It seems that we’ve had a hard Winter season thus far. Oh! Wait! That’s right, today is the first “official” day of winter! Well, instead, I guess that means we’ve had a hard end of Fall season.
You see, for the past week and a half, we New Englanders, especially those of us living on the North Shore in Massachusetts, have had to endure three snow storms that dumped at least 6 to 8 inches of snow each time. This may not sound like a great deal to many of you living in the northern areas of the United States, but round these parts, that’s more like mid-January to early March weather!
But, the hardship of it all is not really for us humans as it is for the wildlife. This has became especially apparent to me from the number of deer tracks in my back yard, especially around my bird feeders. Sure, I’ve seen deer tracks in my back yard before but then it was just a few tracks as the deer passed through. This time, the tracks were greater in number and it was obvious that they had stuck around a bit, looking for food.
Well, call me a sucker if you wish but, because of the early winter, because I believe that their normal food resources have been “taxed,” I decided to purchase one of those deer blocks of apple and corn. I placed it near one of my largest bird feeders where I’ve seen the greatest concentration of their tracks.
Now, according to the label, the “experts” claim that this is a favorite food of deer. Yeah, right!
For several evenings, I have watched the deer from a second floor window, kind of wondering how I might take some photos or possibly do a sketch or two for my blog. However, they’ve come so late that they were merely dark shadows in the moonlight. That is, until early today.
Even in the darkness, I could see that the deer block was clearly NOT a favorite food! Especially for the big guy who, as it turns out, was this magnificent looking buck.
He would circle round and round the feeder, attempting to eat some bird seed from around the edges of the feeder.
When that failed, he would proceed to “prune” my berry plants. (And, yes, I know that I can expect more of the same come Spring!)
Now, the doe, on the other hand, being so much smaller, has had to “accept” my deer block offerings.
Then again, maybe if I look around a bit more, I can find something better!
Doesn’t she have the sweetest face?!
Pretty big “birds” you have there! They do the same here, too. I put out lots of sunflower seeds for the birds, but there is a big doe who comes in every night and cleans up anything they don’t get with a guilty look on her face while she does it.
It’s so wonderful to see these photos and to read about someone being kind to deer. People around here hate them because they eat their gardens. I’m always thrilled by them.
Jana, aren’t deer beautiful! Unfortunately, they can be pretty destructive to gardens. Still, I love seeing them and I think a few of their “bad habits” are worth dealing with.
Thanks for the comment!
I love your blog. I don’t always leave a comment on your blog but I do visit often!
Janet, how lovely your visitors are. We share our wooded property abutting conservation land with a herd of beautiful Whitetail Deer.
The doe and her fawn were a delight to observe, as it was the whole herd stampeding downhill past home.
You have captured beautiful instances on these magnificent creatures.
Thank you, Carmen. It is always such a thrill to see deer come to your yard. I remember another experience in which a doe with triplets (still with their spots) crossed the road in front of my car. Oh! How I wished that I had my camera then!
Still, the memory is with me forever!
I love your blog, a subject that is near and dear to my heart!