Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Evening Visitors

These white tailed deer come to scrounge at my bird feeder every night. Most nights, it's too late to get pictures. But, Sunday night, they came early. They're so beautiful, and I'm glad to see that they have weathered our winter in fairly good condition.

There are two does, and their yearlings, and, that one little one knows very well I'm standing at the window.



I have noticed that there is always one on watch. Most of the time they stay closer to the group than this, but one is always actively looking around for danger.



The slightest movement, or sound, puts them on high alert. A noisy truck was responsible for this startle, and, an instant later, they were away, white tails flashing.



I love having the critters come to the yard. But, I'm always very careful to make sure that they stay wild. I guess this may seem mean, but, if I go into the yard, and any critter, be it turkey, duck or deer, is there, I chase it. I don't want them to become used to human beings.

They'd be easy pickings for hunters, if they didn't fear them. I don't have anything against animals being hunted. It's a better death than starving because of too little food to maintain the population. But, hunters ought to have to work for it.

7 comments:

IsobelleGoLightly said...

Your deer friends have very distinctive looong snoots. The deer down here have shorter snoots and some have extra black tipping on their ears. Isn't that interesting? Do your deer like their salt block? I like mine!

Joanna@BooneDocksWilcox said...

yeah, I know what you are saying, hunters must hunt and not get easy pickings.

Renaissance said...

Beautiful photographs.

Louise said...

That's very interesting, Isobelle. Tell your Lady to get a picture, if she can.

I have noticed that, even in the deer population around here, there are two distinct "families." One is represented by these deer. But, there are other deer around who are much larger and more rawboned than these. They have convex foreheads, also. I thought, at first that one type were does, and the other, bucks. But, closer observation showed that there were bucks, and does, of both types around.

Inger said...

Such lovely photos of these beautiful animals. I see deer occasionally here -- more often tracks and scat. Our deer are mule deer, I believe, and seem larger than the white-tailed deer I remember from when I lived in NJ. And their faces do look different.

foundationmare said...

I just love your pics. I've noticed in recent days that, approaching the barn in the afternoon, all the horses are on alert and fixated on the same thing. In the many acres of fields in back of the farm there have been many white-tailed deer. They're either grazing or popping away from some real or perceived threat, their distinctive white tails flagged and bouncing in the distance.

Leaving the farm this afternoon I spotted a red fox in a field, bounding and pouncing like a cat. I think it may be the same one I spotted a couple months ago, which was chasing a critter that looked like a mink or some such low-slung, long animal, across the road in front of me. It took me a few seconds to process that one: "what the heck did I just see???"

Some of your fans may be interested to know that we are very close to a population of very rare white deer which are protected on the acreage formerly occupied by the U.S.Army. They are NOT albino deer, but true white deer.

John Going Gently said...

i would love to see deer on my field, but Iguess i already have too many scavengers already and bird food is bloody expensive

lovely photos!