Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Love is In the Air....

Have you noticed? The pigeons around the interstate bridges are pairing up, not just sitting on the utility lines trying to survive another day. The English Sparrows, in pairs, are scratching in the crevices of the walls of city buildings. I have heard the rolling call of the Northern Cardinal already, despite periodic cold spells, at first light. The coo of the Mourning Dove is again evident. Mockingbirds are beginning to survey select limbs of select trees for their nest...and it could be the very same one they used last year. More skunks, along with Woodchucks and other small mammals, are now seen crossing the road.....some make it, some do not. Gray Squirrels, in their nimble, acrobatic way, chase each other across lawns, through the woods, and around tree trunks. Yes, it is still winter, but the signs...they are a changin'...Love, nature's way, is again in the air! Not so much for the deer shown above, as their season of passion passed back in the late autumn/early winter. The photograph (provided by Nancy and Terry Jennings...residents within the properties) was so striking, however, it had to be in the top spot!

Same for this magnificent whitetail buck (photo by Joann and Frank Kahoun...residents within the properties). Note the broken left main beam.....the second big buck I have seen this winter with a similar broken antler. This photo only about 3 weeks old. Since the photo was taken, the bucks have begun to shed their headgear.

A common sight in the Tennessee woods in the early spring/late winter. A tom turkey strutting his stuff for a female.


A closer view of what may be the same gobbler as above. This one has characteristics of an old bird. Note the beard almost to ground level.


A juvenile Broad-Winged Hawk. A predator. The talons, beak, and enhanced eyesight all honed as adaptations critical for survival - the detection and capture of prey. This species takes small mammals such as rabbits (the young), squirrels, mice, chipmunks, and occasionally other birds.


Recent photo of a male Red-Bellied Woodpecker on my feeder. More often this species visits the suet cakes nearby. They typically nest in holes high in deciduous trees.


Recent photo of Bewick's Wren. I have several near my home, but this photo was chosen due to the white spot on the upper back, atypical for the species. They typically nest near the ground...in outbuildings, old shoes, thick shrubbery, or in places that may surprise you. Like most all the avia, they are quite vocal during the nesting season.


The squirrels typically breed in late winter as well, with a litter of 2-3 born later in the spring.
If food is plentiful, another litter may follow in late summer. I have seen several pairs chasing each other the last few days.