February 2018 started off with cold temps in the minus 20's to 30's and stayed that way until the final week of the month. The hope was that we'd get over the cold stuff and begin to enjoy warmer days. The cold temps also meant there wasn't much variation in the wildlife we see in our area. In fact, we didn't see anything other than birds until mid-month.
On Feb 17, Nelson spotted a Red Fox travelling in a stubble field. Nelson pulled over and grabbed his camera. The fox stopped as well and looked around.
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| Red Fox, Southeastern Saskatchewan, Feb 2018. Credit: Nelson Draper |
And then the fox lay down and closed its eyes. Of course, this allowed Nelson to get some really great shots of a Red Fox,. It seemed unusual behaviour, but then I remembered last November when another Red Fox stopped to pose as our vehicle approached it. We'll post on this behaviour as we catch sight - hopefully more - of these beautiful creatures.
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| Red Fox, Southeastern Saskatchewan, Feb 2018. Credit: Nelson Draper |
A week later, we had just left home for church and as we crested the first hill we spotted a coyote running across the field. There we were on the hill, with the sight of our house behind us, and a coyote to our 10 o'clock, which meant he wasn't a half mile from our house. I zoomed in to get the shot, and then had to crop it further to get this grainy image.
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| Coyote, RM Montmartre, SK, Feb 2018. Credit: Anita Mae Draper |
On the same day, we spotted four Mule Deer while driving home after church. This first image appears to show a healthy, pregnant doe.
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| Mule Deer, RM 125 Chester, SK, Feb 2018. Credit: Anita Mae Draper |
Within the same herd, there is a marked difference in the hair texture between her and the two in the next image, although I don't know if it's due to age, wind, or health, but these two have a scruffy look. I'm thinking they're younger because they don't have the elegance of the first doe, although all appear pregnant and/or well fed.
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| Mule Deer, RM 125 Chester, SK, Feb 2018. Credit: Anita Mae Draper |
On the final day of February, Nelson spotted this Moose crossing the road ahead of him and had time to pull over while it lumbered into the bush. He captured this shot of the young bull who was wary, but didn't rush headlong into the cover like some do.
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| Moose, Southeastern Saskatchewan, Feb 2018. Credit: Nelson Draper |
As Nelson zoomed in, he caught sight of the protruding antler buds and took this great shot. This is the first time we've captured a bull moose at this stage of life.
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| Moose, Southeastern Saskatchewan, Feb 2018. Credit: Nelson Draper |
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Images and Pins of the above photos and more of the wildlife we saw in February can be found on our Pinterest boards:
Photos: Birds
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