Morning Marvels

Piper and I took a pre-dawn walk at a nearby nature preserve and were very well rewarded for our efforts. 

We chose a trail and had nearly completed the circuit when we spotted this handsome fellow standing in the staghorn sumac as the sun was cresting the treetops. He didn't seem overly concerned about us, but moved along. 

A little farther down the trail, a larger buck with a beautiful set of antlers in the velvet came into view. The first one we saw had joined him and there was a third with a smaller rack as well. 

I realized the reason they weren't terribly concerned about Piper or me had a lot to do with another handsome creature that came trotting from the concealment of the sumac and tall grasses. The deer kept a close eye on it. The coyote stood and contemplated its options for a few moments, decided it didn't like the look of the canine with the human companion and went trotting back the way it had come. 

The sunrise was also pretty spectacular.  Getting up early has its rewards! (Of course, so does sleeping in, but Piper doesn't allow that very often!) :)

It's a Trail Cam Tuesday!

As promised, here are more trail camera fawn photos from the family property. 

This one looked like all the aunties had gathered around to admire the little one, petting and cooing over it. 

Here, the little one looks just a bit mischievous, staying out of mother's reach. Either that, or it broke cover to see where mom had gone and knows it's in trouble for disobedience. 

Boundless energy, right? It looks like mom is being indulgent while her youngster works off a serious case of the zoomies! 

Wait up! Wait for me! I noticed something fascinating by the side of the trail and fell behind. 

And that's the end. :)

More Marvelous Moms (and Babies)

Here are a few more trail camera captures.  

The fawn in the foreground is having a breakfast break with its mom. 

Chomp, the doe that looks like she's had a big bite taken out of her left ear had a sweet fawn this year and the trail cam caught her youngling nursing, too. 

The long-legged fawn trot trying to catch up is way too cute. It's so classic! 
 

Finally, here's another portrait of doe and fawn walking along the trail together.

I'm a sucker for the candid wildlife photos.  :)

Smile! You're On...

The trail cameras out on the family property have captured some delightful pictures of does with their little ones. 

I always love seeing these candid moments where we get a glimpse of what the critters do when we're not watching. 

Although, sometimes it seems like they go out of their way to pose for the camera. Doesn't that look like a perfect family photo? 

The youngsters dash along behind their moms learning to navigate the deer world while being altogether too cute. 

I have some more of these to post and will try to get them up in a day or two. After the last sort of depressing fire update post, I thought something cheerful was in order! :)
 

Yes, I've Been Quiet...

In case you've been wondering why I've been missing in action lately, I confess that I haven't had the heart for much in the way of creative posting. 

Over seven months after the fire, my house looks like this. There's not a scrap of drywall or insulation, they still haven't gotten all the old plumbing removed (much less new installed), same with electrical, fire remediation is still going on in the basement, which has been scrubbed, sandblasted, disinfected and is now being deodorized. Ductwork, furnace, water heater, are all gone - the basement is a huge empty space. I could go on, but I won't bore you all with further details. 

The latest completion estimate is December 31, 2026. I'm hoping for a Christmas present of getting my house back, but I have days... 

 My family has been great, my dog is confused but coping and I have so much to be grateful for.  

I'll try to get myself rolling with the blog again. I have some pictures to download from the camera and prep for viewing. I also have some fun trail camera pictures. :) 

I Missed One!

I was tidying up the folder where I prepare pictures for the blog and discovered that when I posted the other bald eagle pictures, I missed one of my favorites.  

This shot was (obviously) taken just as the leaves were starting to sprout in earnest. It's the last clear picture I got of the pair before the foliage totally obscured my view. They were perched in a tree right behind and looking over my sister's house. People would stop their cars out front to try and photograph them. 

I don't know if this is the pair that had the nest disaster or not, but one of the eagle nests out on the peninsula crashed out of its tree in a wind storm and landed on a baby, breaking its wings. It's at a really good rehab center, but the prognosis for returning it to the wild is pretty iffy at this point.  Those huge nests can weigh hundreds of pounds. Let's keep our fingers crossed for that (not so) little eaglet. 

 

Flowers and Foolishness

 Piper has great patience with me when I stop and photograph things in which she has no interest. 

Things like sweet starflowers  showing bright green and white against the brown of last autumn's leaf duff interest her not at all, but I love their cheerful blossom faces with the long, bright yellow eyelashes. 

She also doesn't have any use for the pink lady slipper orchids which are a rare and special treat for me. 

Piper also didn't particularly care about this unusual specimen, which took me forever to look up and identify. Of course, I don't have any of my books at present, so I had to rely on online resources and these don't seem to be pretty enough to rank on the who's who of wildflowers lists. In case you, too, are unfamiliar with this strange and almost otherworldly plant, may I introduce you to Conopholis Americana, otherwise known as Bear Corn. If you look closely, those little spiny bits are actually tiny flowers. It's a parasitic, non-photosynthesizing plant that depends entirely on oak roots for its existence, though happily, it doesn't seem to harm the oak at all. I found it fascinating, but Piper remained unmoved. 

She does like to see what I'm doing, though, and frequently photobombs my pictures. That small black bear behind the trillium is Miss Piper coming in to check on my progress. :)