Odd things happen and new visitors arrive on the mesa when there is a period of dry weather.  Birds bathe in the water dishes almost non-stop, the lapping of coyotes is a frequent sound, and occasionally, we are lucky enough to see mule deer, mostly at dawn or dusk, literally sucking the bird baths dry.  It is truly amazing how much a thirsty deer can consume in one session.

This week, two mule deer with antlers in velvet dropped by to quench their thirst.  One I would call "a buck in training", the other was full grown.   With closed doors, I was able to get my Nikon D800 with 70-200 mm lens and capture some images without startling them.

Here is a shot of the young buck.  I would caption this "take a look at those ears!"

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The more mature buck has more points on its "rack", and his coat is a bit worse for wear.

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Whether they sense it or not, this is a dangerous time for both deer and elk, as the hunting season has begun.  They are a little like the hummingbirds right now, continually searching their surroundings for trouble.

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If I didn't know better, I would have thought this was a decoy, given how still he was standing.  Ready, but still.

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With luck, many of you will be out with your cameras during the week, capturing the subtleties of the changing seasons!

until next Monday,

DB

a passion for the image@