Wildlife On The Hill Playlist

I’ve been posting on my Facebook page allot so here’s some video’s to catch you up!

To see my photography postings check out my Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/Listen2Thea-Wildlife-Photography-More-236253616466167/

As always, enjoy your local wildlife and have a great day!   🙂

Wildlife Contractions: Pregnant Doe

I had something exciting happen! I had noticed a deer standing a little funny at the top of the hill and grabbed my camera and it turns out to be a pregnant Doe. Everything in her body language is a little different and that’s really what drew my attention. I do believe she is having contractions! She stood in that one spot for at least 10 minutes. She’s chewing something much faster than they normally do and yet I never actually saw her pick anything up off the ground or trees. When she stops chewing super fast, is when the contraction happens and if you watch her belly where it curves in front of her hip, you can see it move. The other weird thing is whatever she’s chewing looks like a big wad of something as her cheeks seem to bulge with it, but you can see her swallow, have the contraction and it appears to be regurgitating as the big wad is back in her mouth. She even drools after one contraction. I was so excited, I kept wondering if the fawn was going to pop out and I was going to have the luck of catching it all on video!!!!!! But I didn’t ;-(
The UPS Truck drove up the driveway and she ran off into the woods.
Here’s a video, forgive any movement on my part, I was full zoom and handheld because I was afraid I would miss the big moment if it happened while setting up the tripod.

http://thea-creations.smugmug.com/Other/listen2thea-gallery/17024928_LdXXLZ#!i=2554815733&k=FzBTh8n

 

 

 

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Listen2Thea’s Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Listen2Thea-Wildlife-Photography-More/236253616466167?ref=ts

Sign up and enter your own photo for the Weekly Photo Challenge!
More info at the Daily Post here:

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2011/02/04/introducing-weekly-photo-challenges

Now, Listen to Thea and have yourself a Great Day!!!
~Thea 🙂

While I’ve been gone

Going to to a photo Catch UP for the next few posts!

First up is picture of a deer in January up on the hill where you can see how thick it’s winter coat is to keep it warm.

The deer seemed to visit less frequently this past winter but since Spring we’ve seen allot of both Does and young bucks!

Wooly Deer in January Coat

Be sure to LIKE my Facebook page to see exclusive photos right on your newsfeed!
Listen2Thea’s Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Listen2Thea-Wildlife-Photography-More/236253616466167?ref=ts

Sign up and enter your own photo for the Weekly Photo Challenge!
More info at the Daily Post here:

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2011/02/04/introducing-weekly-photo-challenges

Now, Listen to Thea and have yourself a Great Day!!!
~Thea 🙂

Picture The Mood

What is the color of your emotion? Do certain colors make you feel happy or sad?
I love how color, color depth or lack there of, can change how you feel about a picture.
Here’s some examples from my latest photos. You may click on each photo which will open into a larger photo, then click your back button to return.
Which pictures speak the loudest to you?

Framed Spotted Fawn with tongue out

Black & White photo of Spotted Fawn with tongue out

Framed Black & White Sharp-shinned Hawk

Framed Sharp-shinned Hawk

Framed spotted fawn

Black and White Framed Fox Photograph

Framed Red Fox

Framed HDR Toned Red Fox

Sharp-shinned Hawk framed within the Trellis

All of these photos were taken in my backyard, and could be seen by looking out the window in our living room. If you enjoyed your visit today, please share my blog with someone you know who enjoys wildlife. 🙂

Fawn Love

This is what I imagine the fawns saying:

http://thea-creations.smugmug.com/Animals/Fawn-Love/24251570_xrsVZJ#!i=1973848701&k=XF5DFjV&lb=1&s=A

Spring Has Sprung And The Birds Have Begun!

I love this time of year when everything starts waking from its wintry slumber. Tulips and daisies bold with color as the grass turns almost a vibrant green with April showers. Hearing the birds singing early in the morning as the sun rises welcoming the new day. The smell of fresh-cut grass or the musky smell of the earth after a good rain. Spring is truly a sensory delight! With joy I think to myself, this is just the beginning!

So many exciting things to tell you since I’ve been gone with my computer down. I was standing on my patio enjoying the lush green color that comes with Springtime when a Pileated Woodpecker flew to the tree in front of me, unfortunately it took me by such surprise because they are such big birds that I don’t normally see in the yard but rather hear jack hammering the tree’s in the woods around our house, that I gasped which startled the bird and it flew away. About a week later the same thing happened except this time I was in the house (so it couldn’t hear me gasp!) and to my delight a second Pileated Woodpecker joined it! We have an old stump that we used to sit on that after many years has naturally begun to rot away and the big wood peckers seem to like searching for bug delights in it!

