Another day winds down on Winslow Hill

As the last light fades in the west we rushed to grab a few photos of the local elk herd.  We enjoy photographing them in their many stages.  At this particular stage they are awesome to look at.  The bulls are sprouting new growth and at this point their antlers are rounded and covered in velvet.  Each week the growth is quite noticeable.  Also at this stage the elk's coat is beautiful and smooth and quite different than the heavy winter coat.  One thing is for certain, they are amazing animals irregardless of the time of year.

Another colorful Woody!

Of all the ducks that we have photographed none are as brilliantly colored as the Wood Duck or Woody. 

Nocturnal critters pose challenges!

For quite some time I've been trying to get decent pictures of the 2nd largest rodent, the beaver.  They are very uncooperative and the fact that they are basically nocturnal adds to the complications.  Nocturnal means active after the sun goes down, which means low to little light, which translates to "difficult to photograph".  We have spent countless hours sitting quietly alongside beaver dams hoping to capture images of beaver that prefers day shift or 2nd shift as opposed to hoot owl shift.  We have a beaver dam near to our home that is home to a couple beavers.  These beavers are wise to us and will only show up when the light is to low to capture decent images.  It's a mental game and they are winning.

Recently we lucked out and found a beaver that was apparently afraid of the dark and showed up well before dark.  We spotted him coming from quite a ways and he ended up swimming right toward us.  He was still a good distance away but we still got some decent images.

The term "busy as a beaver" means just what it implies.  These large rodents are workers for certain.  A beaver can chew through a tree 10" in diameter overnight.  Their teeth continually grow so the chewing has little affect on their chompers.  These teeth are also self sharpening due to the growth pattern.  Their dam building skills are amazing. By the way, only the back feet are webbed on a beaver. The longest dam was spotted by satellite imagery in Alberta.  This dam was twice the width of the Hoover dam at over a half mile wide.  Even their lodges are amazing which normally have at least two chambers.  One chamber is actually a drying chamber for when they exit the water and enter the lodge.  The other chamber is the living area.  Sometimes they share this room with a Muskrat or two.

Baby beavers will stay in the lodge for the first month of their young lives before they venture outside.  They will stay with the parents for about 2 years. They mimic the behavior of the parents and become the same busy little beavers like their Mom and Dad who mate for life.  Beavers don't hibernate during the winter but stay primarily in the lodges and will chew a stick for nourishment.  Beavers can stay underwater for 15 minutes but are careful to leave a small air hole in the top of the lodge for breathing purposes.  Maybe someday we'll get better pictures but for now these will have to suffice.

The North American Fish Eagle

Okay, this raptor is more commonly known as an Osprey but some refer to it as a Fish Eagle or Sea Hawk.  They are a relatively large bird of prey but only a fraction of the size of an eagle.  I mention this because we've heard many times when someone had claimed they were looking at an eagle when in reality it was an Osprey.  These birds of prey are predominantly fish eaters and can spot their next meal from 125 feet in the air.  When they spot the fish they hover for a moment then dive feet first into the water and grab supper.  The Osprey and Owls share a common trait in that their outer toes are reversible and that makes it possible to clutch a slippery fish with two toes around the front and two toes around the back of their prey.  All toes are the same length.  I suppose that also helps them to hold a hammer when they build those awesome square nesting platforms that they always seem to have.  On a more serious note, they do make a call that is similar to a eagle.  Cool birds for sure!

A new life begins in the forest.

This is the time of the year that the forest welcomes the birth of tiny fawns.  There isn't a cuter critter than a little newborn fawn.  Just recently we pedaled our bikes down through the Grand Canyon of Pa on a beautiful 90 degree day.  As we rounded a corner we looked ahead and noticed what appeared to be a thin little dog drinking out of a puddle.  As we got closer we realized this was a tiny newborn fawn that was still quite wobbly on his new little legs.  Once he spotted us he tried to hide right next to the trail in the tall grass.  We didn't want to scare him and cause him to run into the nearby raging Pine Creek as that would mean instant tragedy for this little fella.  We did manage to get a couple pictures of him and then continued on our way.  Hopefully he reunited with his mommy as that is very important for his survival at this critical time in his young life.  This was certainly a treat though!