More trailcam shots

Below: a couple of younger deer decide to lock antlers in a minor skirmish.

And once more...Mr. Nosy Buck (the same one, I think) at his photogenic best - in his opinion anyway!

You gotta love those trail cameras!

Trail cams (slang for cameras) are all the rage today among hunters and outdoor enthusiasts.  I don't own one, but my brother-in-law does and he gets some pretty fun and sometimes unexpected pictures.  Many are like the one below, taken at night, as a doe and her fawn left the corn field they had been eating in.

And then again, who says that only deer like to have their picture taken?  The turkey gobbler below is more than happy to show off his fine beard and plumage.  The beard is composed of special feathers that feel like coarse hair and hang down from the turkey's chest.

Above we see a mature whitetail buck with a very strange beam on the left side of his antlers.  This was probably the result of an injury to the deer on some part of his right side, rather than to his strange antler.

This goofy fawn wanted to check out the branch a buck has marked with his oral scent glands.  The fawn is too short to reach by stretching his neck while all four feet are on the ground, but that's no problem for him!

The picture above doesn't have a deer hidden in it but it is a classic example of what happens when you forget to remove the weeds in front of your trail cam.  The camera is triggered by a motion sensor and leaving any weeds in front means that you will be looking at 300 pictures of the same weed blowing in the wind.  Yes, that does get a little old.

 

As a last little bit of enjoyment I give you Mr. Nosy Buck, and there is always one of them around who just has to see what that funny thing with the red blinking light that seems to be growing out of a tree is.  The flash doesn't seem to frighten the Mr. Nosy's of the deer world and many get even closer than this so that all you see is part of a nose and an ear!  Deer...you just have to love them, and trail cams make it easier to see them up close and personal.

Having fun with frogs

There are few places that are more fun to hang out around than ponds.  Whether the pond is large or small, it is an attraction for all kinds of critters.  Frogs, snakes (hate those), birds, and mammals of all kinds gravitate toward ponds for drinking or, in the case of frogs and numerous insects, ponds provide a place to breed and raise a family.  You may click on the pictures to see them in a larger format if you wish.

In the picture above is a tadpole, sometimes called a "pollywog" and in reality a frog in the making.  Over time the tadpole will develop lungs, grow legs, lose its tail, and become a full-fledged frog.  The pictures in this entry were all (with the exception of the wood frog) taken at or by my very small fishpond, which shows that you don't need to have access to a large pond in order to see lots of critters.

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What kind of frog will the tadpole grow into?  Will it be a leopard frog like the one pictured above, sunning itself on the rocks?  Or maybe it will become a little grey treefrog like the one pictured below.  The frog is green, but it is truly a gray treefrog and can change its color to match its surroundings.  If the tadpole escapes being eaten by water beetles, birds, snakes, or another larger frog, it will become some kind of frog.

Pictured above is another kind of frog that tadpole could become: a wood frog.  This one had already grown enough to leave the pond and hop about at will in search of food.  But he will return to the pond at times, drawn by the water and the safety a pond offers.

The leopard frog above has found a fine hiding place amongst the water lilies in the pond.  He can peek out to see his world, but can also zip under the lily leaves to escape danger.  Frogs are fabulous swimmers and can move very quickly.  Just try to catch one sometime and you will see how fast they can move!

The huge leopard frog (above) has found himself a fine place to hide and catch insects with his sticky tongue.  If danger threatens he can retreat under the rocks, but while it is safe he suns himself and occasionally snacks on an unwary insect.  He must be feeding well judging from the fat he is carrying, and I suspect that he has filled himself a time or two on tadpoles.

Above is a wood frog taking a rest on a mossy stone.  Wood frogs are usually seen in the woods (surprise!) where they can blend into the leaf duff and hide amongst the leaves and plants that grow on the forest floor.  Below is a small gray tree frog that has left the pond it was born into and crossed the yard to take a seat on a daisy.  Tree frogs can change colors to a point, but they cannot become as yellow as the daisy!  Still, this frog may be mistaken for a piece of stem or leaf by an insect coming to the flower.  One zip of the frog's sticky tongue, and the insect becomes a froggy's dinner.

Frogs are fun to watch as they develop from a tadpole to a frog.  Sometime if you have access to a pond, even a small one, take time to see what lives in it and what comes to it.  A pond has a world all its own and it is a fascinating world to explore.  Enjoy!

By the light of the moon

"The stars are far brighter

Than gems without measure,

The moon is far whiter

Than silver in treasure..."

From The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Above: The moon two days past full, taken September 6, 2009.

