Babies!

W and I heard some strange cries in the woods on our walk yesterday afternoon.

Looks like it was time for some babies to venture out into the big world!

Both of these little ones were at the base of the tree when we first came along. We watched them for a bit as they climbed and climbed back up the tree. I am sure their mama was nearby. Babies in the wild are way more capable than we humans like to think. Since I like to name all the things I find,

I called the one above Lucy and the one below...Ricky!

Winston was sure I was going bring one of these two home for him as a playmate! After we left them, he would periodically stop leading me, turn around and smell my pockets and camera. My hunter would not have played nicely.

My rule remains...no babies! :)

Bambi and Flower in One Day!

Flower spent the day under the stairs of our deck.

Winston enjoyed keeping tabs on him (check out W's blog).

By dinner time, Flower moved to under our deck and this morning hasn't returned...thank goodness! :)

While taking an afternoon hike with my DH and W I spotted Bambi!

It's hard not to say "aw!"

*****

There must be four or five fawns in the area this year. W can't resist the deer. We've been working on our circle of trust (no leash in the yard) and he failed on Friday. I was mulching around my in-laws yard, looked up and saw a fawn come out of the woods out back just before W did. W bolted! Not good. I was home alone, tried to go after him but didn't have any luck in finding him. He is a fast dog when he runs unleashed. I went into the woods and called his name. I heard some rustling nearby and thought to myself, good he hasn't gone far when the fawn came out of a thicket and towards me. :) A few hours later W came home. This was the second time he'd run off after deer, but the first time my DH and two kids were around to help corral him. Can I just say I felt so happy that Winston found his way home! Yes, I was mad that he ran off, but I was so happy that he knew where to come home too!

BINGO! (Ta-Dah)

Finally! Fawns on Film...well, on my digital memory card.

I was on a walk with my DH and Winston on Sunday evening and we spotted these two little ones playing around and their Mom. We saw a huge buck just before...I wonder if it was their Pops? It was Father's Day.

:)

Worth a Thousand Words?

This pair was out back the other morning.

Kind of cute for a pair of opossums!

*****

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you might recall that I am hell-bent on getting a photo of a fawn. I feel my opportunity for photographing a newborn deer is past. But I do have a story to share...

Last Saturday morning, three of the four of us in our household...and Winston...were up early at 7 am. W usually rises and shines at about 8:15; he's a lazy dog! Well, my DH went out on the back porch to have his coffee and he took W with him. I wandered out too as did our son. My husband was off to race his bicycle soon, that's his stress reliever and hobby, and my son was off to re-take his SAT's. I knew I needed to get W to pee before I drove our son to his testing site so I walked out back without the leash with W. Winston and I have been working on our trust, and we are making great strides in our backyard and the adjacent woods. I feel like he's such a hunter though if we cross the stream behind our place his leash must be on. I guess my trust isn't THAT strong yet.

Well, the walk was going fine. W relieved himself and was sniffing lots all around. He wandered to the edge of my in-laws backyard and I went that way too. On the other side of a monster pine tree, I saw W nudge something and it take off running. IT WAS A SLEEPING FAWN! "Winston, NO!!!!!" I screamed as I ran in their direction. The fawn ran about 100 feet and laid down. W had his nose on the baby's back. As I slowly approached the two animals my husband came running up. Baby deer decided to make another break for it, bleating the whole time! She, or he, sounded just like a little goat kid and I was sure her angry mom would be upon us all! Another 100 feet of running and the baby stopped again. She staying on her feet this time. She had her front legs spread and her head down as she faced us. She almost looked like she was going to charge us herself, but I think she was frozen in fear. W, my DH and I were all just inches from this little one. She was about a 1/3 of the size of W. My DH's voice roused me from my own frozen state as he told me to grab Winston's collar. I just didn't want to move! I wanted to drink in the beauty of this moment. Did I have my camera? NO. Did I have my cellphone (with camera)? NO! I tried very hard to burn this image into my brain. It was a Thousand Words right in front of me. Just for me!

We drug W back home. He was very proud of himself for his morning find. He is a hunting dog after all.

In the past three months I have walked for close to 200 hours with my camera around my neck just hoping for a photo-op with a fawn. Life remains unpredictable.