Thursday, March 27, 2014

Mystery Solved!

I typically don't make two blog posts in the same week, but this experience was too good to pass up.  I have been having some critter raid my bird feeders in the back yard.  I didn't think it was a squirrel or raccoon because I have a baffle that prevents them from climbing the pole.  And whatever is doing the raiding usually does it when I'm not home.  I come home to see my feeders pushed off the pole and opened up for a tasty meal.  It's been a puzzle...until today.



I was sitting in my living room, which has sliders facing out towards the backyard and woods.  As I sat there watching the Tigers play their second to the last spring training game, I saw three deer approach my fence.  I thought to myself, are these my bird feed raiders, and before I could say indeed they are, two of them jumped into my back yard.  The snow is so deep on both sides of the fence that it wasn't much of a challenge for them to jump in or jump out.  Here, this deer scours through the snow beneath my feeders for seed droppings.  I have noticed a deep depression in that area and wondered how that had happened.  Now I know.


As I sat there in awe with what I was witnessing,  I remembered I needed to get to my camera.  I always have a second camera set up on a tripod in my study for opportunities like this.  These two are roaming the backyard like they've been here before.  




This deer comes to munch on my holiday garland, but doesn't linger there long as she quickly learns it's plastic.



I think I've been spotted, which isn't hard to believe since my mini-Goldendoodle puppy Gracie has been barking at the top of her lungs at these interesting critters.  I need to teach her not to bark at the deer, like I've taught Oakley. 



The deer comes closer to see what the racket is about, while the other deer jumps the fence on the other side of the house.



The two deer continue to watch me and the one outside the fence meanders off while the one inside the fence jumps the fence again to follow in the other one's tracks.  It's been a long hard winter in the north woods and it doesn't take much to bring on a little excitement.  :-)

5 comments:

  1. That seems a lot of excitement to me, Karen -- the lovely deer, so comfortable and at home just outside your window, such perfect though unwitting subjects for your camera! Good work!

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  2. Thanks, Pamela. I'm glad you understand my excitement. I feel very connected to the critters that visit my land and solving this mystery was really quite thrilling. Now that these deer have been found out, I wonder if they'll feel even comfortable visiting inside the yard. Hopefully, with our area beginning to thaw (hopefully on that, too), the critters will begin to find more natural edibles to feed on. Karen

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  3. So glad you solved the mystery, Karen! The deer look right at home. Wonder if they will still be jumping your fence after the snow melts. If so, Gracie and Oakley are in for an exciting summer.

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  4. Hi Jan...Yes, they do look right at home. I hope they don't come into the yard once the snow is gone, mainly because of an increased chance of deer ticks and Lymes disease. So that will something to watch for. Karen

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