White Tails

I was out for a walk at the Parkville Nature Sanctuary north of Kansas City when I ran across a strutting tom turkey and hen in the middle of the trail. Of course I didn't have my camera ready. We were both surprised. We stared at each other for a long moment and they were gone into the brush before I could remember that there was this thing on my shoulder called a camera and I should probably use it to take a photo of them. Welcome to wildlife shooting with Dave. I resolved to be more attentive and heads-up for the rest of the walk. A half-mile further, I spotted four deer just off the trail. I got my gear ready and walked toward them as unassumingly as possible...no eye contact, no creeping, just like I was a regular visitor to the area hiking down the trail.

They didn't run as I approached, or flinch when I gently opened my tripod, and I photographed them for a few minutes before they moved off. The light was low and dropping, it was raining, and I had a slow lens (100-400 f/4.5-5.6), so the conditions were tough: 1/10th of a second at 400mm and I already had the camera (EOS 1Ds MkII) cranked up to ISO 1600. I photographed for a few minutes before the light was too low to focus.

It was a nice evening and I enjoyed the location very much. The Parkville Nature Sanctuary is a gem, and I plan on visiting more in the future. The trail system is a few miles in length and connects to a nearby Conservation area: White Alloe. There is a tranquil waterfall and creek and many birds to view from a boardwalk. It isn't a destination in itself, but if you are in the north Kansas City area it is definitely worth checking out.