Fawn Salad

While the deer usually come through as a family unit, every once in a while only one of the fawns are observed. The other are most likely nearby, but unseen by me.
There is nearly nothing that they will not eat. I have suggested taking our "National Wildlife Society Certification" sign down and replace it with one saying "Deer Salad Bar - Help Yourself."
My wife tried to keep them from eating her flowers this year with Tabasco sauce - I believe that the deer actually began to enjoy the flavor - nothing stops them.
The last two photos were taken about a month earlier than the first three.

Fawn Twins Arrive

These white-tailed deer fawns appeared June 15 in the Colvin Run Habitat. A full three weeks later that the first fawn seen this spring, these two stayed close to mom and dad.
Like the fawn twins from last year, there is a noticeable size difference between these two.
In the third photo, one of the fawns is seeking to nurse. However, this deer is a male - as seen from the growing antlers. I assume this male is the father and not a brother born last year.

First Fawn Sighting of 2008

Three weekend ago, one of the does brought a new fawn for its first visit to the Colvin Run Habitat. This is about three weeks earlier than the 2007 first fawn sighting.
Mom kept a close eye on me; I gave ample space. The fawn stayed literally within a touch of mom.
Neither have been observed since. Previous fawn postings are here.

Deer Fawn Enjoys the Butterfly Bush

The smallest of this year's new born is doing just fine. He and his slightly larger sibling stop by often to eat the flowers, shrubs, and tree leaves. In the first photo, the fawn munches on the bush planted recently to encourage the butterflies to stop by.

Of course, as seen in this second photo, mother deer is always close around and watching me watch the young.

Heat, Hawks, Hummingbirds, and Herd

The Colvin Run Habitat experienced record heat this week. Temperatures each day were about 95 degrees and mid-week saw 102 degrees. So what better way to beat the heat than by stopping by for a drink of water?
This year's two fawns showed up for drinks at the water tub - and several mouthfuls of grass and holly shrub. Most interesting, and perhaps most disturbing, the fawns were not accompanied by mom. Next morning, two independent groups of deer passed in the Habitat - at least 5 fawns and 8 older deer. They appeared to be going in different directions, were spooked and scattered. Two of the younger males did some pushing - some early behaviors for the future perhaps.
In one of my typical, not-thinking moves, I came downstairs this morning and immediately bolted through the doors onto the porch - only to cause the unseen hawk perching on the feeder tree to fly into the oak tree. If only I would look before bolting. Anyway, here is that hawk two trees later. From his size, less than a crow and more than a blue jay, I am guessing it is a sharp-shinned hawk.
Hummingbird photos have been rarely posted - seems like fewer visits and certainly many fewer visits in good light. One evening this week, a hummingbird came to the feeder, then perched in the nearby dogwood tree. This photos was taken in very low light conditions, but I though I would share it.

More Fawns

Mother and Fawns Return for a Drink

This year's two fawns and their mother returned last week for a quick bite from the flower pots and a drink of water from the tub.

The smaller of the two fawns seemed far more interested in a drink from mom.

Mother and Fawns Return for Breakfast
The two fawns again returned (always with mom) less than an hour after sunrise this morning for a little breakfast of what was left in the flower pots. Mom even did a little face washing of one of the young.
Mom is increasingly willing to walk away from the fawns; they are increasingly willing to follow at a distance.
Regardless of the distance between mom and the fawns, she is always watching. Mom is clearly walking gently on an injured back leg or hip.
From these photos, you can clearly see the size difference of the two fawns - we saw this same difference last summer.
These two fawns are not the only fawns in the immediate area of the Colvin Run Habitat. This evening we saw two other fawns less than a mile from the immediate Habitat which were smaller than the smaller of the two pictured here.

Mother Deer Brings Two Fawns to Visit

At 7 AM this morning, a doe brought her two fawns through the Colvin Run Habitat for the first time this season. There are two fawns - one is noticeably larger than the other much like last year. Photos one and three are of the smaller fawn; the second and forth are of the larger one.What a lucky observation - the total time from the first photo to the last was about 50 seconds - they were walking, but with a purpose. They were moving through to find their daytime hangout. They showed no interest in snacking. They clearly are comfortable in the Habitat as no one put up the white-tail alarm single, even though I opened the door and they saw me.