A Morning Afield

As this morning slowly brightened layered fog hung thick in the low lying valleys.  Missing work today to accompany my wife for a medical procedure, I had the early morning free so an outing afield was in order.

On the way to a favored wildlife viewing spot I rounded a bend in the road to see a black bear heading towards me.  Stopping the car, shutting off the engine, and opening the door a cacophony of bells began.  Jerking the keys from the ignition quieted one ringer and finally turning off the headlights silenced the noisy beast.  By the time I was able to crouch beside the vehicle resting the lens in the V between door and car body the bear which had retreated up the road, stopped to momentarily look back.     

After only a few frames the bear turned and retreated into the fog.

While our area supports a number of bears, sighting are infrequent.  This encounter marks my third for this year and my first local encounter where I was able to get the camera into action.  The bear appears to be small, possibly last years cub. 

Later I photographed this tender moment between a doe and her fawn.

While I enjoy all types of wildlife photography my favorite photographs are those capturing interaction between animals.

Whereas many species are solitary and are seldom seen interacting with others of their kind; whitetails spend a considerable amount of time interacting,  Whether its grooming, nursing, sparring, fighting, or a fawn nuzzling its mother, capturing these moments of interaction adds a special charm to ones collection of digital outdoor memories.