A good few days of birding, saw several deer, almost hit one on a back road, brush was right up to the edge of the road and it just burst out of the bush and across the road, must have missed hitting it by inches.
One deer followed me for several hundred feet down the trail and actually ran to catch up with me when I disappeared briefly behind some bush.
Was taking pictures of a Red Tailed Hawk at a few hundred feet when a small bird flew into the frame, it dove down onto the hawk and seemed to drive its beak into the hawks back, the hawk jolted and immediately turned away and flew off. I had them framed the whole time and as I put the camera down thought Idiot, why didn't you take a picture. I guess it was one of those rare moments that the amazement of what you are seeing blots out anything else.
Later on I came across a Wood Duck with its brood, the mother was in the water and I saw the ducklings running along a log to the mother so I knew they would have to jump about a foot off the log and into the water. Got my camera up and was anticipating a phenomenal series of photos, but there was a small branch somewhere between me and the ducklings that the camera tried to focus on, as I struggled to get it into focus I could hear the plop, plop, plop of the ducklings as they hit the water. I missed the much anticipated shot.
Was very fortunate as I saw another brood of Wood Ducks further up the river, I walked to the spot and crept up to the river bank, as I stopped at the edge of the river bank a Belted Kingfisher flew in from around the bend and passed below me but within 10 feet of me. It landed on a log about 20 feet away with its back to me, I got several pictures of it as it turned around, saw me and took flight. I think this is only the third time I've been able to get within a few hundred feet of a Kingfisher.
I'm probably missing a lot of birds on my walks as the green caterpillars are out and hanging from the trees, so I have to stop every several minutes and brush them off me. I find I'm watching for caterpillars and their sticky webbing more than I'm watching for birds. They should finish their cycle this week.
Hardly any birds coming to our feeders the last two days, cracked corn is still almost full from yesterday, it is usually empty by evening, and the suet is usually gone in a few hours, there was a tiny bit left from yesterday this morning. We had several Orioles visiting our feeder and they too seem to have gone already. Up until yesterday we could hear them calling where ever we went, have only seen two today and heard only one calling during my walk. Unusual year, birds started arriving really early in fewer numbers and seem to have departed about 2 months early.
Here are some photos from the last week.
Belted Kingfisher just after it landed
Belted Kingfisher
Belted Kingfisher - I've been spotted
Deer that was following me
Scared it off
Eastern Kingbird
Grackle Fledgling
Great Crested Flycatcher
Hairy Woodpecker
Monarch Butterfly
Wood Duck - female
