Small Herd Of Mule Deer On A Smoky Morning

Herd of Mule Deer on a smoky morning – Nikon D810, f7.1, 1/400, ISO 800, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light

Yesterday morning I photographed a small herd of Mule Deer in a smoky haze while I was looking for birds in the West Desert. The smoke from the western wildfires seems to have been hanging in the air here in the Great Basin since spring and I long for clearer skies. Summer soon comes to an end but it won’t be the end of the wildfire season for some time yet.

I found birds yesterday with the first being a large falcon whose ID I couldn’t pin down because the smoke in the air made it hard for me to see. I found several Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jays and Red-tailed Hawks, Pine Siskins, a Wilson’s Warbler, Black-capped Chickadees, Juniper Titmice, and a hummingbird so high in a tree that I had trouble getting my heavy lens up for it. I also spotted a few Vesper and Chipping Sparrows, American Robins, and heard some Ruby-crowned Kinglets moving through the shrubs.

I did take some nice photos of a very cooperative and close Red-tailed Hawk that I found and pointed out next to the road. But the photos I most wanted to see when I got home were the images of the herd of Mule Deer because I thought the light looked lovely despite the smoky haze. When I looked at this photo on my large screen I knew right away that I liked how it turned out. I haven’t taken as many Mule Deer photos in recent years as I would like to so when I see them I like to stop and take a few photos.

I’m glad that I did yesterday.

Life is good.

Mia

Click here to see more of my Mule Deer photos plus facts and information about this species.