An evening with some deer

White-tailed deer are pretty photogenic.

Early season apples are a good treat for summertime deer:

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First elk calf born in West Virginia since the 1870s

From the WV Metro News:

The recent birth of an elk calf is the first in West Virginia since elk were reintroduced in December 2016, according to the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources.

The agency confirmed the birth Thursday, saying it has captured footage of the calf passing by a camera set up to monitor a pregnant cow separated from the herd.

Out of the 24 elk brought to West Virginia in 2016, six were pregnant, though two died soon after arriving. Officials believe at least one other cow is currently pregnant.

“For our elk population to be sustainable, there has to be reproduction, and this calf is the first of many to be born here in West Virginia,” Division of Natural Resources Director Stephen McDaniel said in a statement.

According to Randy Kelly, leader of the elk restoration project, there are no plans to capture or tag the newborn calf until it is older.

“We try not to stress the elk in any way,” he said.

The calf will be tracked by cameras and data collected from its mother’s radio collar and tags.

 

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Goldfinch on the old gate

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Deer in the tall grass of midsummer

Before the mowing machines come for the first cutting, the grass is often so tall that it can hide a deer.

Or two:

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Birds of Peace in a Black Cherry Tree

This pair just lit on a naked branch and posed for me!

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Deer on a June evening

On a nice, mild and sweet June evening, I managed to get some nice photos of some of the local does.

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Lawn robin takes to the sky

 

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Renegade

My guess is this is a wild turkey hen trying to hide her poults in the tall grass. She probably had them out for a nice grasshopper hunt on a balmy June morning. but when she encountered me, she went renegade.

Unlike suburban wild turkeys, which appear clueless dumb, those from pressured populations behave with all the stealth of a well-trained and well-seasoned sniper. Any mistake and the shotguns will get you.

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Ducks in the grass

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Muddy Pekins

Muddy white ducks. If you zoom in, you can see the blue eyes.

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