I went for a walk today and look who I saw . . .

[AndyS]

Mom's on alert!



And this is why she's on alert.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Those are beautiful photos, my dear Andy! Just wonderful.

The mom's totally aware of you and is taking no chances. And I love the beautiful trees behind her and her fawn.

Thank you so much for sharing your morning walk.

[AndyS]

5. Thank you Peg.

They were in somebody's backyard. It was a small group of about 6 with two fawns.

It's good to see the herd coming back.

[luvs2sing]

2. I went on a walk this morning..

and saw 12 of those. It was a slow morning. Last week, I saw 34 one morning!

Your pictures are beautiful!

[AndyS]

6. It was like that here last year but the Texas freeze in February

was hard on everybody. I haven't seen more than 10 at one time this year. I guess the good news is that the survivors are strong and will make for a more healthy population.

[CrispyQ]

3. What a treat!

Great pics! Love the little one!

[AndyS]

7. I live in a tiny community of about 1600 that backs up to a large publicly owned

space (county water district) so there's no hunting and a lot of people feed them in their yards. Including the Mayor!

[hermetic]

4. Aw, pretty babies

Gorgeous shots!

[AndyS]

9. Thanks!

I hope to have a lot more now that I'm walking every day again. Some folks call it a herd, 'round here it's more of an infestation

[Grumpy Old Guy]

8. Great shots Andy.

[AndyS]

12. They'll get better as I get back into the swing of things and

muscle memory kicks in. They're almost pets!

[niyad]

10. Oh my word. They are so beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing these precious

beings with us.

[AndyS]

13. Thank you Niyad.

Cameras aren't designed to 'take pictures', their only purpose to the pull the things we see from our heads and show them to others.

[calimary]

11. BEAUTIFUL!

And WUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNderful, too!

[AndyS]

14. Yes, they are both! And a lot of fun to photograph too. nt

[calimary]

16. Especially when they hold still for you!

Really magical creatures. Your photos are equally magical, AndyS!

[niyad]

20. There are a lot of deer in my area as well, and some actually pose, they are so

habituated to humans. I had one last year who posed for me. She would turn her head, or move, and then hold. At one point, she actually looked over her shoulder at me. It was precious interlude.

[calimary]

60. Dayum!

[Rebl2]

15. Did she

stamp her feet at you? I have deer come to my yard often and have noticed they will stamp their feet as a warning when they feel there is a threat.

[AndyS]

18. Not today. She's pretty comfortable with the people in the area.

I've had them stomp their feet and snort at me--one blew her nose on me when I was wearing my gilly suit and finally figured out I was not a bush!

[Rebl2]

31. Oh I

have heard those snorts and huffs before. Yes it is stomp their feet and not stamp-not thinking.

[Fla Dem]

17. You are so lucky to see such a beautiful scene.

[AndyS]

19. I live in a tree house in the middle of a wildlife refuge.

My living area is on the second floor and I have a 400 sq ft balcony surrounded by trees. Song birds wake me in the morning taking credit for the sunrise and from time to time owls will keep me awake at night wooing each other. All matter of wildlife wander through the yard at night. Have a 'pet' possum living in the yard and raccoons wander through from time to time as well as armadillos. Not to mention the snakes and frogs.

It is idyllic; Green Mansions in real life.

[Bayard]

22. That sounds wonderful, Andy!

Frame-able photos, for sure. The doe looks very healthy too. The ones here in the pastures can get kind of scrawny.



We've been seeing a lot of turkeys here lately. Tiz the season.

[AndyS]

26. I shot my first turkey last season.

Scared hell out of everybody in the meat department.

[Bayard]

39. I had a big turkey commit suicide on my truck

When I lived in Calif. I was driving down the mountain, and one burst out of the brush and smacked right into the windshield of my truck. Shattered the windshield. I pulled over and just sat for a minute. Another truck pulled in behind me. Guy jumped out and asked--"Do you want that?", pointing at the dead turkey. I said, "Heavens no!" "Can I have it?" "Knock yourself out". He threw it in the back of his truck, and drove off, large family with him.

