Northern Bobwhite...

Today's photograph was taken by my son Shane last Monday. I missed the entire visit because of working overtime, my wife called me in the evening to tell me there was a Northern Bobwhite eating our bird seed just off our front porch. Of course I quizzed her on how she knew it was a Bobwhite and still didn't believe her until I looked at Shane's memory card. This female spent the whole day at our house and by the time I got off work Wednesday night she was gone and has not been back since, just my luck. And to top if off there was a house fire right around the corner from my house the previous Monday when I was working overtime and I missed that also. To learn more about this bird follow the link http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Bobwhite/id.

Alaska Sky Watch...

Today's sky watch Friday photograph comes from Seward, Alaska. My son Shane took this while we were on vacation, July 2007. And like the last few days I really have nothing, I am just blank. I guess I need time to get new photographs and regenerate my batteries.

This was during an early morning walk, for July it was pretty chilly but always beautiful, one of these years we will get back for another vacation and to see parts we missed this time.

This will be my last sky watch Friday post for a few weeks, my Internet access will be sporadic. When I have it I will post and it will be something new. I also have some scheduled post set up for the next couple of weeks. So keep checking back, there will be post's just not on a regular basis.

Sika Elk...

Today's photographs come from Assateague Island, I said I was not done with photos from the Island just the ones of the wild horses. These guys are called Sika Elk. When Shane and I first spotted them we only seen the little guy in the shadows, with the spots I though we were looking at a white tail fawn. I am think great, lighting is harsh and sucks but like the Pa. Wildlife Photographer http://pawildlifephotographer.blogspot.com/ I am going to get some shots of a little guy with spots. That didn't last long as something about the head and ears were not sitting right with me. Then the larger one with spots steps out, I am thinking if this was back home maybe TMI mutated them and its the largest fawn ever. We watched the five for a short time, trying to photograph them. We didn't make out very good as they were standing in shade with direct sunlight in front of them, a no win situation.

Upon reaching our next ranger lecture I decided to ask questions about what we had just watched. No what this ranger and a ranger at a different location told me I could not verify on the net, but I like what they said, that is there story and I am sticking to it. They informed me that in 1923 the Boy Scouts met there for a gathering, one of the scouts brought a few exotic Sika Elk along with him from Asia and turned them loose. Since then they have multiplied and survived on the island. Today the herd numbers around 200 and multiplies quickly, because of this they are hunted every year on the island to keep the herd at a manageable size and protect the other recourse's.

Now for a few facts about the Sika, they can be found in more than 34 states in the USA. They are native to Japan, Taiwan and eastern Asia. Sika deer are actually more closely related to the elk than they are to white tailed deer. They are smaller than whitetails, with adult males, called stags, typically weighing about 90 pounds and adult females, or hinds, weighing roughly 70 pounds. Coat color ranges from chestnut brown during winter to reddish-olive during summer. Sikas keep their white spots as adults, which are most visible during the summer months, and tend to have proportionally shorter snouts and smaller ears. Unlike whitetailed deer that raise their tails like a flag when alarmed, they have a white rump patch that flares outwards.

Like whitetails, only the males have antlers; however, they are more narrow and erect and resemble miniature elk antlers. Stags rarely have more than three points per antler; typically spikes as yearlings, which develop into four or five points as two year olds, and finally six points at three years. Trophy-class antlers are about 13 to 15 inches in length and are shed between February and April of each year.

I guess that is enough for now, with any luck I will be posting more Elk next week, but not Sika's, some from the Pennsylvania Elk herd.

By the way, I took the first photograph (it features Elk #51) and Shane took the second one.

Assateague Horses...

Last day of horse photographs, not the last from Assateague, but the last horse. The first photograph was taken by Shane and the second one is mine. Like I said before I am very proud of the way he is coming along. He is set up with his own bag with the D70 and a couple of lens's when we go shooting he takes off and does his own thing all in manual mode. It has been just over a year since he started shooting the DSLR and he has come a long way. Lets see how he does this weekend, we are going to shoot the Elk in Benezette, Pa.. With any luck it will be a good weekend and we will see lots of Elk with some white tail deer and maybe even a bear or two mixed in.

