Deer

While this doesn't seem like an impressive picture, this is one of my best deer images to date.  All my previous attempts are either from so far away it looks like a dog, or are so dark focusing was nearly impossible.  For some reason my thrashing arms to try to stop the attacks of deer flies didn't scare away this deer, I looked up near the wildlife pond and there it was.

Moose Hill Jaunt

I got up this morning, and though I didn't make it out as early as I wanted, I did get out early. there had been no frost at my house, but the parking lot at Moose hill had a number of nice arrangements. i snuck up on three deer with my new obsessive walking method, also known as paying attention to what you're stepping on and stopping every few steps to glance around and listen. The weirdly warm temperatures we've been having appear to be tricking a few of the plants. The forsythia was blooming in patches and the skunk cabbage was visible in the marsh. I flipped the camera upside down to use my flash fro below on the next pic. I took a bunch in the standard configuration, but was getting very harsh shadows. Turning the camera upside down eliminated the problem. it made clicking the shutter a bit awkward however. The boardwalk was very thinly coated in ice. Not quite enough to slip, but every few steps one food might slide where you didn't expect. Winter view of the swamp boardwalk. After a few snows those nice pale grasses will be flat.

All in all an enjoyable walk.

Daily Photo - Deer

From Moose Hill on Sunday. If I had been watching the trail I could have gotten an even closer photo. As it is I did get the deer are big impression as it trotted past me.

Sunrise at Daniel Webster

It would be so much easier to photograph at Daniel Webster if it wasn't 45 mins from my house. I got up at 4 am. The moon looked nice. I startled plenty of deer, up close even. I even spotted two mice. Chicory was just starting to open. The path reflected in this spider web. Two more opening chicory. There were only 4 or so rabbits. (I saw more on my later walk with one of the dogs.) And begging babies rounded out my walk. Then I walked a dog and crashed for 3 more hours of sleep...

Daily Photo - Deer Print

From Moose Hill on the 21st. I went snowshoeing, but didn't get many useful images.

Ice. Icy, Ice. and a deer...

My walk at Moose Hill on Sunday. I'll add more later. The ice above wasn't directly on water. it was left there from when the marsh was higher. There were several layers until you got water. The trail also did a nice creaking and clinking thing as I moved on it, but it never went more than a half inch under water, so I didn't get wet.

Freezing Cold Hiking

I like when it's cold enough for frost. We had a day of two like that in late October, and since then, nothing but warmish rain, and really weirdly warm days. I have lettuce in the ground with only a little cover that hasn't frozen yet. Fall Bulbs I planted months ago are trying to come up in the warm weather. I really can't wait for some snow, or at least an actual cold rain. My rosebushes, not only still have leaves, most of them still have buds. Weeks ago the blueberries considered opening their buds and starting Spring. A few days ago I saw an Autumn Meadowhawk (Sympetrum vicinum) in my back yard. It is way too warm out right now. Some pics from Moose Hill from October 30th, the last time it was really cold here.