I like to write; that much is obvious. However as I prepare to marry the most wonderful woman I have ever known my mind has not focused much on nature writing, nor photography and conservation. Actually the same may be said for eating, sleeping, breathing, and any thing else required to function normally. After my wedding, I plan to be a excellent husband. I swear.

This past week I reunited with my two good friends and fellow photographers, Tom and Muck, at Mile Marker 0 on the Chesapeake & Ohio Bike Trail in Washington DC. They had just completed the entire trail in a matter of days and it was a blast to spend some time with them. These two awesome dudes live in the rugged Alleghenies of North Central Pennsylvania so seeing them was a real treat. As we talked about what we had been up to I mentioned how I spent a few hours with an endangered Delmarva Fox Squirrel a few days prior.

The hamster in my mind finally began to turn that wheel. Of course I should write about the Delmarva Fox Squirrel. That large, gorgeous, but still endangered, fox squirrel is the poster child for the conservation of fauna of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Though most people can not discern between the Delmarva Fox Squirrel and its ubiquitous backyard loving cousin.

"Hendricks, I hate squirrels. They're everywhere and they destroy my bird feeders!"

Sorry about that. You should invest in a squirrel resistant bird feeder, and the squirrel you're seeing at a prolific rate is the Eastern Grey Squirrel. The Delmarva Fox Squirrel is a large, almost three feet in length, silver coated squirrel that may only be found on the Delmarva peninsula. Labeled as an endangered species in 1967, the squirrel, whose historic range once extended from southeast Pennsylvania and New Jersey into the entire Delmarva region, had been hit hard by habitat destruction, agriculture, and development. By the time it received its endangered label it only resided in 10% of its former range (all in Maryland).

I remember fondly the first time I encountered a Delmarva Fox Squirrel at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Cambridge, Maryland. My girlfriend at the time (since upgraded to financee and very soon to be wife) saw a big fluffy silver tail and said "I think I see a Fox Squirrel." It was raining steadily and I was focused on watching a Great Blue Heron stand stoically in a marsh when I instantly moved my gaze towards her and in the corner of my eye I saw a silver furry thing, that looked the size of a house cat, run along the forest ground. It turned around and gave us a humorous look of surprise, complete with wide black eyes and open mouth, then took off. Unlike their counterparts who spend the majority of their time in trees, the Delmarva is mostly a ground dwelling species who only ascends trees to find food and nest.

These shy squirrels, which I find to be more wary of humans than the grey, inhabit the remaining wild mature hardwood-loblolly pine forests of Delmarva. There have been eleven successful reintroduction attempts, including Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge (the Virginia portion of Assateague Island) and Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware. Presently the Delmarva fox squirrel resides in 28% of its historic range, which is mostly in Maryland. While predation is a major concern on its recovery a large portion of mortality comes from automobile collisions. When driving through wildlife refuges, such as Blackwater, it is normal, and required, to drive at a slow rate of speed. Additional signs informing visitors they are driving through Delmarva Fox Squirrel habitat have been made because of collisions from within the refuges. Yet the future looks bright for this beautiful mammal, so bright that federal official are looking into possibly delisting the species from the Endangered Species. Personally, as much as I want this to happen, I feel more established populations in Delaware are needed before any talk of delisting takes place. Because the populations are isolated from one another, they are more susceptible to being wiped out from a catastrophic event. Thankfully scientists are monitoring potential routes for transient squirrels and the movements of tagged specimens. It is paramount that the squirrels may successfully travel between corridors which are located on both private and public lands.

It was wonderful to spend time with this male Delmarva Fox Squirrel. Initially I had encountered two squirrels earlier who quickly ran across the forest floor to avoid my presence. I watched this squirrel from a distance and observed it climb a tree which allowed me to video it foraging and climbing for about an hour. It climbed down the tree then went deeper into the forrest which led me to conclude that this encounter was over. I had just recorded more footage of a Delmarva Fox Squirrel than I ever hoped to have and felt fulfilled. However a wildlife photographer is ultimately never fulfilled and no more then five minutes down the trail I came across the same squirrel, this time five feet in front of me. The squirrel had grown acclimated to my presence which allowed for intimate portraits, however I want my work to tell a story of a species and I had to back up so I that I could incorporate its environment into my compositions! I take that as a compliment.

The plight of the Delmarva Fox Squirrel is an important chapter in the natural history of the Chesapeake and Coastal Bays, and I hope you are inspired to seek the gorgeous species in the wild. Or at the very least, appreciate that it still roams this land. I take solace in knowing that they can still be found running away from us humans on the grounds of a loblolly pine forrest.