That made me feel a little better.

[barbtries]

21. beautiful.

my son saw a coyote this morning. i love when i see critters.

[AndyS]

27. Coyotes are a mixed bag.

Yes they are wild but hard on pets, especially cats. On the other hand they're hard on the cats . . .

[barbtries]

38. my niece hates them.

really hates them, because they show up in populated areas.

[Iggo]

35. Saw one yesterday morning on our driveway camera.

Just trotting on by.

There’s a cement riverbed, with a dirt road wide enough for a utility truck, that runs behind our house. And there’s railroad tracks that parallel the main road on the side of our neighborhood that faces the foothills, which are a good distance away, but it’s that way. There’s avenues for these little fellers and they don’t usually lope right down the suburban sidewalks in broad daylight.

I saved the video, but I’m thinking it’s too much trouble to try to fuzz out all the license plates and street addresses to make it worth posting a two second video of a coyote walking by. (My SIL did put it on the neighborhood app so as to trigger the usual suspects, though…lol.)

[Cozmo]

23. Aw, how sweet

[AndyS]

33. They are lovely indeed. nt

[aggiesal]

24. Dinner? ...

Great pictures.

[AndyS]

28. Only if you don't mind being cuffed.

These were taken half a block from the Mayor's house and two blocks from Pelican Bay PD.

[llmart]

25. Our DU photographers are amazing.

I appreciate having some beauty on DU from our photography group. I am not a picture taker at all. I prefer just to enjoy the experience when I see beauty out in nature and keep the scene in my memory. So I am grateful for people who do actually capture it on "film".

[AndyS]

29. Thank you for all of us.

Sharing things we see with others is why we do this.

[Ka-Dinh Oy]

30. Awww, beautiful pictures.

I sure miss living in the cottage. We had a herd of 8 that walked around the huge yards that we had. Not always 8 because it depended on who had fawns and how many. Once had one come onto the covered patio and lay down in front of the sliding glass door where our living room was. I got inexpensive apples for them and they loved them.

[AndyS]

32. A lot of people here feed them too.

They're a pretty healthy herd.

[Ka-Dinh Oy]

36. There was one year mine had patches of hair missing

( except the fawns ) and that was strange. The other years they looked healthy with full coats.

[Siwsan]

34. Absolutely magical!

There's a big nature conserve where I used to live and I loved to go walking, there. A few times I spotted deer and it was such a thrill.

[AndyS]

37. I never get tired of seeing them.

I may have to start shooting video because they move so fluidly. Deer and Prima Ballerinas share an absolute defiance of gravity. They don't so my leap as float.

[Dukkha]

40. Nice photos

I appreciate the warm colortones

[AndyS]

42. Just after dawn. Known as the golden hour.

You'll notice that the light is almost horizontal because the sun was just above the distant tree line.

[Butterflylady]

41. Ohhhhhhh! Those beautiful doe eyes.

I would just love to have eyes like that. She's is elegant.

My son goes bow hunting and believe me I have let him know that I do not approve.

[AndyS]

43. Don't be too hard on him. Harvesting wildlife for a purpose is a good and necessary thing.

Here in Texas if it weren't for hunting/fishing licenses and taxes on sporting goods there would be no habitat left for wildlife of any kind.

I was starting to be concerned about the health of our herd here in Pelican Bay because it was so large for the available range. When that happens Texas Parks and Wildlife has a 'cull hunt' to reduce the population. It keeps the animals safe from disease due to overcrowding. That won't be necessary since the Texas freeze of February thinned the heard for us.

If your son hunts ethically and with respect for the life of his quarry he is actually doing a service to animals he pursues.

[bhikkhu]

44. Nice! Both look healthy and fit, that's good to see

I have a house now that's a little outside of town and there's a deer herd in the area. This summer one doe has spent most of her afternoons snacking and lounging in the green and weedy yard between my house and a back building. I suspected she was pregnant, and sure enough she had a little baby with her one day. That made my year, really.

