I spent many hours this winter playing peek-a-boo with a herd of does. We all seemed to enjoy this game, and at times, I was unsure whether I was following them or they were following me. It wasn't at all unusual for me to find their tracks practically to the back door of my house, and it happened daily that they would walk on top of the snowshoe trail that I carefully broke after each snow.
The game often started something like this, where we were peering at one another through the foliage. Can you spot all 3 deer in this photo? With time and a little patience, however, there was little doubt that a degree of trust had been developed - and I would have all 5 of them feeding just a few feet from where I was -- always on the ground, always in the open, never hiding, just making my intentions plain and letting them choose to stay or leave.
I was happy to find my friends in the marsh which surrounds my home last week. The sun was out, the weather was warm. I watched them graze the marsh grass, slowly moving nearer and nearer to where I was seated. I then witnessed what I found an absolutely fascinating behaviour - and I don't know if this is normal/common, or if I saw something unusual. But taken at face value, I found it remarkable.
First, a pair of deer came to the edge of the grazing zone, where the marsh normally turns to river -- which is quite deep at this location. At first, I thought they were just pondering what I was doing watching them - them watching me - me watching them.
And then there were 3. And finally 4. And eventually......all 5.
The first deer, the smallest, advanced to the edge of the water. I was suddenly terrified with the realization that they were about to cross the ice. I knew it wasn't thick enough to hold me, and I was afraid that I was about to witness a deer drowning. Or worse yet, a herd of 5 does drowning. I held my breath, and she slowly moved out onto the deepest part of the water. The remaining 4 stayed at the edge of the ice, watching.
Much to my relief, she safely made it across. And then the amazing happened. She stopped, turned around, and watched as the other deer slowly walked across the ice -- one at a time. Each deer stopped once across, and turned to watch the next deer come across safely.
Finally, it was time for number 5, the largest doe, to come across the ice. They were walking in the trail of the other deer that went before them, and I could see slush and water spraying up as they moved. I wondered how the ice was holding up, and continued to hold my breath until everyone was safely on the other side. The large doe paused momentarily, and stepped out on the ice, looking around as if uncertain.
Almost without warning, she gathered herself up, and bolted across the ice at top speed to join the rest of the herd on the other side!
Once the entire herd was reunited safely on the opposite side of the marsh, they slowly grazed their way back into the woodline and then proceeded to a neighbor's house about a mile away where he feeds a small amount of grain each evening.
I've often trailed these deer (=following their tracks over an extended distance) through the snow and across the marsh - and I've crossed the ice behind the herd countless times over the years. I've looked at the trail and seen that they appeared to be walking single file -- but had no idea that not only were they travelling single file, but they might have also been crossing the ice only one at a time! I find this behaviour fascinating - and it suggests much more "woods wise" knowledge than even the average person might have when on ice - especially looking at the number of people that fall through each winter (myself included!). Just an amazing small insight into a corner of their lives. I left the marsh feeling much richer than when I went into it.
And for any trackers/trailers out there that would like the actually see this gait in more detail and without pictures removed in between, I would be happy to provide you the series to look at more closely. We don't get to see deer in natural action like this as often as we maybe would like!
Today's instagram quiz is another story. I had been exploring on the coast of southern Maine with a friend - when they needed to visit the "port-a-potty" in the woods. I wandered back in the direction of the car, and decided to climb in to wait out of the wind. I had just closed the door when I heard a bird alarm. Reflexes took over - and I caught the bird above flying in from my right.....as I raised the camera. The above bird caught another bird in mid-flight, carrying it off for dinner elsewhere (see below.) Can you identify both the predator and then -- the prey? I had the advantage of hearing the alarm call - but can you do it just from the below photo? Email me with your guesses, or go to my instagram page to see if your guess matches mine. Mother nature might be harsh, but I had to remind myself that predators need to eat, too - and this was an absolutely stunning mid-air catch, something I have read about and seen at a distance, but never at 5 foot range! Incredible.
