Autumn Came Fast This Year

 The smell of fall is in the air. Leaves are falling, and yellow, orange and red are replacing the usual green foliage in forests and fields...

Though the Indian Summer landscapes have been plentiful, wildlife photo opportunities have been plumb pitiful. In our search for critters to photograph we traveled to some places that were reliable in the past.

Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park (SNP) just outside of Front Royal, Virginia is one place that we visited...

Despite our long history of camping and wildlife observation in SNP, and our exploration of the spots that have held whitetail deer during previous visits we did not locate a single one.

The next place we tried was Greenridge State Forest (GRSF). Located mainly in Allegheny County, Maryland, the scenery was excellent...

Below is the view from the original Town Hill Motel...

A typical road in GRSF is dirt and gravel...

The stream in the center of the next image (look for the small white structure) is Town Creek...

GRSF holds years of canoeing memories for me. Small mountain streams like Fifteen Mile Creek...

Sideling Hill Creek...

 All of the canoeing photos were scanned from 35mm slide originals some taken as long as 50 years ago.

One is truly lucky to have long-lasting friendships that have endured for half a century...

Not to mention that Cheryl and I met over 41 years ago on a canoe trip...

Almost as an afterthought we explored the Frederick Municipal Forest (aka: Frederick Watershed) this morning and found the best colors of the season...

Thanks for stopping by, be well and come back soon.

Bear in the Neighborhood?

 Greetings friends, neighbors and blog followers. Not long ago my wife and daughter were walking the edge of our property and found what appears to be bear scat...

There have been several recent reports of bear sightings in our area. Every summer bears are spotted, usually youngsters like the ones in the next photos, looking to find their own territory...

We live in a natural travel corridor for bears that are born in the Catoctin Mountain range. When the female (sow) that gave birth is coming in heat again she drives away her cubs so that male bears (boars) will not kill them...

This happens everywhere that bears live and is the normal process of bear propagation.

For the birds...In my local travels I have noticed that many visiting birds have either departed on their annual migration or are just not as numerous as they were in past years. One example is the Yellow-billed Cuckoo...

Bag worms and tent caterpillars, two of the cuckoo's preferred foods, are in short supply this year which could account for the lower numbers...

Eastern Towhees and several other species have declined as well...

Field Sparrows...

Hummingbirds are stopping by again...

Wood Thrush are lingering...

Some Mourning Doves migrate while others are here year round...

White-breasted Nuthatches are year-round residents...

If you have squirrels in your area...

You may  have noticed how they can be visible one minute...

And seem to disappear the next...

Flattening themselves against a tree to avoid predators.

The Whitetail Deer will soon be trading their red summer coat...

For the thicker gray one they will wear all winter...

I will be watching for the bear to make an appearance. When the corn and soy beans are harvested it will be harder for them to avoid being seen. In the meantime...

Thanks for visiting, be well and come back soon.

Late July Birds, Fawns and Blooms

 Many of our roads are bordered by Daylilies with their tall orange flowers...

As the light changes when the sun gets hidden by clouds the blooms reveal themselves...

Early morning, sometimes before the sun has risen, has been a good time to sight does and their fawns...

Moving water is like a magnet for thirsty deer and birds...

I recently came across a doe with three fawns...

I usually see young does with single fawns...

 When they are a little older they often have two. Three is not rare, but is uncommon enough for me to take notice...

A Grackle came to water...

I watched as it sorted the grass from the earth worms...

Belted Kingfishers begin their day early...

Red-eyed Vireos are abundant this time of year...

The brilliant Northern Cardinal is another early riser...

The Common Yellow-throated Warbler is such a small bird that they can easily be over looked...

This Wild Turkey hen surprised us both when she popped out in front of me...

Thanks for visiting, be well and come back soon.