Whitetails, Bluebirds, Brown Creeper, Song Sparrow...

A couple local areas presented some favorites.

Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Bluebird

Wood Ducks 

Wood Ducks

Dark-eyed Juncos collecting sand pebbles

Dark-eyed Juncos exiting

Whitetails...

Some leave, one stays...

Brown Creeper

Red-bellied  Woodpecker

Song Sparrow

Song Sparrow

A Fox Squirrel, Whitetail Deer and a Red-shouldered Hawk

I'm afraid the Fox Squirrel saw me first. I only got a couple quick snaps. The Whitetails in these photos not so much different than what you have seen here before. The interesting thing is that it was the first week of March and the buck is chasing a doe in heat. This kind of activity usually takes place in October and November. Later I was sitting in my truck, using my binoculars to scan across a pond and into the woods. I saw nothing, no ducks or birds of any kind. As I was rustling around and about ready to exit my truck I looked out my window and into the tree right next to me and saw a very cooperative Red-shouldered Hawk. 

A Fox Squirrel caught sight of me and quickly decided to exit... 

Fox Squirrel

A Whitetail buck in pursuit of a doe... 

Wheeu...

This better be worth it...

A Red-shouldered Hawk...

   

Mink

The mink has a long, sleek body about two feet long. It has short, stubby legs; a long neck; small ears and eyes and a long, thick tail. It eats muskrats, rabbits, mice, chipmunks, fish, snakes, frogs and birds. The mink digs its den in river banks or it finds a hollow log or an abandoned beaver or muskrat den. It never uses the same den for long. Mating season runs January through April and the female will have a litter of three to six young in a fur-lined nest. I'm pretty sure the reason for seeing what I have here is due to the mating season because of the variety of animals seen.

I believe what is happening here is one male Mink is aggressively protecting his territory. 

Here I have one coming...

And going...

Here you see a Mink rubbing his scent onto the tree...

A little more scent rubbing...

All done...

GBH Rookery, Mallards, Mergansers and a Robin

Sighting Robins this time of year indicates spring is not far away. Not to far a Great Blue Heron rookery is becoming populated. Another sign of spring. The Mergansers had no intention of hanging around after discovering me in their space. The Mallards are a skidish bunch. I had disturbed a couple groups prior to what I finally was able to get some photos of.

American Robin, a sign of spring...

Great Blue Herons populating a local rookery...

Great Blue Heron lays claim to its nest...

A Merganser couple...

Female Merganser up and away...

Mallards taking flight...

Up up and away...

Mallards in flight...

    Thanks for stopping by.