Monday, August 22, 2011

Mother Deer And Child

I'm back again with another thrilling episode of The Everyday Adventurer! The white-tailed deer seem to be on the move right now. It seems like everywhere I go I see them now. this is the third park in a row that I've not only seen them, but had a very close encounter with them.

It all started when I was coming towards the back end of the nature park where the forest ends and the two trails cross. I looked over to the other trail past the trees and I saw some movement. It was a small deer! I noticed that it was looking at me as well, and we seemed to be moving in the same direction.

The trees were blocking my view so I kept on moving to the trail crossing, and so did the deer. I stopped short so I wouldn't scare the animal too much, but I was still close enough to see it. I then noticed that there were two of them. They were both small, but one was an adult and the other a child.

Right at the crossing the trails split again. One direction goes to the meadow, and the other to the lake. The deer were going to the meadow, and until I saw the deer I was going to the lake. But that was all changed now. I followed the deer out to the meadow using my amazing deer stalking skills. Really! I'm not bragging.

The two deer began to run because I got just a bit too close for comfort, but I corrected myself and hid behind a few small trees. It worked perfectly and this time I came out just a bit more slowly. They saw me there, but my slow movement and slouchy demeanor told them I was no threat.

Now I was able to begin taking a few better pictures than the ones I'm not showing you! And yes, I was as close to these deer as the pictures indicate. They were a bit wary of me, but they continued to eat the tops of of all these plants. I was okay to them as long as I didn't come much closer.

You can see in all of the photos that the mother mostly made sure she was closer to me than the little one. It wasn't like that all the time. The young one would sometimes come back towards me to check me out, but not for long.

The one good thing about this small meadow is the tall grass. In most places it's taller than these two deer. You can see that in the first picture. I didn't like the lighting I was getting from where I began, so I went to the other side of the meadow and moved around to the other side of the deer. now the Sun was at my back.

When I got back over to them the two little deer were very surprised to see me. The mother looked straight at me, but the little one isn't quite as skilled yet. They were a little more nervous this time, so I decided just to move on. They were eating, and I wanted them to be at peace for as long as possible.

But wait, there's more! I got video of this encounter! But can you guess where it is? Yup, it's over at Nature Center Magazine serving as Cool Nature Video for this week. It's very much worth a look. Don't worry, it's a short video and you'll really like it. Plus you'll get to see the little deer eating the tops off of these plants. Fun fun fun.


Nature Center Magazine - You make me feel like a millionaire!

19 comments:

  1. That was quite a crafty way to get your readers over to the Nature Center Magazine blog! And worth it. It looked like you might have been hiding, crouched down in the grass to get the two of them eating so peacefully.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You make me thinking what if I am peeped when I am having my meal.

    What a weird feeling!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great captures Ratty, your deer stalking skills are quite impressive. That little fawn is just precious. Did you know that fawns are born with no scent so predators can't smell them?

    On my way to view the video!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Lovely photos Ratty...I do love to see the animals in their natural environment and at ease.

    ReplyDelete
  5. The deers are adorable, and it's amazing that you're that close to capture them on your camera.

    ReplyDelete
  6. The deer population is booming this year. Probably bodes a deadly winter.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Impressive photos.I enjoyed reading your moves to capture the moments.

    Thank you for sharing
    Umi

    ReplyDelete
  8. When are you going to reveal the secret of your stalking success.

    ReplyDelete
  9. If one claps they pose well for you, but sometimes run away.Great shots my friend.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Incredibly beautiful and touching images. I remembered why I love animals more than humans :).

    ReplyDelete
  11. they are following you, that's why wherever you go they are there :) they must know how much joyful you are on seeing them, and it makes them happier to give too :) beautiful shots by the way.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Great photos and I agree, I'm seeing a larger than usual number of deer in my area too.

    ReplyDelete
  13. What a pleasant encounter for you! Great photos! I've been seeing a lot of fawns lately too.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Nice! I only recently discovered your blog, but have enjoyed the post and will be back to read again soon.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Nice pics of mother and fawn. There sure are a lot of deer in the parks near you!

    By the way, you've got your mojo back!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Great pictures!

    Joyce
    http://joycelansky.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  17. Thank you for all of your comments.
    -

    @Don't unplug your hub
    I have some tips to get close to deer and other wild animals in my archives, but I think I'll repost them on Nature Center Magazine tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Oh, what great pictures you got of Mama and Baby Deer! It must really be a thrill to see these lovely animals. You must be wearing some kind of deer scent, you're coming across them so often!

    ReplyDelete