At Assateague the horses run wild on the island separated from the Chincoteague, Virginia herd by a fence. The Maryland horses are maintained by the National Park Service while the Virginia herd id managed by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company. The herds are restricted in size in order to protect the other natural recourse's. Each year the Chincoteague VFD has a horse sale. One day the horses swim across the water for the sale, the next day they are sold and the following day those that were not sold for various reasons swim back to the island. This years event was just held on July 30, 31 and August 1.

There are few places in the United States where you can view wild horses. If you have never been to Assateague you are really missing out.

More Assateague Island...

I will make this short I need to save enough text to last me a couple more days or I will have photos and nothing to say. I can't remember the exact number but when we visited Assateague there was around 146 hundred wild horses there. Of those we seen 30, most in this heard we photographed on the beach.

These photographs were taken by Shane, like I said yesterday he did a great job and actually got more usable images than I did. Maybe I should stop teaching him or pass this site unto him.

Just a tidbit of information to go along with the first photograph, in horse society, mutual grooming establishes and maintains social ties. It is often initiated by a subordinate horse towards a dominant one. See I know useless stuff also.

AST Dew Tour In Baltimore...

Today's photographs come from Shane, he recoded the images on his Nikon coolpix last Saturday evening in Baltimore, you didn't think I would let him carry the D70 around a crowd in Baltimore without me along did you. After going to the Orioles game a couple of days earlier and seeing Bucky Lasek toss out the first pitch, Linda and Shane found out that the AST Dew Tour was in the city over the weekend. A little checking and they had a schedule and a plan.

With me at work they head to Timmonium, Md. for the train, destination Camden Sports Complex. My only stipulation, be on the train out before dark. They were and it sounded like they had a great time. They could not remember who was in the top photograph, but the second one is Dave Mirra.

Port...

Today's image comes from Shane again. This photo was taken the same day as yesterday's shot about an hour later in the port at Seward. Other than saying I bet the few of you looking, wish we would take another vacation some place else so I had something else to post, that's all I got.

The Piers...

Today's photograph was taken by Shane in Seward, Alaska during our vacation last July. If you look closely at the bird the center of the photo it is a bald eagle. He was feasting on a fish breakfast about 9:00 a.m. Alaska time. He was too far away for good close up shots, but Shane not being as negative as me decided he would shoot a few anyways. I am glad he did I like the way this one turned out.

I did record a video of the eagle eating, he took his good old time and held the fish down with his talons tearing the meat apart with his beak. The video camera left us get a much closer view of the bird. I will attempt a few more tries at putting video up here before I finally give up. Taking a friends advice I tried photo bucket last night and had no problem getting the video uploaded but when I played it there was no audio. Sooo I deleted it, only to go to a news station later and try and watch some footage of a fire only to realize I had no audio. Turns out there was no problem with the uploading, it was just that my speakers were unplugged. ARGH!! it stinks being a computer dummy.

I hope you enjoy the image as much as Shane did last night when I showed him the final print. Please remember to click on the image, it will get larger.

Have A Coke And A Smile

Today's photograph is a little different than what I am used to posting. Shane took this photo our last full day in Alaska. Within walking distance of our camp ground was the train transportation center. Liking trains we went to shoot a few, but on the way there we passed an old but still operating Coca Cola plant. This old truck was sitting across from the plant and looked inviting. After downloading the images I did not really like any of them but just could not bring myself to delete them.

Last night at work I opened one of Shane's in CS2 and started playing with it. I tried things I have never used before and experimented like I never have before. I like the final results and more importantly Shane does also. I would love to hear some feedback from the viewers on their opinion of the end result.

The Kid In The Mirror

This is actually MY first post. I picked out the picture, worked on it and got it ready to post. I, Shane Myers, took this picture inside a marine’s Humvee at this year’s Rotorfest in West Chester, Pennsylvania. I attended it with my Boy Scout troop in October. You will be seeing more of my Rotorfest pictures later on.

Gone Fishing

Shane has been asking when I would put another one of his photographs up, so here it is. this photo was taken in Katmai, Alaska just below Brooks Falls in July 2007. The bear is probably a two year old. And no he did not catch this salmon.

I have more Katmai grizzly photos coming in the future.

Cautious cubs

This photograph was taken by my 11 year old son Shane July 2007 in Alaska. He must have spoken to them and asked them to pose, because they never cooperated for me like this.