Ferrara Wildlife Photography

Pocket Gopher – An Infrequent Debut

An Infrequent Debut A Pocket Gopher makes an infrequent debut above ground and in the process the fossorial creature shows off its four formidably-sized incisors. They are surprisingly effective tools in the rodent’s arsenal for digging through hard soil and dense subterranean vegetation like thick roots. The gopher’s teeth are probably good defensive and/or fighting weapons, too! ~ Anecdote and Pocket Gopher capture, An Infrequent Debut © Jerry L. Ferrara

Black-capped Chickadee and Red-breasted Nuthatch – It Took The Cake!

It Took The Cake! Here is an example of interspecific aggression and competition as a Black-capped Chickadee [right] displaces a Red-breasted Nuthatch [left] from a seed cake feeding station. In this spirited episode, the Chickadee was triumphant. It took the cake! ~ Anecdote and Black-capped Chickadee and Red-breasted Nuthatch captures, It Took The Cake! © Jerry L. Ferrara

A Meeting of the Minds So, during a ‘meeting of the minds’ there was much discussion. It was decidedly determined that the wrong species is in charge of the planet. ~ Anecdote and Asian Elephant capture, A Meeting of the Minds © Jerry L. Ferrara

Wait I Will Wait I will, in the stillBlends my shape, into the ‘scapeEyes that tell, of coming hellI see my prey, in disarrayThen use my skill, to make my kill ~ Poem and African Lion capture, Wait I Will © Jerry L. Ferrara

Real or Fake? Mirror, mirror on the lakeWhose bright likeness did you take?Reflect the light and with it makeA portrait real, or is it fake? ~ Poem and Whooper Swan capture, Real or Fake? © Jerry L. Ferrara

The Friendly A curious Gray Whale calf breaks the water’s surface and gives a pensive peek. That seemingly surreptitious act was quickly followed by the ‘friendly cetacean’ coming close to the panga and allowing a brief moment of physical [whale-to-human] contact. Needless to say, to have had the privilege to pet a wild, free-roaming whale [totally on the whale’s terms] has been a most treasured wildlife experience. ~ Anecdote and Gray Whale [calf] capture, The Friendly © Jerry L. Ferrara

A Scarlet Presence A male Northern Cardinal gives pause before flitting into the scrubland. A scarlet presence one moment …. gone the next! ~ Anecdote and Northern Cardinal capture, A Scarlet Presence © Jerry L. Ferrara

Junior Has Arrived On July 7th, I posted a doe White-tailed Deer capture and queried “Where’s Junior”? Junior has arrived. Actually, two of them showed up, but I was only able to bag one of the spotted ‘little stinkers’. ~ Anecdote and White-tailed Deer capture, Junior Has Arrived © Jerry L. Ferrara

Catbird A Gray Catbird gives a quick look during a run through the cherry tree. ~ Anecdote and Gray Catbird capture, Catbird © Jerry L. Ferrara

Quills It was nearly a mile hike into the area I had scouted out earlier in the day. The goal was to return in the evening when the Porcupines were more likely to be active. Sure enough, this one crossed my path in the dark and began feeding. Each time I took shots, the rodent flared its long guard hairs and quills in response to the flash … and NO, they do not throw their quills! ~ Anecdote and Porcupine capture, Quills © Jerry L. Ferrara

SHOT FROM THE FILE

Pocket Gopher – An Infrequent Debut

Black-capped Chickadee and Red-breasted Nuthatch – It Took The Cake!

Asian Elephant – A Meeting of the Minds

African Lion – Wait I Will

Whooper Swan – Real or Fake?

Gray Whale [calf] – The Friendly

Northern Cardinal – A Scarlet Presence

White-tailed Deer – Junior Has Arrived

Gray Catbird – Catbird

Porcupine – Quills