and a strong cup of coffee

There is something so wonderful about not living in a city; wildlife!  The deer are looking fantastic this spring since we had such a mild winter.  They are in the process of shedding but if all goes well, they will be big, fat and healthy once fall comes. Yearling deer steps into the driveway Doe eating grass on the edge of the driveway

After a good rain in the early spring months, you can usually find some great animal tracks.  Here, a yearling and cow moose ran down the edge of the road.  This is the yearlings track, its the same size as my hand!

You can learn a lot by what animals leave behind.  In this case, a bear was able to get a nice chunk of venison.  The size and the amount of hair (you can see the white and tan hairs closest to my foot) tells you that this bear took more than just a nibble at the deer.   Bear are one of the biggest predators of deer; especially deer fawns in the spring.  Clearly there is one less deer in this area then there was before winter started!

Each year, a pair of Mallard ducks land in the pond. Most of the time, they leave after a week or so but this year, they seem to be staying around.  We are hoping for some ducklings later on this spring. Female Mallard sits on a potential nest while the male looks on Male and female Mallard Male Mallard duck

You can find some pretty cool things while walking in the woods and along back roads. I am going to try to share more of these finds with  you, more often.  First up, these awesome antlers! They were on the side of a hunting cabin at the very end of a dirt road.