A Few New Friends from the Smokies

Dixie

Took 4 of my grand kids to the Smokies. I take a small group from the 15 grand kids and 4 great grand kids each year for a little nature photography. No electronic games, etc. allowed. They have to hit the ID books to find what I'm shooting whether it is animal, bird, reptile, etc.

Here are some of the new friends we met up close and personal.

Comments and suggestions are always welcome.

Click on the image for EXIF data.

Pileated Woodpecker


Yearling black bear in a wild cherry tree


Black bear sow and cub - I shot this from closer than I wanted to (about 6-7 feet). They had been about 100 yards into the woods and I was standing on the top of an embankment to try and get a shot as they went by. We both ended up seeing each other at about the same time.


Whitetail buck still in velvet in Cades Cove


Copperhead in a hollow stump (this will make you start looking before sitting)


It was rainy and overcast for every photo except for the yearling black bear in the wild cherry tree. In all my years of going up there this is the most rain I've ever seen. I hope that you enjoyed the photos.

All additional shots will go in the following gallery as I process them from RAW.

New Photo Gallery

Bud1880

Very nice Dixie. The Smokies, what a place for the wildlife photographer. I especially like the buck but could do without the copperhead.

Bud

rhondavid

One of most favorite places in the world to go. We go every fall and have yet to see a bear in the wild. Guess they have already bedded down for a long winter's night.

Great shots. I really enjoyed each and every one of them.

dbaker1221

very nice

Harryb

Good set Dixie and an even better experience for the kids.

Dixie

Bud1880 wrote:

Very nice Dixie. The Smokies, what a place for the wildlife photographer. I especially like the buck but could do without the copperhead.

Bud

Thanks and I agree about the copperhead. I checked three days running and he was always in the stump when I went by.

Dixie

rhondavid wrote:

One of most favorite places in the world to go. We go every fall and have yet to see a bear in the wild. Guess they have already bedded down for a long winter's night.

Great shots. I really enjoyed each and every one of them.

Thank you for your comments. Normally the bears are still out while the leaves are changing. Up until this year Cades Cove and the Smokies in general have had way below average rainfall. I believe that drives the bears higher in the mountains around Cades Cove and there aren't as many sightings because the apple trees and wild cherry trees don't produce as much under drought conditions. This year was a boom year for the wild cherry trees and the apple trees and I actually saw bears haggling over the rights to them. It was really great seeing a yearling male (2nd pic) out on the end of a limb in that same tree when a large female with three cubs went up the same wild cherry tree. The yearling growled and fussed for about 45 minutes while the much larger mother was in the tree, but he stayed in his safe perch way out on the end of the limb. She just basically ignored him while she munched away.

Dixie

dbaker1221 wrote:

very nice

Thanks, Dave.

Dixie

Harryb wrote:

Good set Dixie and an even better experience for the kids.

Thanks, Harry. Yep, I look forward to it each summer. I've had anywhere from 1-5 grand kids with me for at least a week in the mountains for the last eight years.