While we were in Colorado our neighbor Al noticed a dead doe lying in our pasture. He called the Douglas County Sheriff, who sent someone to dispose of the body.
When I heard this news I knew at once that the mother of the fawn had died, leaving our fawn an orphan. The mother had been excruciatingly thin, almost emaciated.
A few days after our return, I spotted the fawn under an old ornamental crabapple near the cedar windbreak. It seemed to be eating the tiny fruit that had fallen to the ground. That was reassuring.
Two days later, though, I saw the fawn heading into the deep woods south of our house. Coyotes roam there, running in packs, baying and hunting for weak creatures like the fawn. What's more, a cougar lives in these woods. I thought the fawn's fate was sealed.
Now, the good news! This afternoon Dennis called me to come to the living room window – the fawn was in the windbreak again. Moreover, it was accompanied by a yearling doe, perhaps its sister. I had seen this doe before, when she and the mother came to drink from the bird bath.
We watched in delight as these two young deer drank deeply from the huge pot of water Dennis has put between rows of trees in the windbreak. The older one continually stopped drinking to check for danger.
After drinking they walked into the edge of our yard. The older one gently licked the head and ears of the baby, just as its mother would have done.
Wildcare had informed us that when a doe dies, other does in the herd will look out for her baby, and now we can attest to that. So we have a tiny herd of two deer. They live in our pasture. We have seen the rings of flattened grass where they sleep.
The drought is an ordeal for wild creatures. The deer can eat dried grass, which is plentiful, but they must have water to survive. We are happily supplying that essential.
After this affectionate grooming the fawn became distracted and didn't notice its sister walking down the windbreak, stopping just inside the trees. The fawn looked up, noticed its sister was gone, then spotted her and bounded, white tail flying, to reach her. Side by side they disappeared beyond the windbreak and into the pasture.
So far, so good for this gentle, vulnerable pair. May angels watch over them as they sleep.
When I heard this news I knew at once that the mother of the fawn had died, leaving our fawn an orphan. The mother had been excruciatingly thin, almost emaciated.
A few days after our return, I spotted the fawn under an old ornamental crabapple near the cedar windbreak. It seemed to be eating the tiny fruit that had fallen to the ground. That was reassuring.
Two days later, though, I saw the fawn heading into the deep woods south of our house. Coyotes roam there, running in packs, baying and hunting for weak creatures like the fawn. What's more, a cougar lives in these woods. I thought the fawn's fate was sealed.
Now, the good news! This afternoon Dennis called me to come to the living room window – the fawn was in the windbreak again. Moreover, it was accompanied by a yearling doe, perhaps its sister. I had seen this doe before, when she and the mother came to drink from the bird bath.
We watched in delight as these two young deer drank deeply from the huge pot of water Dennis has put between rows of trees in the windbreak. The older one continually stopped drinking to check for danger.
After drinking they walked into the edge of our yard. The older one gently licked the head and ears of the baby, just as its mother would have done.
Wildcare had informed us that when a doe dies, other does in the herd will look out for her baby, and now we can attest to that. So we have a tiny herd of two deer. They live in our pasture. We have seen the rings of flattened grass where they sleep.
The drought is an ordeal for wild creatures. The deer can eat dried grass, which is plentiful, but they must have water to survive. We are happily supplying that essential.
After this affectionate grooming the fawn became distracted and didn't notice its sister walking down the windbreak, stopping just inside the trees. The fawn looked up, noticed its sister was gone, then spotted her and bounded, white tail flying, to reach her. Side by side they disappeared beyond the windbreak and into the pasture.
So far, so good for this gentle, vulnerable pair. May angels watch over them as they sleep.
1 comment:
Angels watchin' over them and you...
Post a Comment