Cindy @ Dipper Ranch reminded me to keep an eye out for fawns. I spotted the last pregnant deer at home about a week before her blog post in the second week of April. Every year the deer seem to disappear from view for a little more than a month, reappearing with fawns in tow. I was at a friend's house, 1.4 miles as the crow flies across town on the other side of the Peninsula, when I saw my first 2013 fawn. It has much darker coloring than any of the ones I've seen at home. And, sure enough the next day, I saw my first fawn at home, which fits right into my late May, early June first sightings. My friend said that she usually starts seeing fawns in mid-April, but they were about 2 weeks late this year. I'm fascinated the deer in town have a seasonal presence, as if they mini-migrate from yard to yard.
5 comments:
That is a really dark fawn. Almost looks like a rock. I've got a few fawn adventures coming if I ever have enough energy after the weekend days of mowing and weeding. Sure am enjoying being outside all day and seeing the animals. Then a hot cup of tea and reading your post makes a great day! Thanks.
You're welcome, Cindy. Ya, I thought the dark coloring was unusual. Yesterday, I saw my first buck with about 8" of unforked fuzzy antlers, which is 5-7 weeks later than I've seen any at home in the past. I doubt the timing of my sightings means much, but it's fun to note it. I bet the mowing and weeding are of special concern this year to reduce fire risks. You're probably a little dark, too, from being outside all weekend.
This very fawn nearly got killed a couple nights ago as an irresponsible dog owner decided to let their big black dog just roam free. It terrorized fawns around my house and caused a big commotion in the middle of the night. This was the first time I found out that some people let their dogs run free at night, and in some places it is common for fawns to get injured and killed this way. This was also the first time I learned that Animal Control only works in the day time!
Got my first fawns of the year on my trailcameras last week. That's always exciting.
Jennifer, I sent you an e-mail.
Hey, Joe. Deer are the most common land mammals that I see around here (I actually see more harbor seals than anything else), so they're fun to keep an eye on.
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