Tuesday, July 30, 2013

White-Tailed Deer at Breakneck Hill Conservation Land

I was awake at 5:30 AM, so I headed over to Breakneck Hill Conservation Land to see what might be moving around at that time of day.   I knew there'd be great dew in the meadow after last evening's heavy rain and was hoping for some photos with bokeh.


I had just taken a macro photo, and the click of my camera brought me face to face with a doe who lifted her head up from the deep meadow grasses.  She made a grunting warning call, and a sweet little fawn went racing away from me down the path.  So cute and such a big tail!  I couldn't get a photo of Mama at this point, because I had to change my camera settings and by then, she was in the woods.



I did catch up with her and auntie a little bit later.


Because it's hilly, much of the meadow was in shadow until the sun was up a while.  Very pretty scene!

a little sparkle

Eastern Phoebe


American Goldfinch (see all three?)
finding seeds among the meadow grasses

How can you not love this place when you see beautiful golden birds in the grasses, beautiful brilliant bluebirds in the air and trees, deer romping in the meadow and butterflies flitting among the blooms?  It makes me want to write poetry!


Small Flowered Evening Primrose
(also a favorite in fall with the goldfinches)

I didn't have as much luck with sparkling dew as I had hoped (too much shade), and I also learned that my waterproof hiking shoes are no longer waterproof!  Still, it was a beautiful start to the day!

I went back at noon to check on butterflies and tabulated the following in 45 minutes:

Cabbage white 3
Common ringlet 22
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 1
Clouded Sulphur 5
Eastern Tailed Blue 18
Pecks Skipper 2
Orange Sulphur 6
Common Wood Nymph 5
Northern Broken Dash 1
Gray Hairstreak 2
Pearl Crescent 6
Spicebush Swallowtail 2
Black Swallowtail 1
Horace's Duskywing 1
Least Skipper 1
Dun Skipper 1


Milkweed Tussock Moth caterpillar (something new!)


 Pearl Crescent
(you can run, but you can't hide)


Horace's Duskywing (one of the prettier skippers)


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