Experience has taught me that baying hounds means something may be jumping into the river any moment. I heard the dogs and waited and this deer with a damaged ear leaped into the river near where I saw the otters. It was pandemonium as the dog began to bite the deer.
This is the hound that attacked the deer first. I left out the attack photo...The deer kicked the dog repeatedly to make him stop his attack.
He swam into deeper water which kept the hound from attacking and she went for the far shore. Another dog joined the first one. But they floundered in the deep water.
The deer kept going for the west shore. The dogs swam about but didn't attack him anymore. He got to the other shore but didn't leave the water. He watched me and then swam up the shoreline waiting for the dogs to go away. They swam about and eventually he got away.
I took off for the river in the middle of the afternoon today. The leaves are changing and falling and it is easier to look for the ivory bill woodpecker with the trees dropping leaves. I have been looking down river from Blue Spring. I practiced my bird calls. I have added limpkins, turkeys, ducks, pileated woodpecker calls, and what I thinks sounds like herons to my repertoire.
I saw the reeds moving in this area and sure enough, otters were feeding. They were curious today and leaped onto this log to have a better look at me. In the distance I heard baying dogs. I thought I might see something else if I hung around.
