Oh, Deer

This young doe was taken by surprise during our recent hike. We stood quietly just watching her, and she stared at me (and Nik) for a long time before cautiously walking away. Suddenly, another deer joined her and they bounded off into the woods.

Bandits-Redux!

UPDATE! This afternoon I was able go back over to the big tree on the corner and get a closer shot of the baby raccoons with my regular camera... there are FIVE of them...(maybe more?) Be sure to double-click the photo to see the close-up of their cute little faces. :-)

[See the original posting and image of them in my 6/25/11 entry.]

Bandits

So, I'm patiently waiting my turn at the 4-way stop at the edge of our subdivision, when I casually glance out my my window at a huge knothole in an ancient box elder tree. Imagine my surprise, when I see these two little guys poke their heads out and stare back at me! (I must apologize for the poor quality of this particular image - I did not have my regular camera with me while out running errands....isn't that always the case?) I quickly pulled over and was lucky enough to get a snapshot with my cell phone before they ducked back down inside.

The odd part about this is that, even though we live in a semi-rural area, and see lots of turkeys, pheasants, ground hogs, possum, and deer, I can't recall the last time we saw a raccoon wander through the area.

Caterpillar

Not sure what type of butterfly or moth this tan furry caterpillar will turn into - but he sure was cute and fuzzy. Reminded me of a muppet! :-)

Playing Possum

Eerily similar to the previous post of Phoebe sleeping in the sun, Nik and I came across this possum "taking a nap" by the side of the Swan Road. Although it appeared to have been hit by a car, fortunately, it wasn't a gory scene. It was simply lying upside down next to the road in the leaves. It's little foot is what caught my eye. Sort of reminded me of a little leprechaun hand - that could use a manicure. Kinda spooky!

Meeting Her Match

During our walk on Sunday afternoon, Nik and I passed by George's barn on the corner of Swan & Lindsay roads. His little miniature horse called "Patches" was out, and Nik was more than a little curious, as they had never met before. Nik is familiar with regular horses that we meet on the Ryan Road trails, and gives them a wide path. She's also met George's goats and shows no real interest in them. Patches, however, is very friendly and and more her size. They sniffed noses and Nik's tail wagged happily. As we left to continue on our walk, Nik looked back and did her "Woo-Roo" bark, as if to say good-bye.

Nice Drumsticks!

Not the prettiest bird......but delicious! :-)

This family of turkeys has been wandering around our neighborhood all season. As long as they stay off the nearby game farm, they'll be safe.

SkyWatch Friday: Heron or Egret?

These photos were taken while on the Pewaukee River boardwalk in Simmons Park (see my 9/3/09 post.) Great white heron? or Great white egret? The white phase of the great blue heron is common down in Florida, but I have never seen one up here - although the great big blues are very common. While I have seen egrets around here before, none have been this huge, as evidenced by this guy's wing-span. The legs would be a good clue, but I never got a clear view. The egret has black spindly legs, which are almost visible in the tree shot, but the heron has gray legs. I've researched this, but I am still unsure.

See all SkyWatch Friday entries here.

Oh, Deer

This sweet itty-bitty baby fawn froze in his tracks right in the middle of Lindsay Road when he saw me approach on my bicycle. I stopped as soon as I saw him to get a photo before he bolted. I waited a bit to see if his mother was any where to be seen, but no such luck.

In our area, because it's rural and the roads are mostly dark and unlit at night, deer hits are common. While the surroundings appear to be peaceful, the image is a bit deceiving because the road behind him (Redford Rd./Hwy F) is actually a busy 4-lane highway that has lots of truck traffic. So, it's possible his mama was a recent victim.

As I rode up to the area where he had been, I looked down into the grassy culvert bordering the road and could see the tall grass rustle over his head as he walked towards the woods. Maybe his mama was waiting for him, hidden in the distance. If not, I wonder if - or how long - he will survive...

Monarch

A monarch butterfly rests on the edge of the wrought iron shepherd's hook holding our hummingbird feeder. I had to rotate this photo to get a better angle, hence the gravity-defying sideways wire which is holding the feeder.

Slowly But Surely Wins the Race

This very large (snapping?) turtle was attempting to cross the road at the entrance to our subdivision last week. I saw him from a distance while riding my bike and at first thought it was a big hunk of a blown tire. When I came up to him, I expected him to "hide" in his shell, but he just looked up at me and blinked.

