Bambi Dropped By

Well, actually, it was Bambi's mom. Her fawn was tucked safely away in the nearby meadow. She was good enough to come by as I happened to have my 70-200mm zoom locked and loaded.

Ever wonder where the expression "doe eyed" came from? Yeah. This.

Maybe there should be another expression... "deer eared." Yikes! Think sound is a big part of these animals staying alive? Mule deer are known for their big ears, so it's a good look for her.

Speaking of staying alive, here she is a month later with her fall coat, but check out the gash on her left rear leg.

You can see it running nearly horizontally about halfway between her knee and heel (the shank below her thigh, not down by the hoof). It looks like a darkened furry flap, like something was tearing at her achilles. Hmmmm, I'm thinking coyotes. I saw a pack in this same spot a few weeks earlier. It's possible she snagged herself on dead limbs (I sure have), but I've seen her silently bounding through the thickest, brushiest, dead tree-filled mess with all the grace of a ballet dancer. Seems unlikely she would have gashed herself.

Tom Bradley  ©  2015

Flying Jewel

During June this past summer, Broad-tailed Hummingbirds swarmed around like insects at my cabin in the Longs Peak area of Colorado. Then, in mid July, the Rufous Hummingbirds showed up and took over. They were the bullies on the block; bigger and more aggressive than the Broad-tails. They owned the feeders for several weeks and the Broad-tail visitors decreased dramatically.

Male Broad-tail

Female Broad-tail

How tiny must the bones in those feet be?! I've had one sit on my finger before and I didn't feel anything. Certainly not the claws gripping my skin and the weight of the bird was barely detectable.

And the Bad Boy himself, a male Rufous Hummingbird

He could keep an eye on his feeder from this branch and dive bombed any bird foolish enough to challenge his ownership of the juice--hummers and woodpeckers included!

Tom Bradley © 2015

Least Chipmunk with Most Personality

Seriously, this little squirrel seemed to know how to pose for the camera. I know he was probably just begging for a peanut, but he had his charmer routine down! Usually these twitchy little rodents would scurry around, afraid of me, afraid of the sounds my camera made, just furry, blurry streaks of motion. But not this guy. He would square up in a pose and stare at me. These were the best photos of the bunch. I hope he survives the winter. I'd like to "work" with him again this summer.

Tom Bradley © 2015