Acorns Tag

Wood ducks will leave the safety of the water and the trees to march overland in search of acorns, seeds, nuts, berries, and insects. Photo by Steven T. Callan.
December 7, 2018
in Fish and Wildlife
by Steve

Our Splendid Night Visitors

Wood ducks will leave the safety of the water and the trees to march overland in search of acorns, seeds, nuts, berries, and insects. Photo by Steven T. Callan.

Wood ducks will leave the safety of the water and the trees to march overland in search of acorns, seeds, nuts, berries, and insects. Photo by author.

On most winter evenings, Kathy and I hike to the hilltop near our home in the oak woodlands of Northern California. We usually leave about 4:00, and if we don’t stop to talk to anyone or get sidetracked, return to the house before the sun goes down. One quiet evening late last December, we heard the whistling of wingbeats overhead as we walked up the driveway at the end of our one-mile trek.

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In six months, our tiny spotted fawn grew into a magnificent pre-adult buck, almost as large as his mother.
December 1, 2017
in Fish and Wildlife
by Steve

Our Deer Friends

Fawn looking up at doe. During the spotted-fawn stage, doe and fawn were almost inseparable, except when the fawn was hidden in the high grass. All photos by Steven T. Callan and Kathy Callan.

Fawn looking up at doe. During the spotted-fawn stage, doe and fawn were almost inseparable, except when the fawn was hidden in the high grass. All photos by Steve and Kathy Callan.

During the thirty-plus years Kathy and I have lived in the foothills east of Redding, we’ve been treated to occasional visits from black-tailed deer. They generally don’t stay long—a day or two—then they move on. Sometimes they’ll pay us a visit at night while we’re sleeping. The next morning, a trail of partially eaten plants tells the tale.

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