Sunday, November 17, 2013

Wildlife Day

Just as the sunlight was fading yesterday, we were treated to an amazing light show.  It was raining lightly, the low clouds looked as though they were going over at 100 mph; some of them very dark and some almost white, all highlighted by a setting sun that was doing odd things to the landscape.


Late to the show, I only headed outside after some of the best of it had passed, in my shorts and quickly grabbing my camera.  Making a circle around our buildings (with my bright orange hoodie), maybe 100 yards at most from the house, I saw no hunters but annoyed almost 20 deer as I walked around the perimeter of our settlement.  White tails were flashing all around me, a snort or two up in the woods was all that I could hear over the wind and raindrops.

Never able to keep track of our deer seasons or bothering to, dusk yesterday must have been the end of our first season.  We typically have the 2nd week of November with orange suits in the woods, then a week off, and finally a full week again through the Thanksgiving week.  No hunters in the early light this morning and as is my habit, I was up early today and saw plenty of moving shadows against the woods and backdrop of standing cornstalks.

This afternoon, there was a turkey invasion; they came.......


They dined.....


and they left......


They don't appear to be very patient creatures.  You see them, watch a few seconds, possibly look away and when you once again look for them, they are either going or easily gone.

On the other hand, this young buck was much more deliberate and cautious, moving less and thinking more as he walked down along our line fence.  After multiple attempts to find a spot where he could fit his rack through the 7 wires that once (mostly) contained bison, he found a spot that he was able to wedge himself through.  The young does simply pop right over the top if pushed in the least......this regal guy wasn't going to expend the effort for any jumping, choosing instead a less strenuous path.

Peg had just closed a door in the house and that seemed to get his immediate attention.


It is surprising that our farmer is able to harvest anything with all of this going on.

10 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks Richard, a year ago we saw a pair of buck twins, almost always together. I'm not sure if this guy is one of the brothers or not.

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  2. I think they are all out there fertilizing the fields. Good picture of the buck.

    Nice that you have the wildlife so close. We had a doe behind our back fence last week. We hadn't seen her in a while. We think her mate was hit up on the road a few weeks ago.

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    1. I guess you're right about the circle of food/fertilizer and suppose that it all works out in the end.

      Always said when you 'know' the ones that are no longer up and moving.

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  3. Coop:

    You place must be the safest for deer during deer season

    bob
    Riding the Wet Coast

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    Replies
    1. By the numbers this must be a safe place; both the turkey and deer populations are high.

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  4. Isn't it great to be able to walk outside and say hello to nature. We've lots of wild turkeys around here - a few deer as well, all of them keep the coyotes well fed!

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    1. Once we get past the garden, shrub and lawn damage, the creatures make very good neighbors :)

      Funny that you mention the coyotes. These last evenings the valley has been alive with their howling. Our cats cower and we don't blame them; it often sounds like the wild dogs are just outside the door.

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  5. Ah, nice post. A world outside your door that used to be mine as well. Oh how I miss it. Soon...

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