Winter Storm Jonas, The Next Day

The snow stopped falling yesterday at dusk.  Its difficult to tell what the actual accumulation was for the snow drifted as it fell.  Today was a day of digging out while keeping an eye out for the occasional photo op to remember the storm by.

Winter Storm Jonas

 After much media fanfare winter storm Jonas arrived yesterday afternoon.  Snowing fell throughout the night and continued until dusk leaving about two feet of white powder in its wake.  The following are a few images I captured when I hiked to the farm today to feed the livestock.

Time For Feeder Birds

With the cold winds of January blowing the outdoor photo opportunities are somewhat limited.  However there is no time like the present to capture some close up shots of the hungry birds flocking to our feeders.   

Tufted Titmouse

 Dark-eyed Junco

Northern Cardinal Female

Oops, not a bird but in the feeder nontheless!

One-bite Meal, Great Blue Heron

While spending Christmas with our Florida family my son Chad and I slipped out early one morning to visit the Viera Wetlands. After a decent morning of photograph and with the sun rising high into the sky we decided to drive one more lap around the dikes before calling it a day.  Moments later we spotted a great blue heron with a greater siren grasp securely in its bill.  Knowing there was little time to spare I braced the 600mm lens on the car door and quickly shot this sequence of the bird swallowing the huge meal.

Whitetail Wear & Tear

While photographing a young buck recently, I noticed that his left eye had a whitish clouded spot.

As he moved nearer I focused on his left eye, attempting to get a better view of his problem.

A heavily cropped section from the photo above shows a badly damaged area covering much of his pupil area, possibly rendering his blind in this eye.   How it happened is anyone's guess.  It does appear to be healing well and judging from his actions his injury does not seem to be limiting him in the least.

Whitetail Breeding Continues

While the 2015 whitetail rut is now a memory, some breeding activity continues.  This doe apparently did not conceive earlier during the rut and is again receptive to a bucks advances.  If this mating was successful it will result in the doe giving birth in early July. 

The following sequence of photos were of the mating encounter observed this morning.

Scavenging Predators

Discovering a winter-kill along an old logging road during early March I took the opportunity to document the various animals that passed by and or fed upon the carcass.    By placing a simple trail camera nearby I was able to monitor the carcass and collected thousands of images while doing so over the next two months.  Starting in mid March turkey vultures began visiting almost daily, however this post will focus upon the visiting predators.

Twice during the filming a bobcat passed by but apparently did not stop to feed.  The most voracious mammal scavengers were the raccoons , with some nights finding raccoons feeding from dusk until dawn and sometimes as many as four animals in one photo.

Following the raccoons in visit frequency were the opossums.  The opossum visits started the last week of March after some decay had began.  The opossum visits continued until the last remnants had disappeared.

Once in early April and then again three weeks later a black bear was captured passing the carcass.  However as in the case of the bobcat visits no images captured the bear feeding.  Also during April the carcass was visited and fed upon a number of times by a red fox/foxes.

 By late April the carcass the meat was virtually gone with only skin and bones remaining.  It was only then that the coyote visits began and soon both the skin and bones were carried away.

Speed: A Whitetail Defense

 Whitetail deer have a number of defensive tactics to draw from in their attempt to survive hunting seasons.  Four photos below illustrates one oft used and very successful defense, running.  While deer can be shot running the fast moving deer is a very difficult target.  Not only is the deer capable of  running at speeds well in excess of 30 mph but it can also bound high into the air and change directions on the proverbial dime, all without slowing!

The defensive tactic of the buck pictured below is not nearly as effective.  He was taken on the first day of the firearms hunting season three days after I captured this image.

Deer Season, 2015

 Monday morning, as dawn creeps across Pennsylvania, the ridges and mountains will echo with the crashing booms of gunfire.  Monday marks the first day of the 2015 firearms deer season.

Outsiders are often surprised by the popularity of deer hunting in the rural areas of Pennsylvania. Here in Fulton County the first day of deer season is a local holiday with schools and factories, and many stores closing.

A mature whitetail buck lip curls in the faint light of early morning

An old wounded veteran feeds while standing on three legs.  The injury is probably the result of a poorly placed gunshot.  This is the third year I have photographed him since his injury.   

Deer are affectionate animals  This photo plainly captures the affection between this small family group.


It is with mixed emotion that I greet yet another first day of deer season.  While I do look forward to stocking the freezer with some fresh venison, I hate to see them die.  I well understand that without top level predators to keep the deer numbers in check that hunting is a necessary management tool. What bothers me most are the hunters who take the poor shots and leave wounded animals to suffer needlessly as well as the poachers who disregard the rules.

Deer season for me in years past would begin with the first day of rifle season and last until my tag/tags was filled or the season closed.  Now that first day of rifle signals the end, the end of my whitetail buck photographic season.   While in the past I have pursued whitetails with modern rifles, muzzle-loaders, flintlock, archery and handguns and have been successful with all; I have found that no consumptive deer hunting can begin to compare to the enjoyment I experience hunting Pennsylvania's whitetails with photography gear.

For those of you my readers who will be afield tomorrow; first and foremost, hunt safely, make sure of both your target and backstop, and shoot accurately.