Deer Me!

So look who stopped by Earth Angels today...there, under the tree, just off the driveway... Come a little closer...

(...don't worry, this was shot with a zoom lens and "Bambi" never knew I was there...)

We have a herd of 13 that wander through our yard each afternoon. They stop by for a daily visit and munch of my flowers on their way from the Lewis Woodlands, which borders our block, to the creek at the end of the road. We spotted twin fawns last spring, and just three days ago, this little one with her mama.

Ahh, nature shares life's duplicity once again...I have groaned and complained about the wretched over-population of these animals, and though they are far beyond their population capacity in the region, and considered pests by most, I confess, I turned to butter when I saw this babe on the front lawn looking so forlorn...

She was there for so long, frozen in fear poor little thing....I could barely tell if she was breathing. A call to Super Shannon saved the day. In addition to being my assistant, Shannon volunteers at the Warwick Humane Society...and, she knows an awful lot about animal behavior and husbandry.

I learned that fawns are often left up to 6-7 hours by the doe. We are not to worry unless we see the wee one in the same spot the next day, for any length of time, and then we can guess that the mother is not able to return (...how do I gently say that we drive by more dead deer on the roads everyday....).

Hours later, the fawn wandered off in a leggy and comical gait. The pavement scared her so... she was trying to move more quickly...but to no avail. She seemed to get her rear legs in front of her front!

I'll keep you posted if I see her again...

xxoo Jen O'Connor

Earth Angels