First moose, then snakes, then woodpeckers, now deer?

I seem to be attracting white-tailed deer. If things keep going the way they have been, Holyoke might just ask me to sit up in his tree stand this fall…

With Maine wildlife, I tend to go through phases, which typically only last about a season.

One summer, it was moose. I saw seven moose while navigating logging roads and hiking through the wilderness. Two of them (including the one to the left) I saw on Sugarloaf Mountain. Since then, I believe I’ve seen one moose, and I was driving at the time. I wouldn’t mind having another “Moose Summer.” It was a bit more exciting than last summer.

Last summer, it was snakes. And fortunately, I don’t mind them. In fact, I think snakes are rather pretty and interesting to watch. Well… Maine snakes, which are of the non-poisonous variety. Actually, I think all of the snakes I came across were simple garter snakes, and most of them posed well for the camera.

This past fall, squirrels wouldn’t leave me alone. I took so many photos of squirrels that my editors started making fun of me. And no one wanted to pay one bit of attention to the squirrel video I produced (of a squirrel throwing acorns down from a tree). Alas…

BDN photo by Aislinn Sarnacki

 

The most recent season, which is slowly melting away, was a “Woodpecker Winter.” Be it hairy, downy or pileated, they kept me company during snowy hikes. Their drumming would often be the only sound in the frozen forest, aside from the icy wind clacking together branches. They also aren’t all that camera shy.

But spring has started to announce itself with a squish and drip, and I’m starting to wonder if the woodpeckers will bow out of the spotlight for an animal that has startled me on recent hikes — the white-tailed deer.

In the last two hikes, I’ve seen six deer — four in the woods and two beside the road as I drove away from a hiking trail. Is this going to continue?

So far, I’ve only been able to capture a video of two of the deer as they ran through the forest and bunch of photos of the two deer I saw by the side of the road — and that’s only because they stood just a few yards away from my car, staring at me for several minutes. I’m not sure if that was normal behavior, but it gave me time to switch my lenses to take some up close photos. I’ve posted a few woodpecker and deer photos below. Who knows what will be next!

 

Aislinn Sarnacki

About Aislinn Sarnacki

Aislinn is a Bangor Daily News reporter for the Outdoors pages, focusing on outdoor recreation and Maine wildlife. Visit her main blog at actoutwithaislinn.bangordailynews.com.