One tough deer !!!

*** Please be advised that some of the following images of this deer may be disturbing. ***

　
I first laid eyes on "Broken Jaw" aka "Lump Jaw" during the winter of 2010 - 2011. She and her fawn came regularly for a nibble of oats. During the darkest days of winter, it is difficult to get photos of the deer in their wanderings, but as spring approaches, they arrive when it is still daylight. I was finally able to take images of her on April 16,2011.

While it was great to see the other deer, I had a particular interest in "BJ". She had a hugely enlarged lower jaw and what seemed to be small antlers on her forehead. At the time, I did some online research that suggested that a doe can grow antlers. There were a number of reasons WHY this might happen.

Her grossly swollen jaw, however, caused me concern. She was able to eat by moving her head in a sideways scooping motion. I still do not know what affliction has caused this huge swelling but from time to time, it bursts open and looks very painful.

Her range shifted more to the west last winter but I did see her in late fall and early spring. Oh my, she looked like death warmed over and then some. She did not have a fawn with her. I really thought that would be the last time I would see her ... ever! *GRAPHIC IMAGE*

This year, "BJ" is back! Truly a miracle of survival against the odds! She does not have a fawn again. She travels with a younger doe and stops by nightly for treats. Her jaw, although still festering, has done a fair bit of healing and downsizing. Her left antler is about 4 inches long...longer than I have ever seen it ... and is oddly crooked. Other than that, she looks good!

I wish her well!!!

NOTE:    The photos of "BJ" were taken through double-paned windows and in challenging light. I have tried to enhance them in a way that allows for more clarity in viewing her.

Peek - A - Boo !!!

I laughed at this little moth as it tried to hide from me while I was photographing it!  Isn't it just the sweetest little thing!!!

It is a Lophocampa maculata - Spotted Tussock Moth.

 

 

 

The following quote is from Wikipedia:

"The Spotted Tussock Moth, Mottled Tiger or Spotted Halisidota (Lophocampa maculata) is a moth of the Arctiidae family. It is found across southern Canada, the western parts of the United States, south in Appalachians to South Carolina and Kentucky.

The wingspan is 35–45 mm. The moth flies from May to July; the larvae remain from July to September. There is one generation per year.

The larvae feed on the leaves of poplar and willow, but also feed on alder, basswood, birch, maple and oak.

Named "Tussock moth" for the tufts of hair on the caterpillar."

Here ... hold my beer ...

... Look what I can do!!!

Grasshoppers were "omnipresent" this past summer and fall. There was an extended period of NO RAIN which allowed them to proliferate!

"Groppers" are much like woodpeckers in that they try to hide from you by spinning behind whatever they are on. This always makes me laugh! As the photos will show, they really aren’t very good at hiding!

A grasshopper by any other name ....

Sauterelle - Grashypfer - Sprinkhaan - Gafanhoto - Heuschrecke - Gurasuhoppā - Zhàměng - Gräshoppa - Kuznechik - Saltamontes

Barber Shop Special !!!

This fascinating little caterpillar is an "Orgyia antiqua - Rusty Tussock Moth".  It looks like it had quite a day at the hairdressers! Chuckle!

I was heading into the backyard to release a large moth I had been photographing (read that as "playing with") and as I reached to open the gate, this critter wriggled into sight.  Not having my glasses on, I was rather taken aback at its gaudy appearance and opted NOT to touch it!  On closer inspection, I was totally amazed at its magnificent design.  Have you ever seen anything so intricate and bizarre, at the same time? 

The following is a quote taken from WIKIPEDIA:
"The Rusty Tussock Moth or Vapourer, Orgyia antiqua, is a moth in the family Lymantriidae that is native to Europe, but now transcontinental in distribution in the Palaearctic and the Nearctic regions. The orange-brown male flies mostly during the day, but the female is flightless, spending her brief life attached to her cocoon. The hairy caterpillar is spectacular, with "humps", "horns" and a "tail" in a combination of dark grey, red and yellow. It feeds on a wide range of broad-leaved trees and shrubs, and may reach pest proportions in forests and cities."

Loud and Proud ... MERRY CHRISTMAS !!!

Wishing you a most memorable Christmas 2013 and a most auspicious New Year 2014.

 

I've taken these images over the years and believe they show a side of winter that isn't all just "shiver and brrrrr"!

 

 

 

 

 

April 9, 2013 - Is it Spring yet ???

I'm still going back to the Winter that didn't want to end ... ever!  The gopher awoke to a wicked world of white and the doe was surviving solely on the oats we provided.

Wow ... I sure have been posting a lot, eh!

The "Age B4 Digital"

This image was taken in February 2007 using a 35mm camera.  It was published in the local newspaper and was also used on the "celebration of life" card of a very dear friend of mine.

I recently spent a vast amount of time scanning the scratched negative, tweaking everything I could, and I finally arrived at an image that I can now share with you. 

I knew all the deer personally!  They too have passed but remain immortalized in this photo.  The very last rays of the low winter sun slipped below the horizon just seconds after I shot this image through double windows with the zoom at maximum!  I am glad that I was able to resurrect it to the "Digital Age".

Finding their wings !!!

I know that there are a lot of people that do not particularly like Magpies.  I am not one of them!  Birds from the Corvid family are incredibly intelligent and interactive with humans ... if given the chance.  I have know a couple of Magpies personally over the years and I cherish the memories of my interactions with them!

These young fledglings, Black-billed Magpies (Pica hudsonia), were causing their parents no end of grief as they ventured from the safety of the nest.  They were comical to watch from a distance, under the watchful eyes of mom and dad.  Cute little farts!

I once asked a photographer friend of mine if he had any photos of a magpie with its wings showing or in flight.  (They have amazing Art Deco patterns.)  His reply to me was, "Girl, if I was going to point something at a magpie, it would not be a camera!"

BIG BIG BIG Moth !!!

I like to learn about Moths!  The more I learn, the more I like them!  The more I play with them, the more I want to play with them! Chuckle ... in a good way, gang!

Here are some images of the GIANT Silkworm - Antheraea polyphemus AKA Polyphemus Moth.

The 3 photos below show the subtle variations in colour and markings between individuals. 

 

 

 

Their wingspan can be up to 15 cm = 6 inches.  BIG!  Notice the amazing "eyespots" on the wings!  The centre of these eyespots are clear ... like cellophane!   Really?  Oh yes!!!

I am including more images so you can fully appreciate their beauty ... from all angles!  Enjoy!

It was a dark and stormy night ...

... and although we didn't have too many this past summer, they were memorable!   One to the southwest even produced a small EF0 tornado.
The grainy appearance of the image below is due to the copious amounts of rain and scattered hail between me and it!   I saw it for a couple of minutes and then it became rainwrapped.

There had been "tornado watches & warnings" issued but they were ended BEFORE I saw this one!  I phoned the sighting into Environment Canada plus emailed them this photo.  Upon viewing the photo, they re-issued the tornado watch!

A large stormfront made its way through the Battlefords on July 6, 2013 just after 9 p.m.  The 3 photos below were taken from different locations around the Battlefords.

Some storms leave destruction, some storms leave flooding ... and ... some leave RAINBOWS behind.