SLIVER OF SKY

Young White-tailed Deer, Little Maquoketa River Valley, Durango, Iowa

The sun started to disappear behind the trees on the other side of our valley and there was a nice glow on the snow yesterday evening. Joan’s call, “deer in the front yard” made me leave my desk and run for the camera. A well known White-tailed Deer doe with her two fawns showed up and checked out if any seed droppings were left below our bird feeders. It was too late to open the window without scaring them away and so I shot again through the glass. This fawn looked towards the sunset and had its ears pointed in that direction as well. I have a number of images without that sliver of sky at the top of the picture but I chose this one here. The subtle glow on the fawns fur and on the few dead leaves at the left hand side of the picture become more obvious, or make more sense, by including this small piece of sunset sky. The spot is brighter than the rest of the picture, but not bright enough to prevent the viewers eye coming back to the beautiful face of the young deer. Enjoy the weekend!

Nikon Z6II, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, FTZ adapter,   @ 600 mm, 1/125 s, f/6.3, ISO 1000

WITH A LITTLE LUCK

Fawn, White-tailed Deer, Mines of Spain State Recreation Area, Dubuque, Iowa

Some photos are the result of good preparation ahead of time and the pictures of “Zorro”, the Common Yellowthroat from yesterday’s post, were among them. But sometimes being at the right place at the right time is everything, means luck can play a decisive roll for a good shot. After spending some time with the warbler I hiked back to the car and started to put my gear away. Suddenly two fawns showed up at the edge of the parking lot, frolicking and enjoying themselves. The camera was pulled out of the bag quickly again and a few shots were made. Having both White-tailed Deer fawns in the frame was not an option and so I focussed on the one that was in better light. As quick as they came out of the forest, as fast they disappeared again. I couldn’t ask for a better day of wildlife photography…

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S

VISIT FOR LUNCH

The deeper snow makes our little herd of White-tailed Deer even braver and since a few days two fawns show up already around noon for a lunch. While one ate the seeds that dropped from the bird feeders, its sibling stood guard and observed the surroundings. They must have found out that the photographer prefers this time over the hour after sunset due to better light…😉 Look at the ears! They change direction every few seconds and tell the story about the mission of this little guy.

However, this evening two does and four fawns returned, obviously knowing that I had thrown a couple extra hands of bird seeds onto the snow. At night we hear some coyotes bark, yip, and howl behind the house or down in the valley. Live is not easy for the deer at the moment…

Nikon D750, Nikkor 70-200mm / f4,   @200 mm, 1/800 s, f/8, ISO200

THE DAILY PRACTICE

White-tailed Deer fawn

Theoretically I could make this photo almost every day right here in front of the house when we have snow on the ground. The White-tailed Deer, who roam the area, know where to find food despite the snow cover. If you hang your bird feeders too low they may empty it within a short period of time. Usually they come for what’s dropped to the ground by birds and squirrels, but if we have really deep snow, I throw a couple extra hands full of seeds out just for the deer. This morning I saw a doe at 5am, and that was still too dark for a picture. The best time is usually in the late afternoon. We have a few fawns, born in 2020, that are brave enough and come all the way to the front porch. If I see them ahead of time and before they walk in, I can open the bedroom window and just wait for them…

I have made photos of White-tailed Deer in better light but we can’t be always choosy. We need to keep the ball rolling, even if weather, light, or other circumstances are not in photographer’s favor. If nothing else, it’s the daily practice behind the camera that counts and that may help us to make the technical side of shooting a subconscious part of the process.

FAWNS IN THE YARD

White-tailed Deer fawn

This White-tailed Deer fawn and its sibling paid us a visit this week again. They were born this spring and we see them often along our road here in the neighborhood. I sneaked quietly onto the balcony with the camera and it took only about 300 mm focal length to get the shot. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get both in the frame at the same time. Look at its fur and you get the idea how seeds are transported from one location to the next by these little guys.

WILDLIFE AT HOME

White-tailed Deer, Little Maquoketa River Valley, Iowa

With snow on the ground since late October things are a little different this year. It feels like January and I’m almost sure the critters in our woods think the same way. The White-tailed Deer are in the rut and during the last few days I have seen a couple bucks roaming around down at the river and here up on the bluffs of the Little Maquoketa River Valley.

Today a doe with her fawn were hanging around the house in the late afternoon. It is the time of the year when I have the camera always ready to use in combination with the long lens. We see the deer not just during the winter but it is a lot easier than during the summer to make a photo, if the light is just right. I made several clicks with each of them being the subject in the photo, but in a few shots the faun tried to fondle with its mother. Gesture wins over technical perfection in my books, and today’s photo tells the story about their presence this evening the best.

STRUPPI

This is “Struppi”, which translates into English probably as “Scrubby”. I named this little fawn because of its fur, which looks thicker and fuzzier than at any other White-tailed Deer that visit us now every day. A group of 7 - 9 does and fawns made it a habit to show up in our yard since we have the snow on the ground and it became so bitterly cold. “Struppi" has a mind of its own. Sometimes it visits alone, away from the group, but I’m sure the mother is never far away. While most of the deer come around 4 in the afternoon, “Struppi" wants its lunch and checks out the area around the bird feeders already at noon. It isn't as skittish as some of the other deer and as you can see it even sticks out the tongue while I make the picture. Yesterday it took a nap for about an hour, leaning against a fence post and with its back towards the sun. Life is good here, even with temperatures way below freezing… ;-)