This is perhaps my last blog post until I am married. Obviously this being a very exciting time, I may not get around to writing a blog post in June. My finacee is the best and shares my love of the wild and all creatures big and small. In fact our mutual love of animals is how we met. We will be camping in wilderness for a few weeks and I plan to share a visible diary over the period of a few posts. Thank you for reading and I look forward to sharing the adventure with you as I enter this exciting chapter in my life. Thank you friend.

The Holidays are upon us again! This festive time of harvest into winter has been particularly exciting as the bears fatten, the waterfowl migrate, and the rut of the ungulates moves forward. Before I dwell deeper on the rut I must share with you a recent publication. My article, and accompanying photographs, “Fall & Winter on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.,” was just published in the Fall/Winter 2013 issue of Nature Photographer!

The magazine can be found in all fine bookstores nationwide and will be released in pdf format in the very near future on www.naturephotographermag.com. One of my images was given the back cover too!

Nature Photographer is a wonderful magazine that is run by some amazing individuals, which is quite rare in the editorial market. Kudos to Nature Photographer and all its readers!

Now back to our fieldwork:

Whitetail Bucks eying each other during the rut

In the midst of our Thanksgiving celebrations another fall ritual is currently underway as I write this: the rut. The Whitetail Deer rut is peaking around the Chesapeake region and the central Appalachians. It is a most exciting time as the bucks search for females for the right to pass on their genes. With that comes the battle between rivals that are as analogous to a Mixed Martial Arts match. Males will fight brutally, sometimes to the death, during these months and the action is intoxicatingly addictive to witness.

Prior to the Whitetail rut I was documenting the rut of the Elk, which saw its peak of action in late September into early October. As the cool mountain air begins to move through the valley, fostering the first color change of fall foliage, a primitive awakening takes over the bull elk. Throughout the forest you can hear their hauntingly beautiful bugle, a multipurpose vocalization that communicates to cows that they are a prime bull to breed with while telling other bulls they are dominate. The bugle is also a call to fight. Bulls will challenge each other by bugling and announcing their presence. This is also when they are the most dangerous.

A recent viral video depicting a young male, called a “spike,” challenging a photographer in Great Smoky Mountains National Park caught the attention of many. For nearly seven minutes the testosterone-fueled spike began sparring with the defenseless human, which led to this elk’s demise by the park service. Young bulls and spikes frequently spar with each other but any, yes any, male during the rut can become unpredictable. Even if you are at a safe distance, if a male begins to turn his attention to you, slowly back off and get yourself out of the area. Bison, Elk, Moose, and Deer are responsible for more detrimental human interactions than any predator.

Bull elks battling during the rut as a cow watches

Finally on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, the heart of the Delmarva Peninsula, another ungulate experiences their rut: the Sika Deer. The Sika is an exotic elk from east Asia that has been a fixture on the Eastern Shore for over a hundred years. In Maryland I have not had much luck in capturing the male Sika (called a “Stag”) during the rut because of the nocturnal nature of their rut. I see quite a bit of females (called “Hinds”) and fawns but during the fall the males seem to vanish. This is mostly due to hunting season.

So you can imagine my surprise when I recently caught this young male absconding through the marsh in the midst of bow and muzzle loader season. For a few fortuitous seconds I was able to capture his eye and watched as he began to move towards the edge of a forest. I decided to circumvent the marsh and head directly to the forest, in hope of capturing his behavior. My mind began to romanticize the situation. Maybe there was another male? Could I capture the Sika rut? I saw the magazine cover in my head as I set up my tripod but then I heard a very load sound. It was a shot from a muzzleloader. My heart began to sink. I initially thought that the Sika was killed. Was it my fault? Did I slow it down when it stared at me for those few seconds? If that is the case I indirectly led to its death. I felt sick as I searched in hopes of spotting him. After a few minutes I searched the area behind me and I saw him wander into a camp area that is safe from hunting zones. What a clever animal! Ultimately I do not know if that shot was even intended for the Sika, but for those few moments I questioned whether I should continue taking photographs. I do not want to negatively impact the life of any wildlife I photograph. Thankfully, he is still out there.

Hopefully I will see him again and get that cover image……

In closing I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving. I am thankful for my friends and family who supported me in my wilderness photography. I am thankful to my fellow outdoor photographers who share information and the adventure. I am also thankful for the people who came before me who had the foresight to preserve wild lands. I’m thankful for you for allowing me to share my images and words with you.

Thank you friends.