Sunday Morning Drive

Sunday Morning...  First Day of Spring.....  Father's Day.....  It's Going To Rain.....  I work the Visitor Center from 11:00 until 3:00, but go in at 10:00 to clean before opening it for the day.

There...  That's today in a nutshell....

So...  Here's what I saw on my morning drive..

This cow and bull moose were in the Bucky Beaver pond.

I've seen them together fairly often.  They aren't real big (bigger than a horse but not as big as they will eventually get) and I'm thinking they are moose that were born last year...  possibly the twin calves we frequently saw.

Okay...  they may not look REAL big...

But if this guy was charging, you can bet I'd be terrified!

He wasn't charging me...  and while I was probably about 50' from him I was in my car safe and sound.  He and his companion aren't as nervous when they see the car as they will be when they get older.  Those antlers look rather round in this photo, but they are actually kind of flat... paddles are forming a few inches from his head.

You can see the shape a little better here.

I had just left the pond and was heading home when I saw...

Uh Oh...  I'm being watched!

This white-tail deer heard me coming and checked me out before ducking back into the bushes.

Closer to home I saw the family of Killdeer...

I don't know how old the chicks are before they trade in their downy plumage for "adult" clothes.  This has the double neck ring of an adult, but has the clean, crisp plumage of a young bird.  No worn feathers...  I didn't see any others close by to compare size.  In one way they are nice to have around, but I hate that they hang out in the driveway.

My morning drive lasts anywhere from a half hour to an hour.  I may not always see big critters, but I always see something of interest.

I believe this is a female Ring-neck duck with 2 ducklings.

The End, The End, The End

That's All For Today!