Preview 3 - Two Bucks

Another clear sign of winter approaching is the sighting of large flocks of Hooded Mergansers gracefully making their way across the water.

It’s December 3rd and the signs of winter approaching are now a daily occurrence. I began the day driving out onto Piermont Pier in Rockland County, NY as eBird reported some interesting species that attracted my attention. The wildlife found along the pier which reaches out into the Hudson River is pretty much dependent upon the tides, however, and the conditions being at high tide when I arrived resulted in only a few Fish crows being observed.

I decided to set my sights on Rockland Lake State Park which is to the north of Piermont and on the route I would be taking home. Rockland Lake is a magnet for wintering ducks. It is a large body of water where waterfowl gather as the ponds and lakes to the north begin to freeze over. Today I found a nice number of gorgeous Hooded mergansers, several Gadwall, Buffleheads, quite a few Mute Swans, and the omnipresent Canada geese. But the best sighting of day was yet to come.

What-tailed deer are fairly common in this part of New York, and Rockland Lake had more than its fair share. Being a State Park, the lands are closed to hunting and somehow the deer seem to know this! My son is an avid hunter and explained to me that the breeding season (aka “rut”) has just about ended, but bucks are still generally quite aggressive towards other males which are in pursuit of those local females still in estrus. As seen in this video, these two bucks were far from aggressive as the “Spike” appears to groom the 6-pointer. This behavior is not uncommon in what are known as “bachelor groups”, but this is a bit late in the year for them to be acting in this way, Also note that the larger buck has apparently been involved in a scuffle or two as one of the tines on his left antler has been broken off. Hey, it’s a jungle out there.

Tech tip - Another short but valuable tip to remember when heading out into nature with your camera…… Many cameras (especially newer models) are what are know as hybrids. They serve as wonderful video cameras as well as still cameras. Take the time to set up your camera’s video settings before venturing out. That way, you can quickly switch from stills to video with a click of the switch, To get a head start, Google “Best Settings for Cinematic Nikon Z8 (or whatever camera body your using). Good luck.and remember, “Temper Paratus”