Some Deer, an Eagle, and Abby

[Brooky]

Having the day off today, I took advantage of the crisp afternoon and went for a drive to an island which is on the waterfront here in Thunder Bay. The island is quite big and it is home to several industrial sites. But there are acres and acres of undeveloped land as well. The Deer population has exploded there and since it's within the city limits, there is no hunting allowed. Although these are wild Deer, they are very used to people and you can get quite close to them. I was within 10 feet of a few of them today. Here's what I got.

These two bucks were sparring, something that I've never seen before.

Turns out they were just having a little fun and were probably best friends.

Some of the older bucks are a little camera shy and head for the woods when approached.

But the young Deer are very curious, and probably looking for a handout as well.

I was lucky enough to come across a rare sight today as well. A Golden Eagle flew by but was out of camera range. I attempted to follow the bird around on the few roads that are on the island and was lucky enough to find it in a tree right beside the road. Goldens are absolutely huge. I'm guessing that they are about 30% larger than a full grown Bald Eagle. Anyways, I got a shot of it in a tree and a shot when it flew.

And of course I took Abby for a ride today. She had fun watching all the Deer from inside the truck. I took her down a dead end road and let her out for a run. She had a blast. Don't ask me about the tongue. I haven't a clue. That's just Abby.

Happy New Year everyone!!!

[finnbay]

some great deer shots. I've never seen a golden. Great capture!

[Royce Aardahl]

Very nice!

[Paul Izyk - toi]

The shot of Abby is my fav...... But the buck in the woods is great too... Thanks for sharing...

[frogtosser]

yea, nice photos

[snoozebutton]

Nice photos Brooky!!!

[Steve Foss]

Really nice images, Brooky! Thanks for taking us along.

[Catmendo]

Great results Brooky! As I'm also a dog lover, I have to run with Abby as my favorite, although they're all good!

Thanks for sharing!

[Jim Almquist]

It looks like you had a great road trip but I am not sure who had more fun you or Abby. The last shot of Abby is great.

[mmeyer]

Those are great Brooky! I like the first deer shot the best. Also the eagle pics are cool as I've never seen one before either.

[Birdsong]

Very nice. I love the curious young deer--both shots have such beautiful expressions. And of course there's Abby. Dogs are the best, aren't they?

[Brooky]

Thanks for all of the wonderful comments.

I've been looking closely at my Eagle photos and I'm not sure now if in fact that it is a Golden Eagle or a juvenile Bald Eagle. I think I'm leaning more towards a juvenile Bald. They can be difficult to distinguish from one another.

Happy New Year everyone!!!!

[Steve Foss]

Brooky, it is a second-year juvenile bald eagle. Juvie golden eagles don't have that distinct mottling on the breast, chest and wings. And the head pattern pretty clearly shows a second-year bird.

[Brooky]

Thanks for the clarification Steve. I knew that with all of the expert birders here, that I'd get a clarification fairly quickly. I'm impressed that you even know it's age! Now I know where to go if I have any bird ID questions.

[Steve Foss]

Brooky, the best birding guide, the one I use the most, is the Sibley Guide to Birds. I have the larger edition that covers all of North America. It's got by far the biggest number of illustrations of the various plumages of adult and juvie birds.

[DonBo]

Very nice shots. I like the one of the forky best.

[Sandmannd]

Those are some classic deer shots. The first one blows me away. I really like the last one of your dog. Gotta love the leap with the tounge out.