Bucks And Does

Got up for before sunrise for Breakfast...French Toast...and planned to cross country ski behind Sunnyside...but saw right away I could ski the Path to Lower Falls View Bridge...this is a real treat!....no one had been on the Path yet..and it had just the right thickness of snow for skiing...pics...at the Bridge I found the track of what looks like a miniature Bobcat's print..I'll post it up sometime...and will get a book on tracks to see if I can figure it out...the Lower Falls Path makes a loop that comes out at the Shuttle stop...on the way, came upon four or five Bucks...the Bucks and Does now are staying in small separate herds...excepting Oak Cedar Buck which was accompanied by a single Doe...went to the Village for errands, then Shuttled back...had a second Breakfast!...then to the Cabin for a nap...slept 'till Two!...put the snowshoes on, too much snow for the skis!!...and paddled out to Creek's End...pic...Bear was about again there!...but track was likely an hour or so old...could only see it under the Cedars...heard Ouzel...then saw Ouzel going by diving in the Merced...hand held clip...thought to just sit awhile...found a place on the up slope end of Owl Log...and Ouzel came back, and after diving awhile, hauled out on the new Creek's End Twig...clip...I went down to water's edge, and set the tripod low, and made a concerted effort to get clips of Ouzel...got like ten minutes of clips!..but Ouzel always tiny...it was snowing...it snowed all day!...and is still snowing!...sometimes it's real light.. about a foot and half on the ground...soft...I sank right down with the snowshoes..and it was a slog...easier going back in my own prints to the Cabin...took the Shuttle to Village for pizza, and saw the Buck herd again in Sleepy Owl Woods...oh!...at the beginning of the afternoon walk, the Doe herd was by the Dish TV antennae in the Backyard..pics and clips...I had a pic from yesterday of one Doe next to the Dish that I almost posted...today's is better!...

more snow on the Valley floor than one normally sees in a storm!...and it's wet as the temp isn't that cold...can look forward now to lots of water in the Meadows for the Ducks!!...Falls will be knockdown too, of course...saw the first Deer of the day when I opened the Door in the morning, Doe was right across the road...too dark for pic!