Camera Critters: Bird Encounters

While I love looking at bird photographs, I often get too preoccupied with filming and photographing the big game species such as deer, elk, and turkeys. Yes, in Pennsylvania a turkey is classified as a big game species according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

I have taken so many turkey photographs this spring that it was time for a break. Thursday evening was mild with beautiful sunlight, so I set the 500mmF4 with 1.4 extender on the tripod overlooking my bird feeding area. I was soon rewarded with numerous photographic opportunities.

A Rose-breasted Grosbeak was somewhat shy, but eventfully moved within range. I would have liked the bird to be closer as I had to crop the image severely to get a tight composition.


I see doves quite frequently, but they are usually too far away or conditions are otherwise unsuitable for good photography, but this changed this evening, when several arrived at the feeding station and co-operated by posing quite nicely.


For more Camera Critters photographs, click Here!

Resident Canadian Geese: The Young Are Here

As a result of an extended rainy period, the stream that I ordinarily cross each day to photograph wildlife is now a raging torrent. This is the same stream crossing featured in the post of April 30th and is a slightly wider shot. The place where the vehicle was stuck is just slightly above the right center of the photograph.


Each spring about this time we usually have a rainy period that raises water levels for an extender time. So far the stream has not actually reached flood stage, but severe thunderstorms are forecast and if torrential downpours occur, the stage is set for significant flooding.


While driving along the same stream in a slightly different location, I spied two Canadian Geese with a flock of young.


The adult birds attempted to escape notice by lowering their heads close to the water and the ground, while the young huddled behind them.

In time, they realized I was no threat and began moving about. These are resident geese. Until about 1990, I never saw a goose on the ground in this area. The only sightings were when they flew overhead during the spring and fall migrations. In the spring of 1991 a pair arrived at our farm and spent the spring there. Fulton County now has a large population of birds, which remain year around, but they do not spend the winter months on our farm, as there is a much better food source in another portion of the county. The birds have returned to the farm each year since at nesting time. There are usually five or six there, but it may reach as high as thirty by late May.

I have seen other flocks of young geese this spring, but this was the best encounter so far. It is always a pleasure to observe and photograph the new arrivals. Soon it will be time for the fawns to be born, which is an exciting time for the wildlife photographer that focuses on whitetail deer.

Whitetail Antler Development: Camera Critters

While the pedicels are visible on the mature bucks throughout the winter and early spring, there is little significant growth until now. This two year old shows promise and should develop into an eight-point or more with a beautiful spread. (He was a three-point last year)

Why Is He Pointing That Thing At Me?

Most bucks disperse from their home range or are killed in their first autumn with antlers. Luckily this animal was not a legal buck except for junior hunters and he did not disperse so he is still with the local herd. It is unlikely that he will remain through the summer, but time will tell.

Chow Time

A deer divides their time between eating and resting at this time of year as the rut and hunting seasons are over, and the fawns have not yet been born.

Boy That Feels Good!

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An Amazing Event

I had just positioned the cameras at my favorite wildlife viewing area when I heard a vehicle rapidly approaching and saw that it was my brother "Salty". He informed me that a vehicle was stuck on the creek bank on our farm. He had already talked to the subjects, but wanted my input also, so we traveled to the scene. There were two young men with a vehicle solidly anchored on the creek bank.

They Just Can't Believe It Happened

A Real Problem

The big questions were how and why it got there. The driver had a distinct odor of alcohol on his breath and alcoholic beverages were plainly visible on the rear floor of the vehicle.

Driver on left-Salty on Right

The driver said they had been a'fishin' all day and decided to visit this area. They started to cross the stream by the roadway visible in the following photograph. The red line denotes their line of travel.

Route Of Travel

At the point that the red line veers sharply to the right he became frightened that there was a big rock in his path of travel so he decided to try the high stream bank, which appeared much safer to him.

I cross this stream every day and have yet to see the big rock. There has been a lot of problems in this area with persons driving through fields, throwing out empty alcoholic beverage containers, etc.

While they were on our property, it was a minimal amount so we decided to not press trespass charges against them. Their punishment was to retrieve their vehicle as best as possible without our assistance. We were at the farm buildings discussing the situation when we heard a loud roaring noise, so we returned to the area and found that they had succeeded in escaping from their predicament.

Their story is one of the poorest rationalizations I have heard. There is little doubt that the operator was driving under the influence of alcohol and decided to see if he could jump the vehicle over the stream bank. To top it off, it was his dad's vehicle.