Tail Up!

One of my days up north, I had just walked in, and saw this guy at my hummingbird feeder. Of course, I grabbed my camera as fast as I could since I have never seen a bird like this. He had beautiful orange and yellow colors, and definitely bigger than a hummingbird. I was able to grab a few quick shots before he flew away. This bird was so funny to watch, as he kept looking underneath the feeder, instead of trying to get some food from it. Really, he looked like he lost something and thought it would be found on the under side of the feeder! I think he was tipping the feeder to catch the drops of food that would spill out, due to his weight. I found out from one of my twitter friends (thanks Marianne!) that this particular bird is called an Oriole. It is actually the state bird of Maryland. While I am still trying to get my hummingbird shot, this guy gave me a great laugh watching him keep dipping under the feeder every few seconds, while I got my view of "Tail Up" the whole time! Hope you enjoy!

A Real Babe in the Woods

On one of the last days of Memorial Weekend at our summer place in the thumb-area of Michigan, we found an unexpected surprise in the clearing, not too far from the woods. Laying there, curled up, and enjoying the beautiful sunlight was a newborn fawn! As I approached it, getting closer and closer, the baby continued to lay there, not moving. I thought it had been abandoned and was a little upset because I thought it would be destroyed by other prey once it became night. I was able to bend down and pet the baby fawn, while it continued to lay there soaking up the sunlight. I was in awe, as I have never had the opportunity to get this close to a deer of any kind. After a few hours of trying to figure out how to save this baby from anything bad, I finally had my answers. I called a local veterinarian and explained about the baby fawn, and he gave me a quick lesson on deer. Apparently, the mother will have one baby, and then will go up to 1/2 mile away and have another, etc. The mother gives birth to the fawn so far apart because of other predators. If one happens to get caught by prey, she will still have the others. He then explained that when the babies are old enough, the mother will then bring them together as a family. It made perfect sense to me then, and when we went to check on the fawn the next morning, she was gone. The mother came back for her sometime during the night to move her again. I did not go looking for the baby, as I was just happy to know that it was not abandoned, and that I had the awesome opportunity to be so close to this little baby fawn!

Sometimes You Feel Like A Nut......

Went to a park on Sat. wanting to take some photos, since it has rained for the last 3-4 days here. The joke was on me, as it was freezing cold outside! I stayed long enough to take some photos of my niece playing, the ducks and geese, and this little guy. This was just a baby squirrel who ran right up to us. He was a little scared, as he would run up to us and then turn tail and take off running again. I quickly snapped a photo of him on the ground at my feet, and then one of the ducks scared him off up the tree. It was pretty funny and my niece laughed alot. I think my fingers are still frost-bitten though! Hope you enjoy as much as I did.