardinals and Chickadees. I did see a couple of Deer way off in the woods but it was much too far away and thick for a photo. This last photo is simply to better describe how the park and trails look as of March. Sun has cleared off the trails quite well but there is still over 2 feet of snow on the ground in most places. Sadly, they are predicting another 6 inches this next Tuesday. Oh by the way, I learned later in the day that our high temp for the day actually only hit 29º. No wonder my face was freezing!

Close encounters on a cold day

It was exactly zero degrees when I arrived at the park this morning and I really wasn't expecting to see much. I'd brought my snowshoes with and planned to just carry them with me until I reached the north east side and look for antler sheds. I'd only walked about 500 feet down the paved trail when a jogger tipped me off to a Coyote that was just inside the trail. I chatted with him for mere seconds before parting ways in hopes of spotting him. I decided to keep going until I hit the next wood chip trail where you can see out a bit further. There I spotted him moving off in the distance and immediately got out my camera. He was quite far away and moving, and suddenly I lost him. I began taking long distance pics right where I'd last seen him and upon looking at the preview on my camera screen, realized he was still there -just sitting motionless on his hind legs. After a minute or so he trotted out into the field, presenting a few more good photo opportunities whenever he wasn't blocked by Cattails. He made his way into the next section of woods on the south west side, so figured I'd cut through there on the next wood chip trail. I was still carrying my snowshoes when all of sudden he darted right out in front of me across the trail! He circled half way around me in the thick brush, then stopped abruptly and went back the same way. By this time I'd chucked my snowshoes on the ground and had my camera ready and waiting. I was focusing on the trail about 50 some feet ahead of me, and luckily he popped out again, crossing in nearly the same spot heading the other way. It was quite exciting, being one of the closest -and definitely the longest- encounter I've had with a Coyote! When I finally got to the opposite side of the park, I strapped on my snowshoes and walked up the drainage ditch where I've seen so many Deer this season. The furthest side of the ditch has these enormous trees that had been toppled by strong winds years ago and pulled up huge chunks of earth in their roots. It's kind a sheltered, low place which is probably the Deer are attracted to it. It wasn't long until I spotted a couple of Deer, then more, then more and more. Before even getting to the end, I'd seen 12 of them! Most had white faces from searching for food under the snow. The snow flurries in the air were also picking up and coating their backs as I was taking photos. As I hiked back on the frozen ditch itself, there were groups of deer up on either side of the bank staring down at me. I felt like I really invaded their territory as probably not too many people venture into this area -except for maybe in the winter. Of the 12 deer I saw, not one of them had antlers -and some of them really looked like they might be a Buck. In this last photo, see if you can spot the fourth Deer!

Large Hawk and Eleven Deer

I used my day off from work this Tuesday to get in an extra park visit this week. There was a fresh new 8" of snow on the ground from Sunday & Monday and the temps had also dropped again. There was also evidence of some strong winds as a large dead tree had snapped off and crushed part of the chain link fence surrounding the baseball fields. The first thing I noticed though was a large Hawk perched high above the open water on the south west corner. He seemed to be watching the Mallards below him but I'm not sure if it was out of hunger or what. He was certainly large enough to take one out if he wanted. He had to be near 2 feet tall which is one the main reasons I think it's a Red-tailed Hawk. I'm a bit unsure so if you disagree please let me know. After crossing the bridge on the north side I spotted four Deer way off in the distance near some townhomes. They were busy searching for food and were mostly spread out until three of them came closer together. This would be the first group of many more that I'd spot as I made my way around. On the north side I spotted two more, a Doe and a Buck -STILL holding on to a nice set of eight points. He stayed real still back behind some thick brush as the Doe went about her business. Upon glancing over my shoulder, there were five more on the other side of the trail! I turned by interest to this group who upon seeing me gathered momentum and quickly darted across the trail away from me. I tried to get some pics of them in mid-air jumping over the high snowbanks but they were already too far away.