Pileated Woodpeckers

Two male Pileated Woodpeckers at my feeder a couple hours ago.

December 30, 2013.

Nikon D7100 | Nikon AF-S VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IF-ED

Red-bellied Woodpecker - Wings

A Red-bellied Woodpecker coming in for a landing on a backyard bird feeder.

February 2011.

Nikon D300 | Nikon AF-S VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IF-ED

Carolina Wren - Snowy Branch

A little Carolina Wren sitting outside my sun-room window.

April 2013.

Nikon D300  |  Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 APO DG OS

White-tailed Fawn - Eagle Creek Park

This White-tailed fawn appeared to be as interested in me as I was her.

Eagle Creek Park, Indianapolis. November 2013.

Nikon D7100 | Nikon AF-S VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IF-ED  

Mule Deer - Garden of the Gods

Caught this doe and her fawn at the Garden of the Gods.

Now those are some serious mule ears!

Colorado Springs, Colorado. August 2013.

Nikon D300 | Nikon AF-S VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IF-ED

White-tailed Deer - Indianapolis

This female White-tailed Deer was observed in the 555 acre Crown Hill Cemetery, in the heart of Indianapolis. For those of you who are interested, you can compare these images to the Mule Deer in the previous post. Notice the white around her eyes and how her tail differs from the Mule Deer's tail. July 2010.

Nikon D300 | Nikon AF-S VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IF-ED

Mule Deer - North Rim Grand Canyon

Male Mule Deer
North Rim, Arizona. August 2013.

Though similar in appearance to the White-tailed Deer, you can tell this is a Mule Deer by noting several characteristic features. This male has a white rump and white tail that terminates with dark dipped appearance. The White-tail Deer, on the other hand, has a mostly brown top-side of tail terminating in white which wraps around to the under-side of the tail. When raised in alarm the white underside serves as a nice, bright flag to warn other deer of nearby threats. You see this most frequently when they are running from danger, which ironically makes them much easier to spot in the woods. The face on this Mule Deer is a fairly consistent brownish-gray shade around the nose and eyes. White-tail Deer have characteristic white markings around their eyes and nose. The male Mule Deer has bifurcated antlers, which means they fork rather than branch off from a single trunk as they do on the White-tailed. The bifurcated antlers on this buck are clear in the photo. The Mule Deer was so named for its large mule-like ears. In North America the Mule Deer predominate in the western states and the Rocky Mountain region. White-tail are most common east of the Rockies.

Nikon D7100 | Nikon AF-S VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IF-ED

Mountain Goat - Mt. Evans

A mountain goat on Mount Evans.

Colorado 2013.

Nikon D300 | Nikon AF-S VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IF-ED  

Coopers Hawk

A Coopers Hawk lurks in the shrubs near the backyard bird feeders.

Nikon D300 | Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 APO DG OS

Yesterday afternoon, I heard a loud thump against my sun-room window. I knew it had to be a bird, so I ran to the window to see if it needed help or if it was going to be okay. I looked high, I looked low. I looked in the bush, I looked in the tree. All searches came up empty. As I was about to give up, a fluttering of feathers caught my eye. I quickly opened the window and stuck my head out to see beyond the bush. There in the snow, on her side, struggling to right herself, was a wounded Mourning Dove. Being the bleeding heart I am for all critters, especially birds, I really thought she looked like she needed help. At that moment, a Coopers Hawk flew into a nearby tree. Feeling certain that was bad news for the wounded dove, I jumped into my sneakers and rushed out the door to save her. Just as I was bending down to scoop her up in my hands, the dove righted herself, fluttered to life and flew right past me. Hearing the fluttering of its wings, the hawk flew to the wounded dove and whisked her away in its claws. I personally think the  little dove would have been better off in my hands... but then again, who's to say the hawk didn't rush her right over to the veterinarian.