Deer!

Clear and cool...a beautiful morning on the mountain...

- Several Goldfinches on the feeders at dawn....
- No raccoon evidence.....
- Red-Bellied Woodpecker.....
- The Nuthatches.....
- Three deer had breakfast with me....See attached photo....
- As I moved from my driveway...three does were coming toward me up the side of the road...three different does than the photograph....and a young buck trailing them....their behavior was erratic...and the buck (see bottom photo), typical to the species during the annual rut, seemed to never see me though he walked within 50' of my SUV...his mind obviously on other things.

Some December Days ....

- Unseasonably warm, sunny and bright...mid to upper 60s...

- All of the corn eaten...up in the trees...squirrels or raccoons...

On or near the feeders....

- Tufted Titmouse...
- Several Goldfinches...(See Photo)
- Mourning Doves (9)
- Nuthatches (2)
- Hairy Woodpecker
- Red-Bellied Woodpecker
- Worked hard to "raccoon proof" a suet feeder...time will tell...this one suspended 10' or so from a horizontal limb with thin gauge wire...about 4' off the ground...Surely the plump raccoons cannot get down this wire. The concern is that the feeder is only 2' or so from a tree trunk...and they may can reach it....stay tuned.

Observations from the 12/9/06 Weekend

Clear and cold for the most part...great hiking weather...

- The raccoons were back at the cabin......
- Goldfinches, Field Sparrows (on the ground), Mourning Doves, a Hairy Woodpecker, and of course, the Nuthatches...frequented the feeders. Have not seen the Juncos since last week.
- A Canada Goose, one of three, sailed in for a landing on Lake George...two flew on by since that part of the lake was frozen..but one attempted to land. Have you ever laughed out loud at a goose? When I left the scene 30 minutes later, the bewildered avia was still standing on the ice.
- From the forest, I could hear the Sandhill Cranes far overhead...but two of us could never spot them....too high in the clear sky. I sense they were headed to The Hiwassee National Refuge (one of their staging areas) on The Tennessee River...about an hour east of us.
- The squirrels (or raccoons) ate all the ears of corn I had placed (on nails) in the trees in front of the cabin. A simple, but effective, feeder. All except one....see photo...on Smoky.
- The only Whitetail Deer I saw were in the fields going in to the cabin...just before dark.

12/9/06 Observations

Clear and cold..but not quite as cold as the night before (9 F)

- Mourning Doves
- The Nuthatches
- Several Crows winging overhead just at sunup....
- Several Goldfinches arrived at first light...I wonder where they spent the night?
- Attached photo is an example of what a rutting buck does to a tree...several of the limbs of this White Pine were torn off, the ground torn up, and there were many other buck rubs nearby....this was about a mile from my cabin...beside the road!

Day of the Juncos-Dawn at The Cabin

Clear and cold with a full moon...mid 20s

- Two deer walk up the roadway in front of the cabin...the same doe and yearling I have seen numerous times. What caught my eye this morning through the binoculars was that the yearling had distinct anatomical variations from the mother...the ears were shorter, and most distinctly seen was the tail...it was about half the size (length) as the mother. Even in slight alarm mode, with the tail raised, it was quite noticeable. Variation within the local Odocoileus? The yearling had a tail that looked a lot like the western Mule Deer, though the ears were much shorter than the mule deer.
- 15-20 Slate-Colored (Northern) Juncos were beneath the feeders...and having a grand time of it scratching in the leaves and enjoying the thistle and SF seeds.
- The Goldfinches were here
- A Black Capped Chickadee made an appearance, but, as usual did not stay long...a mystery...as these small gregarious birds usually love feeders in winter.
- The Mourning Doves arrive at dawn...several of them, as many as 8-10 at a time
- Split wood yesterday afternoon...takes me back to another time and another place....
- The same two Nuthatches....they do put on a show.

12/2/06 Observations

Early AM....Clear, calm and quite cold...mid 20s.

- Finally, two deer walk up the ridgeline 400' to the left of the cabin at dawn..the first ones seen in several days. Still no local evidence of the rut...
- Several Mourning Doves on the ground near the feeders....
- The Nuthatches, two of them, are making their rounds....they are entertaining to watch...and never stay in the same place for very long.
- The raccoons destroyed another suet feeder two nights ago....more thought is required as to how to outfox them...to be continued.
- The Goldfinches, in their winter plumage, are the last to leave the feeders PM and the first to visit AM, often arriving at first light.
- Photographed a deer (doe) as it paused on the edge of a forest...with one of our spec log homes in the background.

12/2/06 Observations

Early AM....Clear, calm and quite cold...mid 20s.

- Finally, two deer walk up the ridgeline 400' to the left of the cabin at dawn..the first ones seen in several days. Still no local evidence of the rut...
- Several Mourning Doves on the ground near the feeders....
- The Nuthatches, two of them, are making their rounds....they are entertaining to watch...and never stay in the same place for very long.
- The raccoons destroyed another suet feeder two nights ago....more thought is required as to how to outfox them...to be continued.
- The Goldfinches, in their winter plumage, are the last to leave the feeders PM and the first to visit AM, often arriving at first light.
- Photographed a deer (doe) as it paused on the edge of a forest...with one of our spec log homes in the background.