Photographer's images of wildlife captured in the midst of suburbia

Avon Lake -- David Dibbell crouches in the woods near his home on a recent morning with his sights set on an 11-point buck.

Dibbell takes aim -- click.

He just bagged another one. The 67-year-old retiree spends his days stalking a 162-acre patch of paradise near his home, photographing forest creatures that have become family to him. He has come to know them so well that he's given them names.

For 32 years, Dibbell had worldwide responsibility for a major battery manufacturer. Now he walks the paths of the Kopf Family Reservation -- a swath of green in the heart of suburbia. Along the way, he captures photos of the wild creatures he considers more than just anonymous animals.

He shares his photos with friends around the world.

Dibbell has never tried to touch the deer, foxes, squirrels, groundhogs or other critters but has come to know them.

"There's one buck I call Halo because when he was very young his antlers almost came together like a halo above his head," Dibbell said while kneeling as he focused his camera. "I've watched him since he was a kid. "

He calls the huge 11-point buck he saw Long Tine. He said the deer had just returned to the woods, probably to seek out a female.

"I've been wondering if he would show up this year," Dibbell said.

He has watched the wild world that exists just a couple of blocks from his home through a camera lens since 1999. He says he didn't get good at taking pictures of it until he upgraded to an Olympus 18X digital camera in 2003.

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