The Robyn has started building its yearly nest on the top of our front porch light again and the Bluebirds are back trying to decide which house they want to build a nest in this year! I was able to take out some meal worms for them from my meal worm farm which has been in the basement over winter where it’s cooler which slows their growth cycle. Now I’ll have to start fattening them up so they’re more nutritious for the birds as well.

When cleaning out the birdhouses this year to remove old nests, Blow Fly eggs, and coating the inside roof with wax so that bees can’t make paper nests on them, I was surprised and delighted to find one of the birdhouses already occupied with a Chickadee!!! My first ever Chickadee nest in my birdhouses, made of what looked like moss & feathers! OH JOY!!!! Can’t wait for baby Chickadee’s!!!!

On a sad note I haven’t heard the hoot owls in a few weeks so I don’t think they’ve taken up our invitation to use the owl house we bought. But who knows perhaps the Screech owl’s will use it when they come around this year.

And of course our regular birds like our Cardinals, Dark Eyed Juncos, Sparrows, Goldfinches, Chickadees, and Downy woodpeckers have been out and about the yard enjoying the Spring!

I have to identify a new hawk that’s been stalking my smaller birds but it’s so quick even on a fly by its been difficult to determine what type it is.

As long as we are on a wildlife subject I’ll also add that the fox has been sitting in the tall grass on the top of the hill watching everything going on down beneath. It jumped out at a bunch of crows that were at the top of the hill but was unsuccessful at catching any, which I always find comical to see.

And last but not least a big turkey with a nice long beard has been browsing the hillside and I believe I spotted two pregnant deer so far this year that hang out on our property.

I’m still without my main computer but hopefully soon I’ll be able to post more regularly again!

Thanks for Listening to Thea and have a GREAT DAY!!!!

How often can you say, Look at the rack on him?!

I had a real treat this past November when a nice buck came out to browse at the top of the hill which is truly a rarity! I snapped as many pictures as I could knowing he wouldn’t be there long.  He was a real beauty and it actually felt like he was posing for me! Surprisingly, since then he’s been back two other times and brought some smaller bucks with him! It was dusk however and I wasn’t able to get any pictures of them. Enjoy!

Trail Camera Captures Life

I went out and checked my trail camera which is a Reconyx rc60 rapidfire HO.  I was disappointed to find out after a month the batteries had died but it’s been out since June and I was hoping for a ton of photos.

Momma Doe and her Fawn

Spotted fawn browsing the ground for tasty treats

Spotted Fawn notices the camera

Are you looking at ME?

Grooming in front of the camera

Aren’t fawns just adorable!

Young buck with his little antlers

He says ‘Who you looking at?’

The camera is “SUPPOSED” to be completely silent–I can’t  hear it when it’s taking pictures

But the deer certainly seem to hear something

I just thought this was kind of a comical picture -the deer must have been running and the camera caught it preparing to jump.

This is one kinky squirrel—in this smaller sized picture it’s a little difficult to see but he has a very kinky tail. Must have just returned from the salon or cross bred with a raccoon!

Have a great day!

Seeing Spots Gotta Love Those Dots

I love fawns–they are so beautiful with their morse code of dashes and dots
From this angle it looks like a long white line running from ear to shoulder

But here you can clearly see it’s a series of dashes.  Looks like this fawn might grow up to be a buck with that antler nub above the eye.

This one was closer and definitely making eye contact with me.

This doe is standing on her hind legs to get to some tasty leaves

Twins of 2011

For the first time that I’ve seen anyway, the 2011 fawns were out on the top of the hill and it’s official, Momma Doe had twins again this year! I tried to remain calm as I alerted my daughter but our dogs picked up on the excitement in my voice and ran to the nearest open sliding door to bark. I didn’t see Momma Doe but the twins were testing out their running skills as they ran back and forth three or four times across the top of the hill before dashing back into the woods.I got my camera and telephoto lens out and was only able to snap one quick photo before they were gone.Because they were running in opposite directions at the same time I only have one fawn in the photo. Now that they’ve been at the top of the hill once, we’ll start seeing more of them and I’ve got my camera ready to go for the next time now. 🙂
What concerns me is how the baby foxes and the fawns will interact with each other. Normally a red fox wouldn’t mess with a full grown deer but I have no idea when it comes baby foxes and baby fawns.