Second year buck...We seem to have more bucks visiting ,our salt block ,this year than before . Also they are very thin for this time of year.The natural habitat is being rapidly reduced by housing and less crop production ,that limits food supply. We still have several hundred acres , natural hill-valley areas available, but a hundred acres have disappeared in the last 5-7years. It appears to me that the more bucks born, is natures way of ,over time, limit deer population. Since I use a game camera to monitor my salt block, it will be interesting to see how the population unfolds,over the next few years. My game camera yields approx. 50 to 70 photos/day

Brown Thrashers....Have had a pair around our meadow for several years,but I have not seen them as close together as this photo. Family Minidae....often called "mimic thrushes", excellent singers,strong legs and longer tails. Sexes look alike, member of the Mockingbird family. Notice the tail positions, guess you could draw a lot of conclusions from the attitude. Gorgeous birds !!!!!

Blue jays at tree feeder...Even though these appear to be a pair, their is still feeding status. Both tried to eat at the same time, but Mr. Mean Guy had to eat first, or is it the other way around? Waited about 1.5 hours to get this shot. Data:f/3.3 at 1/160 sec, ISO 160, shutter priority, 35mm focal length..648

Macro of Wild Turkey wing feather......Thinking about the little turkey poults, that are about the size of half a tennis ball and just as fuzzy,within one growing season, produce a structure that is able to lift them off the ground, is amazing!!!!! Sometimes during the summer, I find feathers in our meadow and stick them in the brim of my straw hat. In the fall I will have 8 to 10 various species of bird feathers in my hat, the old timers used to say," Another feather in my hat". Don't know orgin of this saying. Anyway, nature is most interesting!!!!! Approx. 5X macro

Blue jay at feeder.....This time of year the blue jays are crazy feeding their young, going from daylight to dark. It appears we have 3 pair nesting close to my feeder area. During this time of the year , they tend to very quiet,also somewhat slimmer. Having kids is tough work.

Ordovician fossils from Little Jamison creek. In the spring , after the winter freezing and thawing, I like to spend time, in the creeks on our property,looking for fresh fossils, that has just been washed out, by spring rains. Several million years ago,this area was covered with shallow seas,which contained forms of life. This life ,through normal process, at least ,the more solid parts , was buried in the sea floor,after they died,an was preserved and became fossilized. REF....Geology/ A survey of earth science by E.W. Spencer

MACRO..... Sycamore Seeds..... Interesting to look inside the round spiked fruit clusters of dried sycamore. Hair seem to be spring loaded to eject seeds from the fruit balls. Hairs are then used for the distribution of seeds ,on air currents. At least, those are my thoughts!!!! . These seeds are approx. 10 mm. in length.

Macro....Small blooming plant.... Was walking around my yard today, noticed this very small plant. I got down on my knees to observe it,an for some reason was amazed at how delicate it was. Most of the time ,I like most people, would have just walked over it or on it. Noticed several in this area, so I gently lifted it and the roots can out of the ground all in one piece. Flower is less than 1/8 inch in diameter, note several bud balls to the right. Don't know what the plant is,but I guess that doesn't really matter, it's NATURE at its best.

Digital Camera Preset Modes.....Never even looked at presets on any camera; they were for amateurs. Well, I could be wrong!!!!! Was having some trouble ,stopping motion at ISO 800,even with the shake control on. So as a last resort get out the manual. Found a HIGH SENS. preset, ISO 3200 ,good for 4x6 pic size. This deer was looking in the window at me,so I took a couple of shots. Whereas the image lacks sharpness and shows pixelation, I found it interesting (kind of art-like) especially, inside the ears. Picked up veins above the eyes and the buttons on the head. f8.0 at 1/1600 sec, 432mm (35mm focal length) . READ those Manuals !!!!!!!

WHITETAIL DEER in freshly mowed meadow.....Every year I try to mow off my meadow in very early spring. Last year I cut a portion of it in October, leaving a small circle of it standing over the winter. Last week I mowed the small circle patch. The natural grasses had caught a lot of leaves, that created warmth, thus new green tender shots started to grow. The deer don't miss much.