Monday, June 12, 2023

Fawns, reunited!

Back on May 22, I glanced into the front garden and lo and behold, a tiny face was peeking at me from the plants. A few day old White-tailed Deer fawn! This is an annual event around here but one I never tire of. My yard, because of its abundant plant life, is used as a fawnery by local does.

A young fawn stands in my neighbor's much more neatly manicured backyard yesterday. This may well be the one in the previous photo.

I've seen this fawn (or perhaps another) a few times over the last week or so, with the doe.

The fawn nurses. Fawns as young as this tend to stay in close proximity to mom, although by now they are very curious about the world around them, although still intimidated by new things.

As I watched from an upstairs window, out came the other fawn! Well, I did not know there was another, for sure, until this moment but does often do have two offspring. I was able to run downstairs, grab a camera, dash out and peek around the corner of the garage for some unobstructed photos. The doe still made me and stared bullets at the big round lens (she couldn't see me).

The youngsters remained oblivious and cavorted about. Fawns are very playful and often filled with the "zoomies". They'll run at and chase one another like romping puppies. It's hard not to like and appreciate a fawn.

For the first few weeks of life, the doe keeps the fawns (if she has two) in separate locales. They may not be very far apart, but they won't be together. After two weeks or so, she reunites them (they were born together). I'd say this was one of their first days back together, if not the first.

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