Adventures

How deer confirm Springs’ arrivals

Another sign of Spring has arrived here in our parts of Wisconsin.  Not only has our ground thawed considerably, but the deer are also starting to move freely and easily through the fields once again.

Last night, after a glorious grilled meal, (Pork and Mango Kabobs with a side of fresh pineapple) – we discovered that Mr. hadn’t lost his cooking touch while in Jamaica…and…

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when we stopped to look out the window at the fields, (we’re doing daily checks to make sure the snow melt is actually sinking into the ground instead of rising),

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through the tree and to the left, we could see darker blobs that we haven’t seen in our backyard view since December.

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The ladies were content enough for me to run and go grab my other lens for my camera.

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Ah, I’m so happy to see the deer in March.  It is another good sign of Springs’ arrivals.

The gestation period for deer is 200 days and first births will occur in later Spring.  – Reproductive Seasonality in Deer

I stepped out on the deck and clicked some more photos.  I didn’t want to scare them away.  They’re doing important work right now.

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In March, if they were lucky gals way back in September, they prepare for the April births of their fawns by eating as much as possible.

I’m looking forward to seeing the little ones as they prance around the fields learning to walk and run like the big deer do.

Post Inspiration – Signs of Spring

PS – Tell me about the wildlife that prepares for spring arrivals in your parts of the world.  

25 thoughts on “How deer confirm Springs’ arrivals

  1. Great photos – glad they didn’t wander off before you got these! We get deer too, but they trot on through our meager woods before any photos can be taken.

    1. Thank you. They linger here quite often, even right in our backyard. Copper doesn’t even scare them, they just look at him like he’s a bunny or something even with his little/big dog bark ;-).

  2. Well that is interesting and a nice sight to behold from your home, just like my friend Carol who has herds coming through and stopping to rest a while, lap up the water at the birdbath and help themselves to a few seeds. I: wonder what they have been eating all these months to keep Mama Deer well fed and ready to deliver? They sure could not count on eating the grass buried under all that snow!

    1. Yes, it’s a fun sight. They must have been eating trees in the woods. They have been out there eating this afternoon again. I’m sure we’ll see a lot of them now that the corn is uncovered.

      1. That is great – I don’ live close enough to a rural area to see deer. Although Council Point Park is woodsy, it it right in the middle of the City and a person saw a deer there very early one morning about 6 years ago and everyone was amazed where it came from. It was very early in the morning – one man said he saw this deer at 6:00 a.m. He said it sprinted away – no pictures.

        1. They’re frequent yard visitors here. Coyotes, bear, badgers, fox, eagles, hawks, owls, etc. Do I have a camera ready ever…rarely!

          1. I would like to see that (from inside of course) … you should leave your camera near the doorwall/window! Unfortunately, you might be on the phone for work and see it – not so great. I didn’t realize your home was in such a rural area.

          2. Yes, it’s fun. We’ve had the deer come right up to the window next to our kitchen. I wrote about that last year. Yes, we’re one of 3 (soon to be 4) houses on 40 acres of land. It’s nice not to have to look out our back yard at other houses.

          3. I wondered when you showed your front yard and the snow Mr. shoveled and the driveway seemed endless (to me and I’m sure to Mr. as well – whew!) plus your back yard seemed to stretch on forever as well. I just thought the backyard was the snow making it seem endless. Don’t get me started on neighbors. When a 39 mph wind blew down my shed a few years ago, I could see the neighbors’ house behind. At one time a banker and his wife lived there, he died, and she had someone taking care of the property (double lot) until she died suddenly. The property has become a slew of renters (you know how they usually take care of the place from pics you’ve shown) … huge trees with roots out of the ground, no grass left as so many Rottweilers and pit bulls over the years. I don’t want a new shed as I never used it (spiders hanging everywhere), but I had painted it the same tone as the house and it looked good sitting there all those years – looked better than what’s there now. Neighbor on the other side put up a privacy fence on my side only – no comment on that either.

          4. Our lot is an acre and a half, I think? It takes Mr. a few hours to mow it and the same to snowplow it. We’re pretty fortunate to not have much for ‘ugly’ to look at in our neighbor yards. Except the big shed across the road that blocks my sunrise views. That has been the bummer over the years. Yeah, renters and pets can make a mess of a place. Sorry to hear you’ve had to look at your share or ugly and unwelcome fences over the years.

          5. That was a huge shed and I was horrified when it blew over, not just because it would leave a huge void in the yard, but then I saw what was behind me. The firebushes and other bushes were planted decades ago and pretty dense, so I had a real sketchy glimpse into their yard – SMH. After I started the walking regimen, I don’t go back there too much now. At one point they had Budweiser cartons flattened down to cover over the back windows. A good luck to be sure.

          6. Oh, my, that’s not the kind of neighbor I’d enjoy either. You’ve made a great choice in choosing walking over gawking. 😉

  3. This morning, one of my cats catched a turtledove: Streptopelia… No eggs , no nests, no spring for the survival partner…
    So, with your pictures in front of me, I am listening to Arvo Part’s beautiful peace of music: “My Heart’s in the Highlands” 1789 Scottish poet Robert Burns.
    “My heart’s in the Highlands, my heart is not here, My heart’s in the Highlands a-chasing the deer – A-chasing the wild deer, and following the roe; (=ree) My heart’s in the Highlands, wherever I go. Farewell to the Highlands, farewell to the North The birth place of Valour, the country of Worth; Wherever I wander, wherever I rove, The hills of the Highlands for ever I love. Farewell to the mountains high cover’d with snow; Farewell to the straths and green valleys below; (=breed dal) Farewell to the forrests and wild-hanging woods; Farwell to the torrents and loud-pouring floods. My heart’s in the Highlands, my heart is not here, My heart’s in the Highlands a-chasing the deer Chasing the wild deer, and following the roe; My heart’s in the Highlands, whereever I go”.

      1. Arvo Part composes only beautiful entchanting, bewitching musics but Robert Burns’ poem is one of his great nostalgic writings.

  4. The rental house we had when we first moved to the area was on the edge of a protected park and deer slept in our back yard. It was so cool. I do miss that but I periodically see them still walking along the edge of the park.

    1. I sometimes feel badly for the dear who have to share their homes in the forest with the new housing developments. I’m also amazed at how they adapt and take advantage of the foilage. Then I don’t feel so sorry for them, especially when they eat our trees and there’s a forest right next door. See I can be swayed either way!

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