Wednesday 14 January 2015

Deer butts and mugging, wetland walkies

Here we are try #3.You'll just have to laugh with me! A bitterly cold morning (-25 C.) and they wander like ghosts along the path.
With mentor Justin's help I've been playing around with locations. (Facing north, high-traffic pathway.)


Trailcam 3.0 deer butts from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.
Trailcam #3.0 From 0 to -24 C. Jan 12/13, 2015. Deer were quite curious. There were tracks from a weasel all over our property, but nothing on the cam!
Weasel going to and from tree,
my tracks on the left,
Coyote- just beyond the two trees in the middle ground,
going left to right.

I saw many tracks: deer, short-tailed weasel (or ermine ,or stoat-UK), coyote (here is his video), and wild turkeys. Here are some archival photos. My weasel photo is a long-tailed weasel, found in the front yard in Bala, not a short-tailed, but you get the picture. The tracks are all over the property.

My trek following the replacement of the batteries and the SD Card, led me around the swamp where I spotted a woodpecker and a grouse, and heard a pileated woodpecker.

Awful walking, snowshoes don't help. The ground is too uneven, with the ice, and tufts of bulrushes, as well as fallen logs. I step, and fall 9" in spots as the ice gives. It is darn good exercise, however!
One simply cannot walk in a straight line. My GPS batteries gave out, better than the day before, when I went in a circle. I listened for the sound of traffic and followed a deer track out.

Wetland crunchy walk from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.
Off into the Wetland for a nice walk and to look for deer sheds.

7 comments:

eileeninmd said...

Wow, wonderful collection of critters.. I enjoyed the deer cam.. Have a happy Wednesday!

carol l mckenna said...

Great nature photography on 'your walk around' ~ very cold like New England here!

Happy Week to you,
artmusedog@gmail.com

William Kendall said...

The deer must be wondering what the point to the video camera is!

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari Om
Crikey, these are getting ever more adventurous... YOU are getting ever more adventurous!!! YAM xx

Jenn Jilks said...

I think so, William! Quite curious, they are.
It is fabulous exercise, Yam, fresh air, challenging trying to keep in the right direction!

Kay said...

I'm amazed at all your beautiful wild birds. What fun to have your graceful deer in your backyard.

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Amazing animals -- and I love how you embrace winter! (I sort wish I could do have done that -- although I have no experience with anything as cold and snowy as what you have. In Oregon it is just gray damp and chilly and wet -- very little snow usually.)