Exciting deer news!

[Carma Sue Henry]

Our neighborhood deer herd hasn't been spending as much time at our place as they have in the past.  We still usually see one or two everday, but not the whole herd as a group.  Boss Mom is visibly aging and I think maybe she isn't able to keep the group under as tight control as she did before.  

However, we just got a surprise new member!  This is 5yo Dusky (Twilight's 1st daughter) with her own new fawn.  Dusky has never even had a hint of a pregnancy before.  During the five years that her mother, Twilight, hung out with Boss Mom's family she herself only had one fawn... Dusky.  We've seen only Twilight a couple of times over the last two years as Boss Mom was never very happy to include her.  Probably since Dusky grew up alongside Boss Mom's own offspring, she has been welcomed to play aunty/babysitter to several of Boss Mom's and her daughter's fawns, a job she has done well the last 3 years. 

This year, as the other mothers were disappearing for their own new birthings (they're usually completely absent for a week to ten days), Dusky stayed behind with the one-and two year olds again.  We thought she looked heavy but couldn't tell if it was just extra weight or if she was finally carrying a fawn.  As the other mothers started coming back in obvious states of nursing, then later, with their new babies; we decided that Dusky was just getting heavier and stopped paying much attention.  Boss Mom, Shy and Found's babies are already starting to lose their spots.

Imagine our surprise when, last week, Dusky brought in her own fawn.  It's fully 6-8 weeks behind all the others.  Shy brought her twins in on June 21st, though it was probably an accident as they still looked much to young to be out in the open.  We suspect that not all of the other four newborns from this year have survived, so this one is a really pleasant arrival.

Dusky is super cautious with her new baby; but the water (Steve changes it out daily) out at the far edge of the backyard is a big draw.  It's in a food safe, PFA free polycarbonate restaurant display tray - fairly cheap and very easy to clean - and the perfect depth for everything about Towhee/Robin size or larger to bathe in.  The weedy area behind it if full of Shasta Daisies and the deer's favorite raspberries.  And there's easy escape to the woods behind and below.  Dusky must feel this is a safe place.  

We have been seeing a Bobcat lately.  It stopped for a drink at the same water source just yesterday.  Steve took this vid from out of our kitchen window.  Sorry it's so fuzzy.  I edited the dickens out of it post it, but I feel lucky to be able to share even this bit with you all.  I'm sure Dusky and the other neighborhood deer are well aware of it and know if it's anywhere nearby.

Well, that's the latest deer report!  

Carma Henry

Logsdon Ridge