Inquisitive Fox Squirrel, another pose

This is another pose of the Fox Squirrel I posted a few days ago

While I was growing up in the ‘60’s fox squirrels were something I heard a few folks talk about but was something I had never seen. We had Eastern Gray Squirrels, some years there wasn’t many but most years they were quite plentiful.

Squirrel hunting was very popular and opening day of squirrel season would find the woods echoing with the sharp crack of .22s and the loud booms of shotguns. Most local folks hunted squirrels and many hours were whiled away arguing about what was the best squirrel gun. Among the shotgunners most preferred the full choke 12gauge but the 16’s 20’s and even the little .410’s had their proponents.

It wasn’t until the early to mid 1980’s until I encountered my first Fox Squirrel. By then the composition of our forest was changing as the first onslaught of the gypsy moth was underway.

Nowadays as one wanders our local woodlands they are as likely to encounter a fox squirrel as they are a gray. No longer are squirrels eagerly sought after as most hunters are pursuing deer with archery equipment. The woods have grown mostly silent and the squirrels have one less predator to be concerned about.

Northern Harrier, Perched

This shot as well as the photograph in the preceding post were both shot from the car window. With a little care; road hunting wildlife can provide photographs that otherwise are exceeding difficult to obtain. Most wildlife is accustomed to vehicles and may only flee when a person emerges from it.

First and foremost if one wishes to attempt this type of photography safety must be the first consideration with consideration of other drivers the next highest priority.

It is always best to turn off the ignition before shooting as engine vibrations will frequently blur the image. Another concern when shooting in cold weather is image distortion from heat waves escaping from the window. It is best to keep the automobile interior somewhat on the cold side and try to ensure the end of the lens is well outside of the window when shooting.

Wildlife’s vulnerability to hunters in vehicles has resulted in many states passing regulations prohibiting people from killing wildlife in this way and imposing heavy penalties for doing so. Fines not withstanding, many “sportsmen” in our area regularly engage in this illegal and unethical activity during our Pennsylvania deer season.

Fortunately there are no such restrictions on photographers that I am aware of.

Northern Harrier in Flight

As we pulled onto Skyline Drive from the Big Meadows Visitors Center I noticed a large hawk swoop low and drop out of sight over the edge of the meadow. Pulling the car onto the far berm we saw that it was now perched on a snag looking intently for prey.

Fearing the hawk would fly if we tried to exit the car we both began shooting through the open side window. After a few minutes the hawk flew on, soaring low across the meadow through the falling snow while I shot feverishly. Neither of us was aware of its identity so upon returning home I consulted a bird guide and learned that this was a female Northern Harrier also known as the Marsh Hawk.

A note about my new header:
I shot this skylined buck during the snow along Skyline Drive. Willard mentioned that it would look great if the exposure of the buck were to be darkened to create a silhouette and the gray sky replaced with a sunset. So here you have it, a Virginia whitetail skylined against a Pennsylvania sunset. It makes me wonder how we ever survived before Photoshop :)

In the Rut

This magnificent Ten Point was the star of the show during our Shenandoah visit.

We found him guarding his doe near the Big Meadows Visitor Center. Another lesser buck was staying nearby but afraid to approach too near with this big guy keeping a constant vigil. As we photographed this buck the lesser buck dared to close the distance somewhat a few times and each time he was greeted by alert glances along with displays of dominance from this larger buck.

We stayed with this buck for well over an hour shooting whenever the opportunity presented.

Hiding in the Blind

As I mentioned in an earlier post I spent a great deal of time last week photographing woodland wildlife. This shot is of the blind I was using to mask my movements from the wildlife. It works rather well although on occasion I had deer spook when they noticed the little hut that wasn’t there yesterday.

I made this self portrait by holding the Canon S2 IS out the side window. The flip LCD allowed me to frame the shot to my liking.

Here the entire rig minus the tripod sits ready to move to a new spot. The blind (hide to my English friends) rolls compactly into the round camouflage bag, a folding camp chair and camera bag complete the setup. The blind, sold by Ameristep, is appropriately (or humorously) named The Outhouse.

Nature's Snowcone

A spent Queen Ann’s Lace flower and a little snow
Created a Natural Snowcone

A perfect Country Capture

An Unusual Encounter

Upon arriving at Big Meadows daylight was just beginning to lighten the leaden sky. We parked at a pull-off a little south of the visitor’s center to await better photographic light. After sitting there for a few minutes I noticed a large owl swoop into a tree and perch out of sight. As the morning slowly brightened the owl moved numerous times until it came to rest on a snag nearby.

We began shooting although the light level was extremely low. I was shooting the Canon 100-400 F5.6 lens and even with the ISO set to 1600 I could only achieve a 1/15th shutterspeed. Soon the owl moved again and I followed unsure if the photographs I had taken were sufficiently sharp.

The Barred Owl allowed me to follow it around with camera and tripod as long as I maintained a distance of 15 – 20 yards. At one point it even launched a successful attack capturing some small prey animal along the roadside and eating it in only a few bites.

This game continued until the day brightened sufficiently for me to attain the 1/60th shutter speed at ISO 500 used to capture this image. I felt certain by this time that I had captured images of acceptable sharpness and left the Owl to continue its hunt in peace.

Veterans Day

Let us pause today to remember our Veterans both past and present

Just as this tank appears to be doing, our military is standing ready. Ready to protect our great nation from harm and ready to extract a terrible price for acts of aggression against us

This image is of a Viet Nam era M60 Tank
now displayed as an American Legion Monument

Ready to Rumble

This Shenandoah buck began to show signs of aggressiveness as I approached to a position from which I could shoot. My concerns that I had encroached upon his space evaporated when I seen the cause of his hostility was another buck approaching.

Although bucks will posture frequently very seldom does their behavior result in them coming to battle. Usually dominance is settled through aggressive behavior frequently accompanied by thrashing small trees with their antlers.

Sky High on Skyline Drive

Today Willard and I traveled to Big Meadows in the Shenandoah National Park.

Leaving home at 3:00am we were greeted by light rain just south of Winchester Va. followed by light snow as we ascended the mountain on RT 231. Fortunately with the temperature near the freezing point there was no significant accumulation on the roadway. As we traveled through the darkness our anticipation for the morning shoot grew stronger as the weather was proving perfect for spurring whitetail rutting activity into high gear.

Not only did we capture some outstanding images of Whitetail bucks but a female Northern Harrier and a Barred Owl made their appearance to make this a truly memorable morning. Another treat that I am unable to share with you was listening to the Coyotes howling while photographing the Owl at daybreak.

Check back daily for more images from this trip and from my “Week in Penn’s Woods”


Ps. Chad, this shot’s for you!