My Wild Backyard

Living in a small town near a river has what some of us feel are fringe benefits and what others feel is a pain in the butt. There are a lot of deer in town, and they are not afraid of us at all.

Frankly, I look at it as an opportunity to get some wildlife photography without have to actually go any further than my own backyard. You know, as opposed to actually having to go out in the wild for the shots.

The doe in the above photo had recently given birth and was just taking a break from her twins. A doe looks very skinny and frail during the time she's nursing young, and particularly when there are twins.

When I first noticed her, she was lying down near the lilac bush, and the first photo I attempted was awful. Hint--don't shoot through a dirty window with a screen!

I put out a general message on my Facebook page, and a neighbor soon replied to tell me that the twin babies were in the alley behind her house, sleeping peacefully.

Soon enough, she got up and ate. Molly followed her around--at a safe distance, I might add--and kept an eye on her until she finally jumped the fence and rejoined her babies.

My neighbor and I had kept in contact and kept tabs all afternoon regarding the babies. This wasn't an unusual situation--all mamas need a break from time to time. But we worried a bit, anyway, and we were both relieved when she returned to feed her kids. (Her fawns, I mean!)

Later in the summer, we got other visitors.

By this time the does had fattened up a bit. Molly kept her distance--two against one isn't her style.

I'm amazed that I was able to get such good shots from the back deck. These deer actually seemed to be posing for me.

Visits like these alway a gave my father a lot of joy. I know that somewhere in his own photo library there's a buck standing right by the deck. Dad said he could have reached out and touched him. He was so tickled to get that picture!

Our brave little hunter, Molly, doesn't put out much effort with the big guys, but she loves to give chase when one of the little ones show up.

So far, she hasn't come close to catching one of these fellows. They sit up in the tree and scold her with their chatter. Still, I can't say she's ever going to give up trying.

This shot was one of a few I snapped last winter, when I happened to look across the street while out to check the mail. They were a lot more interesting than anything the mailman had left that day.

The in-town deer population has grown exponentially over the last quarter of a century. When I was a child growing up in this town, seeing a deer or moose in town was almost unheard of.

"Nuisance animals" is a phrase I've heard a lot since returning to the area after 20 years away. Residents here aren't very happy with the deer population running around through town.

Seriously, it's the fault of the city planners that this is happening. Deer are migratory creatures, and over the years, a lot of building has taken place on the land they've always lived on. I don't know why people didn't expect this influx of wildlife. Deer need to eat. Their grazing land is now hosting new houses and a water-treatment plant.

Naturally, they moved toward alternate food sources. Lawns and bushes. Vegetable gardens. Flowers.

They like the red and pink flowers. They don't care for yellow ones. Plan accordingly when planting your garden, folks!

P.S. I wish they'd eat that horrible Juniper bush in the front yard! But, no...

I'm awfully pleased with my photos, and I hope you've enjoyed seeing them. I'm looking forward to getting a shot of the robin that keeps eluding me. That's going to be a keeper, if I can just get him to hold still!

Wish me luck in the backyard!

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