The deer in the area can be a little rough and raggedy, but I made sure to water to keep things green and succulent, and to have clean water available for her. I was pretty proud that she had a nice shiny coat and bright eyes, and then a healthy little fawn, just like your pictures.

[AndyS]

45. It doesn't get any better than that! nt

[Marcuse]

46. !

[AndyS]

47. 🤣

[Rhiannon12866]

48. Awww! Beautiful and adorable!

[AndyS]

50. Yes they are and there's just something about them; the way

they move, the peaceful nature and grace that makes them so endearing.

[Rhiannon12866]

52. I love the deer. We also have deer in my neck-of-the-woods

And I watch out for them on my way home, especially after dark. if I see one in or too near the road, I try to shoo them back into the woods.

[Diamond_Dog]

49. Oh, beautiful!

I especially like the lighting in the first one. You were so lucky to come across these beauties!

[AndyS]

51. I live with them by their permission.

They were here first and assert their property rights as a tax on my landscaping

[MustLoveBeagles]

53. Beautiful photos

Thanks you for sharing.

[AndyS]

54. Back at 'cha 🙂

[wendyb-NC]

55. Beautiful

Great photos, thanks for sharing.

[Evolve Dammit]

56. Beautifull!

[HAB911]

57. Very nice!

[PatSeg]

58. Such lovely images. What kind of camera do you use?

[AndyS]

61. The name brand of the camera is kinda' moot, but since ya' asked

I use Olympus. Unless you want to get into the weeds on technical issues I'll just say that I like it because it is small and the lenses it uses are small too.

For wildlife photography portability is important and there are some software features that make it attractive as well. If you want more info PM me and we can have a discussion to any level of detail you're up to. I taught photography at the college level and worked in the industry as well. Fair warning, I have insane brand loyalty tho

[PatSeg]

62. Oh yes, I tend to

"get into the weeds on technical issues". Actually, I've learned a lot by asking other photographers what kind of cameras and lenses they use. I don't know why we tend to have insane brand loyalty when it comes to cameras. It is kind of like some people are with cars I suppose, though it does simplify things when most of your accessories are interchangeable.

Anyway, my first reaction when I see a photo I like, my first question is often, what kind of camera and lens did they use?

[AndyS]

63. Okay so here's the rest of the data;

OMD EM1 mk ii with the 40-150 f2.8 and the 1.4x teleconverter. Equivalent focal length of 80-300 for full frame and the 1.4x kicks it out to 420 equivalent. Exposure was f4 @ 1/80 sec hand held. The in-camera image stabilization is good for 4 stops compensation (for me, more for younger non coffee drinkers).

The advantage for me in the OM is the small sensor. The crop factor is 2:1 so the focal length of any lens is doubled giving me great reach in a package 1/2 the size of FF. The trade off is increased noise at high ISO (6400 and up) and in low light. Neither of those is an issue for me, YMMV.

[PatSeg]

64. Thanks!

That photo is pretty impressive for 1/80 sec handheld. My hands aren't as steady as they used to be, especially when using heavy lenses. I finally had to give up with my Tamron 150-600mm, it was just too heavy for me. I'd never thought to use a teleconverter. I have a really nice 18-140mm f3.5 lens that I don't use as often as I should. Maybe with a teleconverter, I could get more use out of it.

After using several camera brands, I ended up with Nikon. I still use a couple of Panasonics once in a rare while, when I just want a point-and-shoot camera for a quick photo, but the results are usually disappointing. I use my Lumix FZ200 more as a telescope.

You see, that's what happens when I ask about the details - I learn something new and useful. Thank you for the additional data. If I decide to do more outdoor photography, I will seriously consider adding a teleconverter to my many accessories. I haven't gotten out much this past year.

[AndyS]

65. The Zuiko teles are custom matched to a few lenses so there's

no image degradation at all. Just FYI

[PatSeg]

66. Thank you, you've been very helpful

[malaise]

59. Beautiful

Thanks