Fox, Ermine and Deer

I missed a couple of really great photo opportunities yesterday. The first was of a Red Fox crossing highway #7 . I had seen it a fair distance ahead of me on the snow bank by the shoulder and thought perhaps I might reach its point of crossing and be able to get its picture, but it was too fast for me and by the time I neared the point where it was crossing it had already reached the other side and disappear -ed into the woods. It looked big and red and beautiful; much like the fox in this photo above, taken last April, 2007.

The second missed photo opportunity still leaves me full of disappointment for it was an Ermine (Mustela erminea)!! Also know as the Short-tailed Weasel, the Ermine's fur turns white during the winter season. The little one I saw yesterday was very small, and tall and slender, and white overall except for a dark dot on its tail. This is a strange sort of comparision but when I saw it standing by our shed, it reminded me of 'Gumby', the little, tall, slender green character, made of clay that had been created in the 50's. It was the length and slenderness of it when it stood and its big eyes that brought the similarity to mind. I had only seen one of these little mammals once before and that was several years ago. This sighting was in my own yard and it went under our garden shed in our feeder area so I am hoping that I might see it again.

The third opportun -ity; and I had my camera lined up on it very clearly while I stood in the shadow of my window while it approached one of our feeders: was a hungry White-tailed Deer. Then suddenly: it leapt and bound away in a flash and I then saw my neighbour in his back yard getting for a load of wood for his furnace. Still having my camera on the deer I took a video as it 'shot' through my feeder area. I have slowed the motion of the video speed so as to capture its powerful leaping movements