How common is it to have asymmetrical antlers like that? White-tailed deer - Albany County, New York, August 2025
#mammals #AlbanyPineBush #OdocoileusVirginianus

Remember when driving, the deer aren't crossing the road, the road is crossing through their forest.

#whitetaildeer #fawns #odocoileusvirginianus

What a day... I was not particularly keen on going out, but I noticed that the sun started to peek through the clouds around midday – so I had to escort myself out of the apartment. I felt a bit sluggish and I was not satisfied with the first photos I got, I rarely am. It takes a while for me to "get in the zone" and stop worrying about people staring at me. How about you?

I decided to visit the only waterfall in Helsinki: Strömberginkoski. As you can see, it's quite modest in size, only about 3 meters tall (~10 feet). Helsinki (and Finland in general) is not known for its waterfalls :D I took a few photos and then headed downstream to see if there was anything interesting in the groves surrounding Mätäjoki.

Ooooohh yeahh, there was. I bumped into a white-tailed deer. The species was introduced to Finland from the US in the 1930s and 40s, and now there are a lot of them. But I don't think I have seen one in Helsinki before. Roe deer are more common.

The deer was not the most exciting animal I saw. I also found a white-backed woodpecker – a bird I had never seen before. In fact, there were two of them. This woodpecker species is quite rare in Finland. They were not the only woodpeckers around: I also stared death (a black woodpecker) in the face once again. It was there as well, minding its own business.

Yep, I'm glad I went for a walk today :)

#whitebackedwoodpecker
#dendrocoposleucotos
#blackwoodpecker
#dryocopusmartius
#whitetaileddeer
#odocoileusvirginianus
#helsinki
#mätäjoki
#strömberginkoski
#finland
#february
#birds