Does and Gobblers

Been getting a lot of Turkey pics lately. The breeding season is getting cranked up and there’s been a lot of activity. I heard two birds gobbling while I was checking my cameras. The primary breeding period is from mid April through mid May in my area. I’ve been hoping to get some pics of one of the gobblers strutting but I haven’t got any yet. Hopefully over the next month I’ll catch one.


Below are some pics of a group of Does crossing paths with two small gobblers. One of the Does is either very curious about the birds or annoyed they are browsing the same area she is. I’m guessing annoyed.

Spring Hike

A bunch of us got together for our Spring hike this morning. The day didn't start out too promising. We have had bad weather here for the last couple of days with lots of rain and fog. This morning was no different being very damp and foggy. But as we gained elevation the fog lightened and by the time we reached the top of the mountain we were in full sunshine. But has we looked out across the valleys on both sides they were still totally covered in fog with only the distance peaks extending out of the fog. The ridge we hiked didn't have a lot of openings to get pictures from but below are some of the better shots. You can check out this post to see what the valley usually looks like without the fog...Fall Hike.

The first three pics are looking to the south and southeast. The closer ridges are the top of the Massanuttten and the peaks in the distance are the Blue Ridge. The rest of the valley is covered in sea of thick fog.

This pic is looking to the north. Lairds Knob is raising above the fog on the right hand side.

The tops of the Alleghany Mountain can be seen in the distance.

The next two shots are looking to the east into the valley in Page County with the peaks of the Blue Ridge off in the distance.

We got back out of the mountains in the early afternoon and the fog was gone from the valley. The first shot is of Lairds Knob reflecting in a pond at the base of the mountain and the second is the southern end of the Massanutten range.

Overall a day that started out without much promise turned into a pretty enjoyable day.

Gray Foxes

A couple of Gray Foxes have become regulars at the mountain camera the last couple of weeks. Both have really nice coats and I suspect that they are a breeding pair. The mating season runs from January in the southern states thru April further north with the pups being born about 53 days later. The Gray Fox is unique in that they are one of the few canids that can climb trees.

I thought it was interesting that in the first pic one of the foxes was at the set the same time as a raccoon.

Wood Ducks

I had moved one of my cameras back to the cabin pond in anticipation of the arrival of the Wood Ducks two weeks ago. The first week back there I got zero pictures...zilch, zip, nada. I even checked the camera to be sure it was taking pictures because surely something was on the pond in a seven day period. The camera checked out fine and I put it back for another week. As you can see below the second week was the charm...lots of Wood Ducks.  

The Wood Ducks are my favorite duck. The males are just beautifully marked. I keep saying I'm going to put up a nesting box back there but never seem to get around to it. Maybe next year ;). The Mallards and Canada Geese try to nest back there most years but the predators usually win out.

Looks like we're having a little face off here between the two males.