Category Archives: Babies and Juveniles

Oystercatchers in Love

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Saturday, June 3, 2023.

Okay, folks, you might want to shuffle the kids into another room. Or, maybe yourself, depending on how prudish or proper you might be. No offense, and no judgements. All of us need to view the world in our own way. This guy here, likes a higher view, when he can get it.

These are pics of two Oystercatchers in love. They truly are. I was taking photos of the female when the male sauntered up and mounted her. If my camera hadn’t already been focussed on her, this series of pics would never have happened.

This particular coupling didn’t take long. Birds tend to be quick about their business. Very quick. In fact, from start to finish, and that includes the male approaching the female, which is not pictured here, the whole liaison lasted three seconds. While that may not sound impressive, he was quite acrobatic about it. And, check out his dismount. He really sticks the landing. 🙂  JK

JK

 

A Juvenile Snowy Egret in Oceanside

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Sunday, November 6, 2022,

This is a juvenile Snowy Egret that I manged to get photos of as it was plying, or learning its, trade at the Marine Nature Study Area in Oceanside. Actually, it was probably a bit of both. If you’re new here, click on the pics to see the full versions.

One of the ways I can identify this beautiful Snowy Egret as a juvenile is by its legs. Adult Snowy’s have all black legs and bright yellow feet. The juveniles have yellowish-green legs. My own tongue-in-cheek theory is that the yellow in their legs drains down into the feet as the birds age. Yeah, I know t’s wrong, but it is fun to think of it that way.  🙂  JK

Two Fawns at Sweetbriar

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Thursday, August 11, 2022,

I spent this past Sunday as I always do: volunteering at Sweetbriar Nature Center. It’s my favorite day of the week. I love working with the animals, and I love interacting with the public. I meet so many good folks. I may be tired at the end of the day, but I am always smiling.

As I was getting ready to leave, I spied a pair of fawns in the south field. Luckily, I happened to have one of my cameras with me. I didn’t have my big lens, but my 200mm was lens enough. It rocks in the low light of the early evening, which is just one of the reasons I like it so much. 

Anyways, back to the story at hand. Upon seeing the fawns, I grabbed my camera and began shooting. As must be obvious from these shots, they knew I was there, but allowed me to take my pics. They took turns being brave. In the first two photos, we have Fawn One. In the last photo, you can see Fawn Two. Gross as this may be to mention, the placement of tics on their ears helps to differentiate between the two. Also, the notching on Fawn Two’s ears, which are probably a result of insects or infections, are another way to discern differences between the two.

There’s a chance that I know who the mother of these two beauties is, but I won’t know till later in the season, when Mama White-tails start showing up with their kids as a whole family. In the spring and much of the summer, the does tend to keep their kids hidden. This is largely a safety issue, although who knows? Maybe the Moms are just waiting to make sure their kids aren’t total jerks. Or, worse, possibly by hiding their kids, they’re trying to remain on the singles circuit.  🙂    JK