Wow Richard, we're going to start calling you the Wildlife Whisperer. That is very impressive. I like the way you kept a good size log between you and the deer. Looks like you old Buck Buddy has some good battle scars there too.
To within 25 feet of almost any bird is fantastic. I mean I find they rarely stick around long enough in one location with or without me approaching. I have to get out there and do some more looking. I did get fairly close to a turkey the other day, but that was only because he was on the trail of a girlfriend. So again it was a short lived encounter since she was not standing still.

"The thrill and enjoyment of getting close enough to the wildlife to watch their behaviours is far more rewarding than the photos I bring back."

Hi Richard,

I hear this entirely. Life is amazing.

"The last thing I want to do is disturb them but most seem to tolerate me pretty well so long as I behave!"

That is an art. One of my greatest frustrations is going into a park (in this case, Yellowstone) and seeing the lady shouting to her husband, "take a picture with me and the elk, Larry." A sadistic part of me keeps hoping that the elk they are cozieing (sp) up to is Charger.

James

Was involved in a discussion on this in another forum. Food for thought (no pun intended), if FL has restrictions for bird calls during mating season, the reason being that it puts stress on the birds, imagine what it'd be like raising a nest of chicks when a fake, squeaky mouse starts chattering in a photog's pocket 10 feet away...likely luring predators to a nest area. Turns out birds react very strongly to distressed rodent calls, as it makes them fear a predator is there, or will be coming soon.

Chris,
Thanks for that tip. That is good advice too and I will keep that in mind if I ever get out there with a call.