Just then a father and his two young kids came up on their bikes. After a brief talk about how he could easily get squashed in the road, "Dad" picked up "Tommy the Turtle" - as the kids had quickly named him - and set him on the grass. "Heavy sucker!"

He didn't really move & we didn't stick around - but later that afternoon, I drove by there and Tommy was no where to be seen. Hopefully, he made his way back down to the marsh which borders our neighborhood.

House Guests

We're in a battle of wits with the robins who have been tenaciously trying to build nests in our garage - right on TOP of our garage door opener. We'll take one down, shut the door, and think that's the end of it. Nope. Next time we're working in the yard and have the door open, they take advantage & try it again. Haven't they heard of the great outdoors?

Meanwhile, this sweet mourning dove has built her nest in our front maple tree, completely un-fazed by the fact that the dog's tie-out is around the base of the tree.

Barn Swallows

I recently went into our local Kohl's department store. It's a new stucco and brick building, similar to others in the area that are encroaching upon the natural rural habitat of our wildlife. Without barns and large old trees, these swallows had to resort to the next best thing. It was dusk, and I wasn't able to get a super good shot of these active little birds with my dying camera, but you can still see the amazing architecture of their "adobe-like" mud nests.

Barn swallow colonies are made of mud pellets and fibrous material (bits of string, dust, etc.) and are often built under eaves, bridges, or other man-made structures. They prefer unpainted, untreated surfaces, and the nests must be protected from rain, which will compromise the mud dwellings.

Harriet & Humbert

Can you see her? Being so tiny, blending in is probably a good thing. That and being quick! We've named this little female hummingbird Harriet. She sat perched on top of the Linden tree surveying her surroundings for a very long time. At least we think she's a female because she is not as bright as Humbert, the male, seen below at the feeder.

They are not shy, either. If we are sitting on the patio & the feeder is nearly empty, they will buzz around, chirp loudly and complain. Just like kids... so maybe we're really not empty-nesters after all.

June Theme Day: Feet - Polar Bear Paws

The Polar Bear exhibit at the Milwaukee County Zoo features several very large bears, and this one displayed his very large and oh-so-cute padded feet during his nap!

See all June Theme Day entries here.

I Only Have "Eyes" For You

This splendid peacock was strutting his stuff during our visit to the Milwaukee County Zoo last weekend. The jewel-like colors of his emerald and sapphire "eyes" were just spectacular - and the full display reminded me of the NBC mascot!

Foghorn Leghorn

While driving to work the other day, I happened to spot this rooster being followed by a gaggle (group? flock?) of hens. They didn't seem the least bit in a hurry to move out of the way of the van that was trying to back up off the yard. If they don't watch out, they may meet the same fate as the Wing Zone mascot! :-)

Skywatch Friday: Soaring Eagle

Back in March while visiting La Crosse, WI, we stopped by Myrick Park. Myrick borders the marsh of the La Crosse River, which in turn joins the Mississippi a few miles west. There are several hiking trails back into the marshland, which if not flooded, allow access to an abundance of flora and fauna. A beautiful, peaceful and pristine area.

One of the renewing species is the bald eagle. There were few, if any, 40 years ago, and now they once again soar above the bluffs rising up from either side of the river. As I was walking down the path, I was surprised to look up and see this eagle approaching... Yikes! again, my camera-work was shaky, but I managed to get a few shots. Once he landed on the ice, way in the distance, you could see him do a little "fishing."



By the way, they say that up on the Hixon Forest bluff trails, there have been black bear sightings as well. We're doing some hiking there this summer, but I do NOT want to run into Yogi!

See other Skywatch entries here.

They're Baaaaack!

The Baltimore Orioles, that is. Unfortunately the only shots I could get were through our kitchen window, so these are a bit on the cloudy side. Still, you can get a general idea of their bright orange color. The Orioles are only around here (upper Midwest) for a few short months to breed before migrating back to greener pastures. They love the oranges we set out for them -- notice him steadying the orange with his little foot below? And some lucky birds also get grape jelly from the neighbors.

Butterfly!

I rode my bicycle briefly this weekend. The weather was finally warm enough to do so for the first time this year - sunny and in the 60s. Afterwards, when I went to shut the garage door, I saw this little guy on my handle bars. A "Red Admiral" - first of the season!