Above:  The moon, six days past full, taken September 10, 2009

How quickly the moon wanes in the Autumnal sky!  There is much to be learned and enjoyed in our viewing the moon...as quickly as it wanes, so also do our days wane so we are wise to use them well.  Getting a good chart of the moon and the stars can lead to an outdoor adventure.  Lying on your back at night, looking up at a summer sky while you identify the stars and constellations, is lots of fun and a good way to put things into perspective.  How small our troubles seem when we take time to look at the stars of heaven!  You may also have the good fortune of seeing a shooting star - that is always fun and adds zest to a nighttime outdoor adventure.  There is much beauty to be seen and enjoyed in creation, if only we take the time to look, so why not turn off the TV and enjoy an outdoor adventure yourself?  You won't be sorry! 

Loonacy

Time for another post on my favorite subject of loons. Last night out on the lake we came across a couple of loons acting rather strangely. They were imitating each other and splashing about in the water in some kind of display which seemed almost like a courtship display only being carried on outside the courting season. They seemed to me very like children, one of whom is imitating the other to make him nutty! Anyway, here is the story as I caught it with my camera. To see the pictures in a larger format, just click on the picture.

The rainbow was actually a double but faded too quickly for me to catch it with my camera. After the storm the sun stayed out and we had a pleasant evening fishing. During our time out we saw the same beavers as pictured in an earlier post and this time they had a beaver kit with them. It was too dark for a photo, but we enjoyed seeing the kit and being startled by the male beaver splashing at the boat. You never know what you will see when you get out to the lake. Every trip is an outdoor adventure!

Summer Flowers

Beautiful indeed are the flowers of summer. When I posted about spring flowers, I promised a post about summer flowers as well and now redeem my promise. One of the joys of summer is the wide variety of flowers you may grow in the garden or enjoy on an outdoor adventure. Don't get me wrong . . . gardening in itself is an outdoor adventure of a more tame nature, unless you garden like I do and then things can get pretty wild. I am including an assortment of wild and domesticated flowers (most of whom have their wild cousins) to accomodate the tastes of gardeners and wildflower enthusiasts both.

Nodding Trillium

Butterfly Bush

California Poppy

Purple Coneflower

Rudbeckia

Columbine

Wild Rose

Hollyhock

Delphinium

Water Lily

Sunflower

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, and no words of mine can do justice to the flowers, I will leave it to the viewer to exclaim over the beauty of God's handiwork. But when you get outside, just don't forget to sniff the flowers!

Evening on Rainy Lake

Evening is a beautiful time to be out on the lake! My husband and I live only a few miles from Rainy Lake, on the Minnesota side of the border, and this weekend found us out after fish for supper as well as pictures for memories. Most of the pictures which follow were taken near the island pictured above. To see the pictures in a larger format, just click on the picture.

Pictured above is a brood of Merganser ducklings fishing for minnows. There was Mama a with them looking frazzled (see below) as the life of a Mama Duck is a "hair-raising" affair!

Most people think that all ducks say "quack" and in the case of the common merganser this is just the case. The call of the common merganser sounds something like the quack of a duck mixed with the bark of a dog and you may listen to it here. In the picture below you may see a baby merganser eating the minnow he caught while his siblings continue to fish.

But there are a lot more critters that use lakes than just ducks and loons, and we saw some of these while we were out, too. It was my husband who first saw the whitetail doe (below) that came off the rocks of the island to get a cool drink of lake water.

She was a little worried about the boat at first, notice how her ears are laid back, but after a bit she relaxed and had a sip from the lake. In the picture below, she seems to be admiring her reflection and thinking: "Wow...ain't I beautiful?" Of course deer have never been taught grammar, so we have to overlook her slang...and she is beautiful! Female deer communicate using a variety of grunts and bleats. If they are scared or suspicious, they make a loud wheezing snort.

Having had her drink, the deer (see below) turns back into the brush of the island and goes upon her merry way.

This was not the end of our outdoor adventure, though. A little while later I noticed the willow bushes on the island shore waving vigorously even though there was no wind. I watched closely to see what was making them move and out lumbered a beaver (see below) who was eating willows for dinner! Have you ever heard a beaver talk?

In a very little time, his mate came out as well and there before our excited eyes were two beavers!

The male beaver was a little fiesty about the presence of the boat and waddled down to the shore to get into the water and show his disapproval.

Whoopsie, be careful Mr. Beaver...those rocks can be slippery! Notice his flat tail, which he uses primarily for swimming...and for showing his disapproval as we shall see! Once in the water, the beaver starts swimming out to the vicinity of the boat.

A beaver's show of disapproval is to slap the water hard with his tail as he dives. Ordinarily the beaver makes a very quiet surface dive that hardly disturbs the water, but get him upset by invading his turf and he slaps the water to make a loud "SPLOOSH" and sends the water flying (see below).

While this beaver is splashing his disapproval, his mate calmly eats her supper of willows. Notice in the picture below how nifty her paw is at grabbing willow branches and bringing them to her mouth!

Yessir, there is nothing better than a quiet night out on the lake if you love wildlife and like to see critters in action. And you don't even need a boat! You can see all kinds of critters by sitting quietly on shore and keeping your eyes and ears open. I hope to see you out at the lake soon!